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20+ Virtual Field Trip Ideas

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Whether you’re doing distance learning or don’t have the school budget to take a big field trip, these virtual field trip ideas are a great alternative to visiting places in person.

20+ Virtual Field Trips for K-12 - MamaTeaches

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What Are Virtual Field Trips?

Traditional field trips require a lot of planning and preparation.

Virtual field trips, on the other hand, are quick, easy, and a ton of fun.

They’re also usually free or available at an extremely low cost.

They are virtual tours of historic or popular locations that are done through the use of video, images, and text.

Some locations even offer interactive experiences for their virtual field trip visitors.

All that’s required to “travel” is a good internet connection and a sense of adventure.

20+ Virtual Field Trips for Kindergarten through High School - MamaTeaches.com

How to Use Virtual Field Trips in the Classroom or for Distance Learning

When my kids were little we would take daily field trips to places around the world with the help of the internet.

As they got older I strategically chose the locations we “visited” based on what we were studying in our homeschooling.

Classroom teachers can employ the same technique and tailor class field trips to the units currently being taught.

Studying the Revolutionary War?

Take a trip to Philadelphia!

Talking about the history of flight?

Maybe a virtual trip to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is in order.

The key is to integrate the virtual field trip with things already being studied so that a deeper connection with the subject matter is forged.

The possibilities are endless!

20+ Virtual Field Trips for Distance Learning in K-12 - MamaTeaches.com

Virtual Field Trip Ideas

I’ve gathered some of my favorite virtual field trips below.

The majority of them are free and range in age appropriateness from K-12.

As always, it is highly recommended that you preview the sites before sharing them with your students.

The field trips are grouped by subject in an effort to help you find what you’re looking for.

I hope it helps!

Have fun on your virtual trip around the world!

Art & Music Virtual Field Trip Ideas

The Louvre

Cost: Free Great for Students in: Elementary, Middle, and High School

Take a trip to Paris without ever having to leave your desk!

The Louvre offers virtual tours of some of their most popular exhibits.

Van Gogh Museum

Cost: Free Great for Students in: Middle and High School

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam gives virtual visitors an opportunity to explore some of Vincent Van Gogh’s work in video and text format.

Take a virtual tour and learn more about the prolific artist.

Virtual Field Trips for Distance Learning - MamaTeaches.com

Language Arts Virtual Field Trips

Google Lit Trips

Cost: Free Great for Students in: Elementary, Middle, High School

While not your typical virtual field trips, Google Lit Trips are an amazing way to bring literature to life for your students.

Each trip focuses on one book and traces the route of the character using Google Earth.

Want to track the ducklings in Make Way for Ducklings?

There’s a Lit Trip for that!

Want to follow along on with Anne Frank?

There’s a Lit Trip for that too!

Google Lit Trips has been one of our favorite resources for years and is definitely worth checking out.

History/Social Studies Online Field Trip Ideas

Buckingham Palace

Cost: Free Great for Students in: Upper Elementary, Middle, and High School

Take a virtual tour of Buckingham Palace and explore the history within.

The tour allows students to navigate their way around the rooms and provides information about the furnishings in and purpose of each space.

Ellis Island

Cost: Free Great for Students in: Upper Elementary/Middle School

This half-hour virtual tour of Ellis Island by the National Park Service and Scholastic helps bring home lessons on immigration to the United States.

Mt. Vernon

Cost: Free Great for Students in: Upper Elementary/Middle School

Take a virtual tour of George Washington’s Mt. Vernon estate.

Students can click on different locations within the tour to learn more about the property and the things that typically took place there.

Museum of the American Revolution

Cost: Free Great for Students in: Upper Elementary/Middle School

Follow along as author Lauren Tarshis from the I Survived series of books takes your students on a tour of the Museum of the American Revolution.

See artifacts and learn what life was really like during revolutionary times.

Pompei

Cost: Free Great for Students in: Upper Elementary/Middle School

Use Google Street Maps to take a tour of the ruins of Pompei.

Don’t feel like Pompei?

Plug in the coordinates for any destination in the world and watch it come to life on your screen.

Rome: The Eternal City

Cost: $8+ Great for Students in: Middle and High School

Located on the website VirtualFieldTrips.org, this virtual video field trip to Rome is a great addition to a Roman unit study.

There are many different field trip options on the site but do keep in mind that there is a charge to access them.

Yosemite Park

Cost: Free Great for Students in: Elementary, Middle, and High School

You will never look at Yosemite Park the same way after taking this virtual field trip!

The interactive field trip allows visitors to click on points through the park to get information and see a 360-degree view of that location.

Sounds accompany the tour to add to the feeling of being there in person.

20+ Virtual Field Trip Ideas for Distance Learning - MamaTeaches

Science & Math Virtual Field Trips

Beluga Whale Live Cam at Georgia Aquarium

Cost: Free Great for Students in: Elementary and Middle School

Watch Beluga whales swim across your screen in this live animal feed from Georgia Aquarium.

There are other live feeds as well so check the other options to see how they might integrate with your lesson plans.

Coral Reef Cam at Monterey Bay Aquarium

Cost: Free Great for Students in: Elementary, Middle, and High School

Take trip to the coral reef with the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

See fish swim by the daily live feed from 12:30pm-8:00pm PST.

Check out the aquarium’s other live feeds for more virtual field trip fun!

Discovery Education

Cost: Free Great For Students in: Middle and High School

Covering a wide range of topics from sports to science to literacy, Discovery Education has a great selection of virtual field trips worth exploring.

There are topics of interest for everyone from middle school through high school.

Elmwood Park Zoo’s Eagle Cam

Cost: Free Great for Students in: Elementary

Spend some time watching the national bird of the United States in this live camera feed from Elmwood Park Zoo.

Located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, this zoo also features a live giraffe cam during the warmer months.

Great Lakes Ecosystem Virtual Field Trips

Cost: Free Great for Students in: Middle School

Designed primarily for students in grades 6-8, this series of virtual field trips takes students to the Great Lakes where they learn about everything from algae to sturgeon.

The video field trips make the Great Lakes come alive!

National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

Cost: Free Great for Students in: Middle and High School

Learn about the history of flight, as well as the science behind in with a virtual tour of the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

The “choose your own path” tour allows students to explore the museum and focus on the information that interests them the most.

San Diego Zoo Animal Cams

Cost: Free Great For Students in: Elementary

The San Diego Zoo is one of our favorite virtual field trips when learning about new animals.

Not only does the site provide a wealth of information in the form of videos and written material, but they also offer live cameras for some of their most popular animals.

Smithsonian’s National Zoo Animal Cams

Cost: Free Great for Students in: Elementary and Middle School

Studying naked mole rats or elephants?

If so, the National Zoo’s animal cams are the place to be!

Take a virtual visit to some of the zoo’s most unique and popular animal exhibits.

Space Shuttle Discovery

Cost: Free Great for students in: Elementary and Middle School

Explore the Space Shuttle Discovery in this short virtual field trip from the National Air and Space Museum.

It’s a fun way to integrate a field trip into your unit study on space!

Virtual Disney Rides

Cost: Free Great for students in: Elementary, Middle, and High School

Have a high school class that’s missing out on taking a Physics field trip to the amusement park?

Try a virtual roller coaster trip instead!

Disney offers virtual tours of their most popular rides and exhibits.

They can be viewed with or without a virtual reality headset.

Note: The videos are located on their YouTube channel, so if YouTube is blocked by your district you may want to select an alternate trip.

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