Virtual field trips allow us to take our students where the bus can’t. Here are 25 field trips and 10 activities to do while you're on one!
Imagine your class traveling to see the Great Pyramid of Giza, touring the International Space Station, or having a face to face conversation with a beloved author. All of these experiences are possible through virtual field trips.
Virtual field trips allow us to take our students on adventures we never could before.
They are fun, very engaging and best of all most virtual field trips are absolutely FREE! There are tons of exciting places to go and connections waiting for you and your classroom to make that are already available.
So where are the best places to find a virtual field trip for your class? And what activities can you provide your students to take the learning further?
Here are 25 virtual field trips plus 10 extension activity ideas for your class.
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25 virtual field trips for your class
Part of Google Arts and Culture, The Hidden Worlds of National Parks take participants on a journey through some of the worlds most amazing places. See the Kenai Fjords, Hawaii Volcanoes, Carlsbad Caverns, Bryce Canyon and the Dry Tortugas.
Explore more: Google Arts & Culture
Take a trip step inside 11 dramatic virtual tours some of the most beautiful theaters, concert halls and opera houses in the world. Carnegie Hall, The Colosseum in Rome, and The Sydney Opera House are just a few of the amazing trips you take!
Explore more: Google Arts & Culture
Geared towards students in grade 3-5, this virtual field trip from the American Museum of Natural History explores how animals adapt to their environments in order to survive.
This field trip includes a teachers guide, student worksheets and extension activities.
Geared towards students in grade 6-8, this virtual field trip from the American Museum of Natural History explores how plate tectonics explains specific Earth formations.
This field trip includes a teachers guide, student worksheets and extension activities.
A perfect field trip for K-2! This virtual field trip from the American Museum of Natural History takes children through a 360 video as they observe butterflies and compare their patterns.
This field trip includes a teachers guide, student worksheets and extension activities.
If you have ever wondered what the surface of Mars really looks like now you can find out! View the surface of Mars in 360 recorded by NASA's Curiosity rover.
Explore one of the seven wonders of the world without leaving your classroom! The free version of this virtual tour includes four 360 scenes from The China Guide.
Using breathtaking photographs this virtual tour from the National Wildlife Federation takes students through the world as they learn about beautiful animals while also exploring ways to protect and conserve wildlife.
This virtual tour includes 5 activities and more nature activities to explore.
Using NASA's satellite imagery students can hunt for letters in Earth's landforms from space!
You can take a tour of 18 different scenes from the International Space Station with this Google Earth tour. Visit the Columbus Research Laboratory, SpaceX Dragon Docking Vehicle and more!
Pair this virtual tour with these fun interviews and space quizzes from Kahoot!
Travel back in time and explore the last standing ancient world wonder through Google Maps Treks. Learn more about the history, location, purpose, materials, and labor required to build the magnificent structures.
Explore more: Google Maps Treks
This collection of images was part of the first group of 360 images added to Google Maps. You can explore more 360 views through the Google Maps Street View collection.
Explore more: Google Maps Treks
This virtual field trip embedded within a Nearpod VR lesson uses real-world examples of geometry to help students analyze and design physical spaces.
As with all of the Nearpod VR lessons, this virtual field trip includes a teacher guide and student resources.
Explore more: Nearpod VR Field Trips Library
Through National Geographic's YouTube 360 collection you can explore the high-mountain environment of Mount Everest and learn how climate change is impacting this place.
Pair this virtual tour with this Expedition Everest Kahoot!
Explore more: National Geographic 360 Videos collection
This virtual event from HistoryView.org takes students through the afternoon of April 19, 1775, the first day of the American Revolution.
Pair this virtual field trip with this American Revolution HyperDoc for a full unit of study.
Explore more: HistoryView VR library of virtual tours
16. Changing Climate, Changing Cities: Virtual Field Trip from Phoenix to Shenzhen
In this virtual field trip from the Nature Conservancy students will explore the connection between water and climate in Shenzen, China and learn about heat islands in Phoenix, Arizona.
17. The Secret Life of Corals
In this virtual field trip from the Nature Conservancy students will learn how scientists are finding ways to restore corals damaged by human activity.
18. Borneo: The Symphony of the Rainforest
In this virtual field trip from the Nature Conservancy students will learn how experts find out where rainforests are healthy and where they need help.
19. View from a Canoe
In this virtual field trip from the Nature Conservancy students will explore the Emerald Edge coastal temperate rainforest.
20. Wild Biomes: America's Rainforests & Deserts
In this virtual field trip from the Nature Conservancy students will travel to two vastly different ecosystems as they explore the desert in Arizona and the American rainforest in Seattle.
21. The Coral Reefs of Palau
In this virtual field trip from the Nature Conservancy students will discover the underwater cities in the coral reefs of Palau.
22. China's Great Forests
In this virtual field trip from the Nature Conservancy students will explore two provinces in China and examine the role these areas play in the carbon cycle and climate change.
23. Powering the Planet: Renewable Energy
In this virtual field trip from the Nature Conservancy students will explore the question: How can we get the energy we need without harming nature?
24. Journey of Water: Colombia’s Páramo
In this virtual field trip from the Nature Conservancy students will explore the mountain landscapes and the pàramo ecosystem as they walk among sunflower-like plants that capture rain and provide water for the residents of the city.
25. Peru: A Coastal Ecosystem
In this virtual field trip from the Nature Conservancy students will explore one of the most productive ocean ecosystems learning about the Humboldt Current and the ecosystems animal inhabitants.
10 virtual field trip activity ideas
1. Pair it with a digital escape room
After taking a virtual field trip have your students use what they learned and try a digital escape. Check out this Wakelet collection or Teacher pack full of digital escape rooms.
Can't find one that fits? Click here to learn how to create your own.
2. Play a Kahoot!
Kahoot has partnered with loads of organizations like National Geographic, The American Museum of Natural History, Nature Lab and more! Check out all of their games and find one that fits. Play before your trip and again after to see how much your students learned.
3. Record their observations in a journal
Ask students to jot down their observations while on your virtual field trip. Use this virtual field trip observation journal or create one like it for your kiddos to use.
4. Create a travel suitcase unboxing video
Students unpack a suitcase (or a box is OK, too) with artifacts, souvenirs and important items from a location they just visited. This can be a real life trip, an imagined trip, or even a recap of a virtual field trip. Visit The Unboxing Video: A fun classroom video activity for a how-to and examples.
5. Create or find an accompanying HyperDoc
HyperDocs are a great way to immerse students in a unit through blended learning. Why not pair your virtual field trip with a HyperDoc lesson or unit to enhance the experience before, during and after the trip? Check out these sample HyperDocs to find one that works with your unit.
6. Utilize pre-made lessons
Many of the virtual field trips mentioned in the section above include teacher guides and activities that are already prepared for you and your students. Also be sure to check out the Nearpod VR Field Trips Library. You can search by subject, grade or standard.
7. Add a stem connection with 3D printing or a makerspace challenge
After visiting a place have students create an artifact from the destination. Students can use everyday household items to create or take it up a few notches by having them create a 3D object in a program like Tinkercad. If you are lucky enough to have access to a 3D printer students can even print their artifact and share with the class.
8. Create an "All About a Topic" presentation
In this applied digital skills lesson students pick a topic and share information about it by creating an interactive presentation in Google Slides. This would be a perfect extension activity for a virtual field trip about climate change or other area of study students may feel passionate about. Check out Google Applied Digital Skills: 5 reasons why you should try this FREE curriculum for more ideas.
9. Take others to your destination with green screen
Have students share what they learned about a location by creating their own news report. Use an app like DoInk to transport students back to the location of your trip with Green Screen.
Check out 10 green screen project ideas for the classroom for inspiration.
10. Play Virtual Field Trip BINGO!
Although this choice board BINGO board created by John Meehan can be easily adapted to fit any unit it makes a great follow up to a fun virtual field trip. Students will have a blast creating videos, building with Lego, writing a rap, creating social media posts and more.
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[…] Use screen time as a portal to see something REAL that your child can come to know. Your birth to 6-year-old is creating herself out of the world that surrounds her, including what is watched on a screen. Older kids can definitely use technology in a positive way to see what’s going on around them and learn about their wonderful world. Check out some virtual field trips! […]
[…] virtual field trips, Skype lessons, Skype collaborations, Mystery Skype games and/or guest speakers to your class with […]
[…] Students unpack a suitcase (or a box is OK, too) with artifacts, souvenirs and important items from a location they just visited. This can be a real life trip, an imagined trip, or even a recap of a virtual field trip. (See this post on easy virtual field trip ideas.) […]
[…] Students unpack a suitcase (or a box is OK, too) with artifacts, souvenirs and important items from a location they just visited. This can be a real life trip, an imagined trip, or even a recap of a virtual field trip. (See this post on easy virtual field trip ideas.) […]
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