Don’t have the funds to take students on a field trip? Living in the age of technology allows us to virtually visit and see sights around the world (or solar system!) that most of us wouldn’t get the opportunity to ever see. I’ve compiled a list of science-related virtual field trips you and your students can experience. Happy travels!
1. Virtual Field Trips.org is a great place to start. They have videos that can take students to the galapgos, national parks, and the amazon. Head here to watch!
2. I’ve always been fascinated with caves. Visiting Carlsbad Caverns was one of my favorite vacations. Let students explore Carlsbad Caverns with this virtual tour. Check it out here.
3. ASU has a ton of great virtual field trips, especially for earth science teachers. You can find it here.
4. The Nature Conservancy also has a variety of field trips to choose from. They have teacher guides and videos for a ton of topics. Check them out HERE.
5. I’m sure you have played around with Google Earth, but did you know there is also Google Moon and Google Mars? Let your students explore the solar system and see what the surface of the moon and Mars look like! You never know, humans may be regular visitors to these places in their lifetime!
6. Another cool site to check out if you have students interested in space is Stellarium. Students can visit this online planetarium and check out constellations visible from their current location.
7. You might think of Easter Island as more of a history trip instead of a science trip, but this island has an interesting (and disastrous) history relating to ecosystem collapse and sustainability. What is now relatively barren land, Easter Island was once lush and heavily populated. There is some debate about what wiped out the trees (deforestation? invasive rats?) and the ecosystem collapse that followed, but either way it is a good lesson on population growth and sustainability. Students can check out the island HERE.
8. Discovery Education has a bunch of virtual field trips to choose from. Head here and you can filter by content area.
9. Would you like to view webcams from different zoos and aquariums? I often put live webcams up on the classroom board when students are doing independent work. If they finish their work early or need a brain break, watching animals is a fun thing to do! Check out this blog post to see which zoos and aquariums offer streaming webcams.
10. The National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC offer virtual tours using Google Street View. Check them out HERE.
11. The Smithsonian has a virtual tour of their “deep time” exhibit. A great place to check out extinct fossils!
12. Google Art and Culture has virtual field trips from TONS of locations worldwide. Click here to view US national parks and explore places like the Grand Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns, Yellowstone, and more! (Warning: It’s addicting).
