Going Digital: Top Virtual Field Trips for Experiential Home Learning
During this time, we are all anxiously awaiting the day that children around the country can return to their classrooms and be reunited with their teachers, classmates, and friends. In the meantime, parents may be wondering how in the WORLD they are going to make students’ time at home educational, fun and… Adventurous?? Fantastic Tours is a student travel agency with many years of experience, so we’ve compiled quite the list when it comes to tips and tricks for making learning fun and experiential, even when it means going virtual. We want to share everything we can to help the educational community during this time – get ready to have students exploring the world right from the comfort of your home classroom.
Let’s Get Out Of This World
3… 2… .1… BLAST OFF!!! Mission control to at-home students; we repeat, mission control to at-home students, do you copy?! We have definitely heard our fair share of “far out” field trips (TRUST us) but this one is quite literally out of this world. NASA’s Curiosity Rover has developed Experience Curiosity, an entirely virtual experience that allows students to learn, explore, and travel ON Mars (no spaceship required!) With high-resolution animation combined with actual footage, it includes a few main areas of play. Free drive and rover replay allows students to learn about the different parts and mechanics of the Curiosity Rover. They can take it a step further and isolate and move each part. As the students are learning about each individual piece of the Rover, they are also given the opportunity to explore the various regions of Mars from the Pink Cliffs to Whale Rock and more!
A Wild (Virtual) Adventure
Everyone knows over at Fantastic Tours, we’re a student tour agency that is WILD about experiential learning and educational tours! So sit down with some (healthy) snacks and get ready for the most relaxing day at the zoo you’ve ever had with the San Diego Zoo’s Live Cams! From penguins to pandas to koalas, oh my! There are tons of animals to choose from, so you can even break it out into multiple lessons based on the geographical location of the animals. Travel to African rocks and safaris, the Northern Frontier or even the Outback down unda! These real-time, live feeds will allow students to have the same experience virtually that they would if they were standing right in front of the exhibits. We know missing a trip to the zoo when live cams are available is just un-bear-able!!
The Magic Is STILL Happening
That’s right; the most magical place on Earth is STILL giving you the opportunity to experience the fairy dust and smiles of Walt Disney World, virtually! The Walt Disney staff has been hard at work creating and compiling point-of-view videos from all of their favorite attractions to share during these times. They started with a brand-new attraction that many Disney lovers didn’t even have a chance to experience yet – Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railroad – which only opened at the beginning of this month! There are also fan favorites and classic ride videos available like Soarin’ and Test Track that have a home over in Walt Disney World’s Epcot. Whether you’re flying through the sky or down the track, you’ll be able to get a glimpse into pure joy when exploring all of the point-of-view videos available right on YouTube! (Hint: Did you know there are tools like Chromecast, Fire TV Stick and even just smart TVs where you can cast YouTube videos up on the TV?! Get that ride up on the big screen for extra bonus points with your kids!)
Discover The Tundras
Bring your next virtual field to Canada and experience the POLAR BEAR MIGRATION! Discovery Education has an entire lesson already planned for you called Tundra Connections that includes videos, activities, worksheets, and more! Students will be highly engaged when they’re virtually dropped into the heart of everything polar bears. This provides an amazing teaching opportunity for topics like arctic ecosystems, climate change, and sea ice habitats. Options are available for younger students aged K-3 or more advanced students in the 4th grade or above. If you have children at home in multiple age brackets, this could be a great way to get them involved and cut your lesson planning in half!
Educational student tours are incredible ways to expose students to experiential learning that brings textbooks from just pages and pictures to real-life adventures. In a time where students around the country are being homeschooled, it may be overwhelming or difficult for parents to find ways for students to stay engaged. We’re here to support the education community in any way possible and want students of all ages to utilize the technology we have available to become virtually immersed in education!
