Virtual Field Trips
You’ll definitely want to check out the San Diego Zoo. Their site for kids includes behind-the-scenes videos and stories, as well as a variety of printable activities and online games.
Go to an Aquarium!
You have your pick of live webcams, but our favorites are the Georgia Aquarium’s Ocean Voyager webcam (wait for the whale shark!) and the “jellycam” at Monterey Bay Aquarium (so soothing). You can get a more traditional, “self-guided” virtual tour of the National Aquarium, whereas the Seattle Aquarium has a 30-minute video tour.
And definitely check out The Maritime Aquarium where you can register for their virtual programs for all grades. Talk to a research vessel captain, learn about water pollution, and more!
Through Stellarium, kids can explore over 60,000 stars, locate planets, and watch sunrises and solar eclipses. If you enter your location, you can see all the constellations that are visible in the night sky in your corner of the world.
Go to the Natural History Museum!
The National Museum of Natural History’s virtual experiences are self-guided, room-by-room tours of permanent, current, and past exhibits. Make sure to send kids to the second floor Bone Hall so they can take a look at all different kinds of skeletons.
Go to Mars!
No, really! You can absolutely “go” to the red planet. With Access Mars, you can see the actual surface of Mars, recorded by NASA’s Curiosity rover. Trust us—don’t skip the intro.