Virtual field trips Ready for a trip to Mars? Want to chat with an expert who can answer your class’s science or history questions? Interested in visiting museums and galleries without field trip permission forms? Then it’s time for a virtual field trip! Several museums and non-profit organizations have developed engaging virtual field trips for K–12 students. Some are free, or have fee-assistance programs in place, while others charge per class or per student. There are thousands of virtual field trip options available for all grades; the examples listed below are just a small snapshot. The Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre offers a variety of virtual programs for Grades K–10. Their virtual field trips give schools a chance to learn more about the plants and animals that live in BC’s ecosystems. You can tour the Beaty Biodiversity Museum virtually with a museum interpreter. The Museum Interpreter shares stories and specimens from the museum and answers students’ questions. This can also be combined with a virtual visit to the Pacific Museum of Earth. The Beaty Biodiversity Museum also has several Beaty Boxes schools can borrow with touchable specimens and scientific objects for students to explore. Access Mars lets you explore a 3D replica of the Martian surface created using digital photos taken from the Curiosity rover as it travelled across Mars. While exploring the Martian terrain, students can click on points of interest to learn more about the Curiosity mission. The HR MacMillan Space Centre is currently sharing virtual presentations with schools, followed by a Q&A with staff to answer all your questions about space.
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In addition to their in-person shows and exhibitions, Science World currently offers several online workshops for elementary students to learn more about science concepts and coding. The Museum of Anthropology offers live virtual programs for elementary schools, as well as free downloadable programs for secondary schools. The Museum of Anthropology also has teaching kits for guided study in the classroom. The Royal BC Museum has several 45-minute, 30-minute, and 20-minute digital program offerings. Digital programs are live, interactive learning experiences led by museum staff and cover a variety of topics including Indigenous history, natural history, and becoming BC. Your class can now visit Barkerville virtually to learn more about BC’s Gold Rush. Barkerville offers virtual tours, reenactments, and stories from the gold rush. Grades K–12 can virtually visit galleries from the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The museum offers virtual field trips tailored to all grade levels, led by museum staff. Each virtual tour ends with a visit to the Israel Asper Tower of Hope for 360˚ views of Winnipeg.
linktr.ee/VirtualFieldTrips
