From https://freedomhomeschooling.org

Who doesn't love a field trip.  Going to a zoo, a historic place, a science museum... the types of adventures that a field trip provides are many. 

Virtual field trips allow children to visit places around the world without ever leaving their homes. Through virtual field trips, they can visit other states, countries across the globe, and even other planets. This allows children to experience places they wouldn’t get to see otherwise. Virtual field trips are also great for when you can’t get out due to illness or can’t afford to travel.  

Taking advantage of a virtual field trip for your den or patrol can be fun.  These could be made into a game to give the scouts a challenge.  Pick place and create a list of things that they need to find.  Have them take a screen shot to prove that they found. Create a quiz, etc.  Break up the patrol into break out rooms. Have the patrol leader share his/her screen and take the tour together.

Here are several free resources your family can use to take virtual field trips:

Free Virtual Field Trips

Africam – Watch animals in the African bush live. 

All About Birds – Watch birds all over the US and world via live webcams.

Anne Frank House – Take a 360-degree tour of Anne Frank’s home in Amsterdam.

Beyond the Battle Field – Watch a behind the scenes video-based field trip of the Museum of the American Revolution.

Boeing Aerospace Tour – Join Boeing on a virtual field trip to the Johnson Space Center.

The British Museum – View the museum’s galleries online.

Buckingham Palace – Tour the famous London palace virtually.

Denver Mint - See how money is made at the Denver Mint

E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum – Browse the online collection or search for a specific specimen.

Eisenhower Home 3D Tour – Browse the home and estate President Dwight D. Eisenhower and wife Mamie adjacent to the Gettysburg, PA battlefield.
Eisenhower Barn 3D Tour – Take a virtual walk through the barn of the President Dwight D. Eisenhower estate.

Ellis Island – Visit Ellis Island with this video created by Scholastic. 

Explore – Watch animals all over the world with these live webcams.

Farm Tours – Learn about agriculture through these virtual tours of farms in Canada.

Great Wall of China – This panoramic virtual tour allows you to walk the Great Wall.

Holy Land Tour – Virtually visit Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and more.

Houston Zoo – Watch animals in several of their exhibits via live webcam.

International Space Station – Take a video tour of the space station.

The Louvre Museum – Explore exhibits at this famous art museum in Paris, France.

Mars – Explore the surface of Mars in a 360-degree view while learning about the planet and space exploration.

MetKids – Explore the Metropolitan Museum of Arts with an interactive map and videos.

Monterey Bay Aquarium – Watch sea creatures in this California aquarium with the live animal cam.

Mount Everest – Explore the mountain through 360-degree photos and informative articles.

Mount Vernon – Take an interactive and informative tour of George Washington’s home in Virginia.

NASA Glenn Research Center – Take a look around the facilities with these interactive virtual tours.

National Aquarium – Take a virtual tour of this aquarium located in Baltimore, Maryland.

National Museum of the US Air Force – Take a virtual tour of this museum.

Philadelphia Mint - See how US money is made at the Philadelphia Mint. 

Power Plant Tour – Learn what goes on inside a power plant.

San Diego Zoo – Watch live videos and learn about animals, play games, and more on this interactive website.

San Fransisco Mint - See how US Money is made at the San Francisco Mint.

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History – Virtually explore many current and past museum exhibits.

The Statue of Liberty – Learn about the Statue of Liberty through the videos and photographs in this virtual tour.

US Mint Tours Page - See how money is made in the United States.

Vatican Museums – Virtualy tour numerous museums, chapels, and galleries.

The Virtual Rainforest – Learn about the rainforest with this interactive tour that includes informative videos and articles.

Virtual Trip to the Sun – Take a video-based journey from the Earth from the Sun, stopping at our moon, Venus, and Mercury.

West Point Mint - See how money is made at the West Point Mint.

Yosemite National Park – Tour the park with interactive panoramic photographs.

Zoo Tours – This YouTube channel visits zoos all over the country.

AirPano – Visit locations all over the world virtually with 360-degree videos and photographs.

Discovery Education – This website offers a wide variety of virtual field trips.

360 Cities – Provides interactive 360-degree videos and images of locations around the world.

Sites in 3D – Tour locations across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait, Yemen, and many other countries using 360-degree images.

Google Arts and Culture – View the art collections of over 500 different museums and galleries. Some of the museums also offer full virtual tours.

Google Earth – “Fly” anywhere in the world in seconds, explore hundreds of cities in 3D, take guided tours, and create your own maps and stories.

Wild life Cameras - All around the world, see what animals are up to when noone is looking.

Van Gogh Museum - houses the largest collection of artworks by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) in the world. Amersterdam

Google Maps Street View – Type in any address, select street view and explore the area. Not only can you take a virtual trip down the streets, but you can also “step” into many museums, landmarks, and other attractions. Here are some I’ve found.

• The White House – Washington, D.C.
• The Colosseum – Rome, Italy
• Stonehenge – Wiltshire, United Kingdom
• Palace of Versailles – Versailles, France
• Wilson Island – Great Barrier Reef, Australia
• This is just a small sample of the places you can tour with Google Maps. Search for other locations that interest your family and see if Google will let you take a peak inside.

 

LINKS TO OTHER VIRTUAL TOUR COLLECTIONS

Other sites have collected links to virtual tours all over the world. From Amusement parks to Museums to Sports Parks to Historic sites and more.  Check out these collections:

Best Virtual Tours for Kids - Upgraded Points website (this is not an endorsement of the product or service)
Attractions around the world - Upgraded Points website (this is not an endorsement of the product or service)
US National Parks - Upgraded Points website (this is not an endorsement of the product or service)
 

LINKS TO MUSEUMS WITH INTRODUCTORY VIDEOS

Best museums in Dubai - 11 museums in Dubai that are open to visitors of all ages.

 

Virtual Reality Field Trips

VR.Space - Interactive Historical Virtual Reality Field Trips
Including: The Great Wall of China, The Acropolis, The museum of the World, The Colsseum, Dunkirk VR Experience, The Anne Frank House, Viking and Slav Reenactors Face Off Battle, The Sistine Chapel, Beyond the Battlefield (American Revolution), Titanic, Holy Land Virtual Tour, The Tomb of Queen Meresankh III, Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu, Franklin D. Roosevelt Museum, Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Center, Ellis Island, Mount Rushmore, and more...