“Field Trips” to Take Your Kids on During Virtual Learning Season

It’s like a real-life textbook in Williamsburg. From revolutionary and olden times, Greater Williamsburg is where the first English Thanksgiving took place in America. While sites are open in-person following COVID safety, your kids can immerse themselves straight from the couch at home through their virtual experiences.

Explore the Capital, Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, and the beautiful Governor’s Palace. In the Governor's Palace virtual tour, you can walk through the doors and click on icons to learn more. With so much rich history at your fingertips, your children won’t be bored. Fun fact: at one point the Governor's Palace was home to none other than Thomas Jefferson himself!

The most imaginative place you can go is entirely the creation of your child. Animal Crossing (played on the Nintendo Switch) is a social simulation video game where participants can build their own island, decorate their own home and even create their own outfits. If your extended family can’t be together, host an event on Animal Crossing.

Over the summer, there were countless weddings, graduation parties and barbecues bringing real life friends and family together in this virtual world. It’s the perfect escape from reality and you’ll be amazed how much your child learns from the game as they assume the role of mayor on their island.

For families unable to travel, Microsoft is ready to bring the world to your computer screen. Microsoft Store launched a series of workshops designed to engage students and build digital skills. Activities include virtual field trips to Africa, The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History to explore Ancient Egypt to name a few. Your child can also become the next Bill Gates by learning to code their very own video game with MakeCode Arcade or designing and coding apps.

For everyone’s safety during the pandemic, Airbnb launched Airbnb Experiences, equipped with a (virtual) Field Trips section. These online activities come at a low cost and are hosted by experts who have created their own curriculums that might even be out of this world -- learning about space from an astronomer.

Experts such as Matt will teach you sign language through fun games, teaching vocabulary to use this holiday season. Whether it’s seeing other parts of the world like going on a leopard safari in Sri Lanka, or a wholesome activity such as making vegan brownies, there's something for every mood.

While you may not be able to experience the warm weather firsthand, you can experience Los Angeles like never before. Assume your role as L.A.’s newest tour guide and take your children to over 40 locations, all virtually of course.

For those interested in the film industry, you can take a virtual tour of Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Studios where you’ll even be greeted by staff in a welcome video. Other experiences include iconic sites of L.A. from the Santa Monica Pier to museums like The Getty Center and Petersen Automotive Museum.

For kids interested in a place far, far, away, exploring Mars is now within reach. Google teamed up with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to create a Mars experience through WebVR -- a 3D version of the Martian ground. This isn’t based on imagination, it’s exactly as it was recorded by their Curiosity rover.

Curiosity moved across Mars, taking digital photographs with two stereoscopic camera systems. Scientists at NASA were able to create an interactive model to help plan their future endeavors, and are now making it public to explore on your own.

While Home Depot may be mom and dad’s DIY playground, the store recently launched an entire program just for kids. In partnership with Discovery Education, Home Depot Science Fair Central is a hub loaded with programs and workshops that children can complete.

Their "Virtual Field Trips" video series is an interactive experience offering children behind-the-scenes tours, and learning the science behind some of Home Depot’s best products. Some programs offered include “what amounts of light promote algae growth in a fish tank” and “how does temperature affect air pressure in a tire".

No matter where you are in the world, you can walk through the doorways of the iconic Louvre Museum virtually to see current exhibits. "Founding Myths: From Hercules to Darth Vader" is a current exhibit which takes viewers behind the curtain, talking to illustrators, painters, filmmakers and even puppeteers about how their work is inspired by ancient myths.

Additionally, there's a virtual tour of the moat of the Louvre. Yes, there was a moat -- and you’ll be able to see the original support beams that held the drawbridge.

We’re all making the most of the cards dealt to us this year, and with that comes unexpected joys. Exploring virtual "field trips" online has given families an escape to learn and experience places that they might never get to see in their lifetime. These virtual adventures can spark new interests in children. It’s about learning and harvesting creativity, to help our children discover their passions and to always be excited about school and learning -- cue the Magic School Bus!