A field trip can be a wonderful capstone experience to a unit of study. The bus ride, the small groups, the feeling of adventure! But who says you actually have to leave the classroom to have an amazing field trip experience? The world is at your fingertips with these fun, engaging, and FREE virtual field trip ideas. Dive under the sea, blast off into outer space, and get WILD with animals with just a click.
Keep reading to find the field trips organized by topic of interest. We've even included a classroom read-aloud for each field trip to share with your students. With so many great options, why not explore them all? Where will your class travel this year?
Our AMAZING, ACTIVE, and INSPIRING group of teachers in our Facebook Communities have shared their favorite suggestions for virtual field trips. Join in the conversation!
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Animals and Nature
1. The San Diego Zoo
Explore one of the largest zoos in the United States. Get up close and personal with live animal cameras, guided tours of the zoo, animal crafts, and stories. With a helpful search feature, students can easily find any animal of interest at the zoo.
Zoo Field Trip Read Aloud: Animal Encyclopedia
2. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
With this interactive map, students can explore every room and exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Discover dinosaurs, the deep ocean, the insect zoo, mammal exhibits from all seven continents, and more!
Natural History Museum Field Trip Read Aloud
3. The Seattle Aquarium
Otters, octopus, urchins, and more! Explore the Seattle Aquarium through dozens of animal videos and guided field trip recordings.
Aquarium Field Trip Read Aloud
4. Farm Tours
Have you ever thought about where the food we eat comes from? Students can be Old MacDonald for the day when they explore FarmFood 360. With 14 different farm tours to choose from, students can learn about a day in the life of a dairy farm, chicken farm, apple orchard, and more!
Aquarium Field Trip Read Aloud
Virtual Field Trips: History
5. Ellis Island
Students can learn about the immigration process during the late 19th and early 20th century with this interactive tour of Ellis Island. Learning more about who we are and where we come from is an important part of forming identity. The website also includes information about the immigration process in the United States today.
Ellis Island Field Trip Read Aloud
6. The White House
Take a trip to “The People's House,” and see where the President of the United States resides. With so many rooms to explore, which will the students like best?
White House Field Trip Read Aloud
7. Historic Philadelphia Tour
Take a trip to the birthplace of American democracy – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! With the option for self-guided or live personal tours, there is so much to explore in the city that was our nation's first capital. Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the first US Post Office, the Betsy Ross house, and more!
Philadelphia Field Trip Read Aloud
Virtual Field Trips: Arts & Culture
8. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Where can you see over 5,000 years' worth of artwork from around the world? The Met, of course! The coolest feature of The Met's site for students might be the “time machine.” Click on a topic of interest, like Fashion, Inventions, or Mythology, and enter a date on the time machine. POOF! The time machine will transport you to that era to explore the art and culture on display at The Met.
Click here for a list of excellent picture books about the Metropolitan Museum of Art!
9. Google Expeditions
Fancy a trip to Rome, Paris, London, or Seoul? Become an artistic globetrotter with just a few clicks. Students can access museum exhibits and cultural sites from around the world with Google Expeditions. You could spend DAYS diving into all that Google Expeditions has to offer. Use their friendly search bar to narrow your topics – the list of adventures is constantly growing!
Virtual Field Trips: STEM
10. The Museum of Science
Catch a daily live stream with a real science museum educator, or take a trip through any of the museum's virtual experiences. Engineering, coding, and design are all popular subjects here!
Science Museum Field Trip Read Aloud
11. Candy Factory Tour
This might be the sweetest virtual field trip. Students will take a trip to a candy factory to discover how M&M's are made. Marvel at the mechanical technology that makes these tasty treats!
Candy Factory Field Trip Read Aloud
12. Crayola Crayon Factory Tour
Find out how everyone's favorite art supply is made! Click here to read more about the crayon-making process.
Crayon Factory Read Aloud
Virtual Field Trips with a 2nd Grade Tour Guide
Join an actual 2nd grade tour guide as he leads your students on fascinating filed trips. Students can follow along and answer questions about the field trip locations on the digital worksheet.
13. Golden Gate Bridge
Learn the history of the bridge, fun facts and even about other bridge types.
Golden Gate Bridge Read Aloud
14. Tulip Festival
Take a stroll through beautiful tulip gardens!
Tulip Festival Photography Book
15. Aquarium
Join our tour guide on an informative stroll through an aquarium.
Aquarium Read Aloud
16. Dinosaur Museum
Pop into the dinosaur museum for prehistoric fun facts and amazing exhibits.
Dinosaur Museum Read Aloud
17. Copper Mine
Copper Mine Read Aloud
Classroom Transformations
Create an immersive experience for your students that they will always remember! Learn how to completely transform your classroom for an unforgettable class trip experience students are sure to love!
Camp Read A Lot Classroom Tranformation
What do tents, fake pine trees, and flashlights in the classroom mean? The absolute funnest day all year! A full day of camping and reading together right in the classroom!
Get Camp Read A Lot
Beach Day Classroom Transformation
Classroom transformations are fun and leave your students with lasting memories of a fun-filled day! What better way to bring in summer than a beach day classroom transformation?! Check out the ideas in this post to bring the beach to your classroom!
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Earth Day Classroom Transformation
Earth day can be a fun day in the classroom. One way to make it even more fun – an Earth Day Classroom Transformation! Bring this important holiday to life by turning your classroom into a springtime celebration of Earth! Classroom transformations are super engaging and will be fondly remembered by your students for years to come.
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