Virtual Field Trips, Virtual Classes and Live Streams for Families Confined to Home
As our lives are completely upended by COVID-19 and we stay, for the most part, confined to our homes, many businesses and institutions have stepped up with virtual field trips and the like.
Here is a great collection of virtual field trips, virtual classes and live streams suitable for families. Many are educational, some are to get you moving, others are just really cute and a few are just to whisk you away for a few moments to escape.
All of them are free!
Virtual Classes
This is where you can learn something new, keep active or just keep the kids occupied so you can attempt to work from home without being interrupted for 20 minutes!
Learn Muay Thai and Stay Fit in Isolation
The Tourism Authority of Thailand have teamed up with PTJ Muay Thai Gym to provide Muay Thai classes live-streamed to your home on Facebook. Tune in each Tuesday at 6pm AEST. Four classes in total are planned however you can watch the replay later in your own time.
Do Some Fun Science Experiments at Home
Have fun with science from the experts at Questacon who have provided guidance by way of video resources for your virtual field trip. Experiments include how to make salt crystals and slime to bottling clouds.
Get the Kids Moving with Cosmic Kids Yoga
Kids will love these interactive Yoga adventures providing mindfulness and relaxation. The sessions are themed to popular culture so you will find something appealing for each of your kids, such as a Frozen themed class or Minecraft adventure.
Let ABC Kids Help You Get By
ABC Kids early education has all the kid’s favourite shows sorted into different curriculum areas. They even have a range of resources on dealing with COVID-19, such as a Playschool special on hand washing.
Experience Kids Club on VOMO Island Resort in Fiji
Vomo Island Resort in Fiji has launched a Kids Village channel hosted by former Hi-5 member, Tim Maddren. It’s designed to keep the kids busy and give you a taste of the activities that families would experience if they were staying at VOMO and attending kids club. Activities so far include basket weaving, cooking classes and bunny shirts with an easter egg hunt.
Art Classes for Kids With WendyMac
Join thousands of kids around the world every school day at 10 am PST time on Instagram Live for fun art classes. Classes are posted on YouTube at the end of every week so you can watch them anytime!
Live Streams
(Armchair Virtual Field Trips)
This is where you can waste some time, visit places that are currently off-limits, indulge in cute animals and again, attempt to occupy the kids for 20 minutes so you can respond to important emails.
Live Streams of Animals (Cute Virtual Field Trips!)
Watch a daily elephant bath live through Anantara’s Golden Triangle Elephant Hotel and Resort in Thailand. We hope to escape here when it’s safe to travel again and make this virtual field trip a reality!
Check out the koala cams at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Australia. As the world’s largest koala sanctuary, you can watch young joeys and koalas relax as they lounge around eating eucalyptus leaves and snoozing.
Watch both Taronga Zoo Sydney and Taronga Dubbo in Australia on Taronga TV, live streaming action from both zoos. Expect to see tigers, elephants, meerkats and seals!
Hang out with resident Pandas, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang at the Smithsonian Zoo in Washington via the Giant Panda Cams.
Dream of seeing the Big 5? Watch these live streams of African water holes for a glimpse through Live African Wildlife Safari Channels.
Baby Snow Leopards? Yes Please! You can thank the Melbourne Zoo in Australia for this one! Here you will also find live streams of penguins, lions, zebras and giraffes.
For those of you awake when the other half of the world is asleep, check out the San Diego Zoo live cams. These live cams feature tigers, owls, condors, giraffes, butterflies, elephants, polar bears, apes, penguins and baboons.
Live Streams of Places
A panoramic live stream of the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay and The Rocks is available at Webcam Sydney.
Watch the Northern Lights directly from a webcam in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.
Virtual Field Trips
While taking off to your favourite holiday spot, attraction or experiencing a new destination is off the cards, take this opportunity to explore the world virtually. Who knows? You might find some places to add to your bucket list. Once it’s safe to travel again, we can venture out and experience them in real life!
Watch Educational Streams From the Australian Reptile Park
Monday to Friday, educational videos for school kids are live-streamed at 10 am and 2 pm AEST. Catch the videos on the Australian Reptile Park’s Facebook page.
Experience Wild Life Sydney Zoo, SEA Life Melbourne and SEA Life Sydney on a Virtual Field Trip
All three of these attractions have you sorted with daily animal and keeper live streams on their respective Facebook pages. Expect Q&A sessions with lead divers and keepers, feeding sessions, quokka cuddles and downloadable resources for kids.
Set Up a Tent in Your Backyard (Possibly my Kids Favourite Virtual Field Trip!)
Set up a tent in the backyard and make it educational by downloading the Australian Monthly Sky Guide podcast to learn about the southern night sky, narrated by experts from Sydney Observatory.
Follow Some of Australia’s Favourite Reef Animals via Real-Time Data
Follow some of your favourite reef animals of the Great Barrier Reef with Reef Tracks. Choose from a selection of reef animals and track their movements through the ocean using real-time data.
Explore Uluru on a Virtual Field Trip
Transport yourself to the Outback in the Northern Territory virtually and explore the iconic Uluru via Story Spheres, which provides you with 360-degree images and storytelling.
Virtual Visit the Kennedy Space Centre and the International Space Station
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is doing its parts to help kids and parents learn! Check out their FaceBook page for fascinating videos that followers can watch in their own time. If the kids like this, show them the Google Street View of the International Space Station. (Possibly my favourite Google Street View virtual field trip!)
Binge on Google: National Parks
Follow rangers on a journey to places most people never go and see the hidden worlds of the National Parks in the USA.
Binge on Google: Museums
Virtually visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and see his largest collection of artworks, including over 200 paintings, 500 drawings and 750 personal letters.
Binge on Google: Worldwide Monuments
- Taj Mahal – India
- Palace of Versailles – France
- Great Pyramid of Giza – Egypt
- Collaseum – Italy
- Kiyomizu-dera Temple – Japan
- Stonehenge – UK
If you’re looking for constructive things to do with your family while confined to home, why not get the kids interested in photography? Check out our article on Cameras for Kids That the Whole Family Can Enjoy to get your started!
Let me know what you think!