Last updated: 30 August 2021
Whilst physical travel to some parts of the world may be on hold for now, virtual excursions provide the perfect opportunity to broaden your students’ minds and bring the world’s greatest sights right into your online classroom. Many famous landmarks and attractions around the world have really risen to the challenges presented by COVID-19 and we are seeing some awesome resources for you and your students to access.
Australia
Penguin Parade, Phillip Island
Rewatch live streams of cute little penguins waddling up the beach to their burrows and access other free virtual resources.
Australian Museum, Melbourne
Set off on an online expedition of your choice or access a number of animal worksheets and other interactive virtual experiences at the Melbourne Museum.
Zoo’s Victoria
Zoo’s Victoria has set up a number of live stream cameras at Melbourne Zoo and Werribee Open Range Zoo for viewers to see what the animals are getting up to. See adorable little snow leopard cubs, penguins, giraffes, lions, zebras and more cute creatures!
Zoo’s Victoria has also created a number of virtual programs aligned to the Australian Curriculum. View the digital programs available at Zoo’s Victoria.
Melbourne Museum
See Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks and Immigration Museum exhibitions through virtual tours!
Heide Museum
While the Museum’s doors are closed, ‘Heide at Home’ is an initiative to share news and programs and gives a sneak-peek into new exhibitions. They are also running weekly creative challenges that anyone can participate in from their home or classroom!
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
The National Gallery of Australia is bringing art to you at home by sharing a number of great resources including activity sheets created by artists, art-making videos, education resources and virtual classrooms.
Parliament House, Canberra
Learn everything about Parliament House – what actually happens there, who makes up Parliament and how do they get chosen? All of these questions will be answered in this awesome resource with videos and informational content aligned with the Australian Curriculum.
National Museum Australia, Canberra
For those who can’t make it to Canberra right now, the National museum has created live video guided tours and curriculum-linked video conferencing sessions so students can still interact with the National Museum’s collections and staff. digitally,
MoAD (Museum of Australian Democracy), Canberra
MoAD are offering facilitated programs to take students through different parts of the heritage building and explore some key people and events in our democracy. Throughout the programs, students participate in interactive activities, role-play and discussions.
Questacon, Canberra
Questacon are delivering engaging virtual workshops and events, delivered via video conference to schools across Australia.
Geoscience Australia, Canberra
View online exhibits, individual images and virtual tours of the National Mineral Collection and Geoscience Australia TimeWalk. They also have a number of teaching resources for primary and secondary levels available for download, including virtual tours, background information, student activities, full-colour cut-out 3D models and posters.
Government House, Canberra
Explore the principal residence of the Governor-General and the main administrative centre for the Office on this virtual tour of Government House.
The National Library, Canberra
Aligned to the Australian Curriculum, the National Library has created an extensive program for teachers to bring The Treasures Gallery into the classroom. The digital collection showcases significant items of Australian culture and history, and the educational resources provide activities to engage students with key sources from the collection.
USA & CANADA
National Museum of National History
The Smithsonian, National Museum of Natural History virtual tours allow visitors to take self-guided, room-by-room tours of select exhibits and areas within the museum from their desktop or mobile device.
National Parks in America
The National Park Service of America partnered with Google to create this series of immersive 360-degree tours of 5 iconic National Parks in America. Hosted by park rangers, the detailed videos traverse sites one might not otherwise get a chance to see, like getting a birds-eye-view of an active volcano or diving through a vibrant coral reef. Our top pick is Hawaii National Park!
Polar Bears in Canada
Discovery Education has teamed up with Polar Bears International to host a series of shared learning experiences to engage students and inspire their interest in studying the science of polar bears and their Arctic habitat.
Go inside a space shuttle
Explore a space shuttle in Virtual Reality and hear from the Astronauts who deployed the hubble telescope over 30 years ago.
Go on a virtual excursion to the Johnson Space Centre!
This virtual field trip will explore a variety of unexpected roles and functions that lend to the development of complex projects, like the Starliner/CST-100 and the SLS. This tour will inspire students to think of a career in aerospace.
Access Mars!
Learn about the Curiosity Mission to Mars through Virtual Reality technology.
The Met, New York
This incredible supply of online content includes virtual tours of exhibitions and collections, resources for educators, blogs and education programs. This is a must-see!
Facebook headquarters
This video virtual tour of the Facebook headquarters showcases some of the innovative careers that fuel the Silicon Valley powerhouse.
EUROPE & UK
Uffizi gallery, Florence
Explore a huge number of exhibitions and learn about the history behind the artworks
Vatican Museums, Vatican City
Choose a museum of interest (including the iconic Sistine Chapel) and see the art-filled walls in 360° views.
The Colosseum, Rome
This extensive and engaging walking tour is a great way to see the Colosseum and you can easily skip to sections of interest. This YouTube channel (Prowalk Tours) have many other great walking tours across Italy.
Ancient Ruins, Athens
Explore the ancient buildings and monuments of Athens from the Mycenaean period (1600 BCE) to the Early Modern period (AD 1833), through 3D reconstructions.
The Louvre, Paris
Visit the museum’s exhibition rooms and galleries on these virtual tours.
Tate Modern – Andy Warhol, London
The Tate Modern is creating video tours of their exhibitions. This tour of the Andy Warhol exhibition is led by Tate curators Gregor Muir and Fiontán Moran who discuss Warhol through the lens of the immigrant story, his LGBTQI identity and concerns with death and religion. You will even see some artworks you may not have seen before.
British Museum, London
Discover objects from the British Museums’ collection, from prehistory to the present, in The Museum of the World. This interactive experience through time, continents and cultures features some of the most fascinating objects in human history!
ASIA
Angkor Wot, Cambodia
Built for the digital classroom, Virtual Angkor has been created to take students into a 3D world and to use this simulation to ask questions about Angkor’s place in larger networks of trade and diplomacy, its experience with climate variability and the structure of power and kingship that underpinned the city.
The Great Wall of China
Hike the Great Wall of China from the comforts of your own home and set your sights on some of the best views of the wall.
Explore India in 360°!
Learn about India’s authentic culture and explore historical sites through a virtual tour in 360°
Check out our ‘Learning at home’ free downloadable resources here.
