Whether we like it or not, distance learning is the norm this year for many. Kids will be confined to their homes for much of the day. They may not be able to physically get a change of scenery, but they can do so virtually. You might be saying, “My kid is going to be on the computer for school. You want him to be on it even more?” Well, yes. Here’s the thing about the 360° Must-See Virtual Field Trips I’ll be listing. Unless otherwise stated, they are interactive.
Why take a virtual field trip?
When I pinned my other virtual field trip post on Pinterest, someone commented “How are these field trips?” Even though we can’t physically visit a location, virtual field trips fulfill my requirements for any field trip:
- They are educational. My kids will learn something by the end of the video. To me, knowledge gained is a good thing (that is, knowledge gained in good things is a good thing!).
- They are engaging. I wouldn’t take my kids to a place I thought they would find boring. I’m not going to show them a video they’d find boring.
- They will expand their horizons. In the video in which you can swim under an ice berg with a seal, you’ll not only learn about seals, but experience what it’s like to be under an ice berg. I’d be hard pressed to try to do that physically!
- They are enjoyable. Kids will be using the computer a lot for school. They need to have some fun experiences online which are unrelated to school and yet will enrich them.
What is a 360° Field Trip?
360° videos are also called immersive or spherical videos. When filming the videos, the creator holds a special camera so he can record all views of a location at the same time. This enables us as the viewer to also look around and see all the different views.
I got hooked on this technology when I was researching videos for my “Super Fun 360° Virtual Factory Tours” post. It was so much fun to “look around” during the tour.
What makes these “360° Must-See Virtual Field Trips?”
The videos that made the cut for me had the “wow” factor. If I watched it and said, “Oh my goodness!” it made the list. Also, I appreciated having a narrator serving as a tour guide. It enhanced the experience greatly.
Please note that I did preview all the videos I linked individually. When I say preview, I mean that I watched a bit of each one. I did not preview all the ones in playlists I include. Please make sure to watch any videos first before you show your children. With that, here are the field trips you really must see!
BBC Earth Unplugged
BBC Earth has a collection of amazing 360° videos. Many of them seem to come from their “Planet Earth” or “Blue Planet” series. Who wouldn’t want to have Richard Attenborough serve as your tour guide? He doesn’t narrate all the videos I’ve listed, but what a treat when he does! Have fun while you:
Look for hidden animals in a Costa Rican Jungle. As you look around, the narrator guides you in finding three animals hiding in the jungle.To be honest, they are a little hard to find, but it’s fun to look! Plus you will get short video clips of the animals that are narrated by Richard Attenborough.
Dive with a seal under an iceberg in Antarctica. You might shiver a bit in those freezing waters.
Search through desert canyons in Arizona.
Feed hammerhead sharks in the Bahamas.
Dive with a giant octopus and a wolf eel.
Put yourself in the middle of a barracuda tornado.
Fly with swans.
Explore the kelp forest in the Monterey Bay Aquarium.They labeled some species of animals to help you identify them.
Feast your eyes on some super adorable guide dog puppies. The cuteness factor is through the roof.
BBC Earth
What is it with BBC and amazing animal videos? I had to search through their many videos as they didn’t have a playlist of 360° videos as BBC Earth Unplugged did. I was able to find these which are from their “Seven Worlds One Planet” series:
Swim with whale sharks. I think that should have an exclamation point. Swim with whale sharks!
Visit an “Antarctic Avery” and see the “fluffiest chicks in Antarctica.”
Watch baby turtles hatch and make their way into the ocean.
Spot predators swimming in the clear waters of South Brazil.
Hang out with a sloth. Who doesn’t love sloths! This one falls from a tree, but is totally fine.
Go to Russia to watch brown bears make their way around boiling pools to eat.
Explore with the world’s smallest rhino.
Seeker VR
Seeker VR has 12 different 360° adventures on which you can embark. I only included the ones that I thought would be interesting to kids.
You can travel to the edge of space into the stratosphere.
Hang glide above the ocean.
Ride shotgun in a fighter jet.
Dive underwater with devil rays.
Stand in the middle of a prescribed burn.
Plunge down an ice track at 80 miles an hour on a luge.
Travel to the African Savannah where you will see a variety of animals.
Go to Patagonia and hear about its disappearing glaciers.
The Economist
The Economist labeled this virtual tour as “A 360-degree tour of the mysterious, magical corals of Palau” and that is not hype. The footage of the coral is mesmerizing.
National Geographic
National Geographic has a host of videos that look fascinating. I’ll include the playlist link here instead of linking each one because there are so many! Just to give you a hint as to what you’ll find there: baby pandas, lions, hammerhead sharks, volcanoes, Victoria Falls, and many more.
More field trip ideas
The field trips I mention here are not 360°, but might be enjoyable for your kids to watch.
Studies Weekly offers 15 different field trip experiences for kids. Engaging narrators give you the historical background for the sites. A few examples of what your kids can explore are: gold mining, seeing a print shop, visiting a black smith, touring NASA, and looking at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.
For the younger crowd, kids can go on virtual field trips with Miss Penny. Every Friday Miss Penny takes kids along to visit different places. As part of South Florida PBS, Miss Penny has a whopping 197 videos in her collection! The series is called “Kidvision Pre-K.”
Christina at The Purple Alphabet did a video of her top five virtual field trip opportunities. She has an excellent channel if you have little ones and need ideas on how to learn through play. She also does some fun toy tests and Dollar Tree hauls. Check our her field trip video as it has ideas for kids of all ages.
Be sure to check out my other posts on virtual field trips:
Super fun 360° Virtual Factory Tours
I’d love to hear which one of these was your favorite!