We have seen education adapt and evolve like never before over the past year in the wake of stay-at-home and social distancing orders. Schools were one of the first institutions to shut down and go partially or fully virtual. Students and teachers were met with new challenges and overcame many obstacles, showing us just how resilient and adaptable the bedrock of education is. Although many sacrifices must continue to be made in order to keep our students safe and healthy this year, a well-rounded and dynamic education is not one of them. There are so many new ways to experience education outside of the classroom in safe and affordable ways, such as virtual field trips. Students may not be able to go on traditional school field trips to museums and zoos, but there are still options for giving them an exciting break from their school day.
1. Virtual Museum Tours
You and your students have access to countless parks, museums, zoos, and more¦all at the safety and convenience of your fingertips. These days, the options are endless for virtual educational enrichment. Your students can visit world wonders like the Pyramids of Giza or the Great Wall of China. Take an afternoon break in space and see what it would look like to walk on Mars! Check out the famous San Diego Zoo or walk the Louvre. Go on an American National Park tour and see the great geysers of Yellowstone National Park or the osprey nests of Glacier National Park.
2. Virtual Escape Rooms
If you’re looking for a more social and interactive field trip alternative in West Chester, look no further than a virtual escape room. In these virtual escape room experiences, students work together solving clues while trying to beat the clock to ultimately unlock the virtual door or solve the puzzle. In Snapology Virtual Escape Experiences, small groups of students read and work their way through a themed story while solving theme-specific puzzles which lead them on their journey towards a final goal that they must complete together. Puzzles promote critical thinking and teamwork through decoding messages, pattern recognition, and mathematical reasoning. These virtual experiences are geared toward fun, excitement, and education.
3. Virtual Field Trips from Snapology
Interactive virtual field trips with Snapology are a safe and fun way to break up the everyday school routine for students ages 5 to 14. Field trip topics range from the Science of Superpowers to STEM Lab and SuperStructures to Art History. Students will learn about science, technology, engineering, art, and math in new and exciting ways from the safety and comfort of their homes or classrooms. Educators will get to take a deep breath and catch up on other work while Snapology instructors lead the virtual field trip and discuss their field trip’s theme or topic with students in the class.
4. Scavenger Hunt
Create a unique challenge for your students with pick-up scavenger hunt kits. Leave a bag with a list outside of school and arrange for students to pick them up at a certain time. The list could include things like a photo of a neighborhood statue or monument, a local business card, a piece of nature, or something that is blue. They can use the provided bag to collect items and return the completed tasks. You don’t have to stop there though. Ask students to photograph what they found and learn a few things about it. They can then put together a slideshow detailing what they found and why it is significant. Students can share their slideshow with the class and learn from everyone’s different experiences.
Do you have any fantastic field trip ideas? Share them in the comments below.
