Out and About Mom’s Guide to Virtual Field Trips

Over the past several weeks of blogging in this new reality we’ve discovered so many online opportunities for “visiting” some of our favorite local destinations, as well as destinations across the country–and even around the world!

We’ve been documenting these discoveries in weeks 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 of our new series: Staying in with Out and About Mom. But truth be told, it’s becoming hard to keep track of all these virtual visits.

So today, for a change of pace, we thought we’d create a handy list of all the “virtual field trips” we’ve taken over the past month and a half. Turns out we have found more than TWO DOZEN online destinations where you and your curious kiddos can watch and learn about animals, sea life, nature, art, science and more!

Just click on the links below and–voila!–you’re there 🙂

Happy (virtual) trails!

-The Out and About Mom Team

Zoos

• Check out these LIVE cams for the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium! You can also check out the virtual zoo for close (virtual) encounters with some of their animals.
• The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is doing a daily Facebook Live event at 3:00pm.  
• Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, Connecticut is hosting live videos on their Facebook page. You can also check out their You Tube page for additional videos and their Panda Cam that streams a live feed of the Red Panda habitat from 8:30AM-6:00PM.
• Gatorland Orlando in Florida is hosting a daily “School of Croc” learning session on their Facebook page at 10:00am.  
• Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island is offering “Zoo School” on Tuesdays & Thursdays at 2:00pm on their You Tube channel.
• The San Diego Zoo has live cams on apes, baboons, giraffes, koalas, pandas, elephants and more!
• The Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. has a naked mole-rat cam, lion cam, giant panda cam and elephant cam.
• Zoo Atlanta in Georgia is offering various virtual programs including a story time featuring a do-at-home activity and a virtual field trip every Friday at 10:00am.

Aquariums

• Browse the Online Learning Center at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California.
• Feeling stressed? Check out this soothing view of swimming sea life from the Georgia Aquarium’s live cam.
• The Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, Connecticut is hosting a daily Facebook Live event at 3:00pm.  
• We could spend hours watching the Sea Otter Cam at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California. Those little guys are so cute! The live feed streams from 10:00am-10:00pm Pacific Time.
• Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut is hosting a daily Facebook Live event at 11:00am.  

Farms & Wildlife

• Take a virtual safari with the live streaming videos on Africam. You never know what might pop into view!
• The American Dairy Association is offering virtual farm tours.
• Check out the live cams and recorded nature videos from across the country on Explore.org.

Museums & Nature Centers

• The American Museum of Natural History in New York has a special section of their website with activities for kids.
• The Ballard Museum of Puppetry in Storrs, Connecticut is offering Facebook Live puppet building workshops, many of which are recommended for ages 5+.
• The Boston Children’s Museum in Massachusetts is working hard to provide fun activities for kids and families during this time. On their Facebook page learn to make butter at home and other fun experiments with their #kitchenscience series or play with ice through their #STEAM series. Plus, they have curated a large collection of at-home learning ideas on the website as well.
• The Children’s Museum in West Hartford, Connecticut will be holding live animal demonstrations on their Facebook page daily at noon. 
• The Connecticut Science Center in Hartford, Connecticut is hosting a Facebook Live event on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12:00pm.  
• Imagine Nation Museum in Bristol, Connecticut is offering special “Imagine Nation at Home” programming on their Facebook page.
• Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut has released tons of digital content on their website. Check out the Narwhal tusks in their cabinet of curiosity, go on a behind the scenes boat check, and more!
• The Meigs Point Nature Center at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Connecticut is running Facebook Live programs Tuesday-Friday at 11:00am (live animals) and 2:00pm (environmental experience).
• Check out the Facebook page of the Stamford Museum & Nature Center in Connecticut to keep up-to-date with the animals on the farm. See the new baby goats, watch them hive honey bees, see amazing snakes, and more.
• Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk, Connecticut is sharing virtual learning activities on their Facebook page as well. Sing songs with Dan, Dan the Music Man, do Robot Yoga, and more.

Other

• Google’s Arts & Culture page has virtual tours of dozens of famous sites around the globe!

Have you discovered a virtual field trip that needs to be on our list? Please let us know by leaving a comment on this post or sending us an email to outandaboutmom@gmail.com.

Want to keep up with things to do with kids in Connecticut?

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