Foodie Fun
Recorded Programs
Other Fun!
Breakout EDU
Breakout EDU LIVE is the daily educational game show where students, parents and teachers compete to win prizes for their home and classroom or library. Each episode is 5-10 minutes and has puzzles focused on different content areas.
Virtual Travel
Explore a National Park
The National Parks Service has teamed up with Google Arts & Culture to offer guided virtual tours in a series called The Hidden Worlds of the Natural Parks. There are five parks featured in this series—Bryce Canyon in Utah, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, the Kenai Fjords in Alaska, Hawai’I Volcanoes in Hawaii, and Dry Tortugas in Florida. Each tour features info on that park’s history and background and a guided exploration of the park with insights from local guides. With many national parks still closed or offering limited operations, this is a great way to enjoy the beauty of the United States without leaving home.
Head to Alaska
The city of Fairbanks, Alaska, has created a site called Explore Fairbanks where you can view virtual tours of the city’s most famous attractions, including dogsledding and the Northern Lights. The digital dogsled ride here takes viewers through a wintry forest from the perspective of the musher, the dogsled’s driver, allowing you to feel as if you are there right traveling along behind the dogs as they race through the snow. The tours on this site are shot with a 360-degree view so that viewers can scroll, pinch, and move around each scene.Dive
Into the Sea
The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, a government agency which protects waterways, has created Sanctuaries 360, a series of immersive underwater videos exploring different locales. In each video, a narrator takes viewers on a guided tour through that waterway. Viewers will encounter many kinds of wildlife, including sea lions, sharks, turtles, as well as coral reefs and shipwrecks. These videos can be watched with a virtual reality headset or on a mobile device, tablet, or computer.
Take a Trip to Space
This destination is one that very few people get a chance to visit in real life. You can now travel to space in a virtual reality film from National Geographic called One Strange Rock, which tours the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS is a giant floating lab where astronauts from different countries live and work together with no gravity as they circle around Earth. Narrated by NASA astronauts, this film shows views of Earth from space, and explores what daily life is like inside the ISS.
Visit a Beach in Greece
If you are missing the feel of sand between your toes, check out this virtual reality video of Myrtos Beach, considered one of the best beaches in Greece. Myrtos is located in the northwest area of Kefalonia Island along the coastline of the Ionian Sea, and is known for its turquoise waters, white sand, and abundant sunshine. In this immersive video, you can alter your view to look at the waters or gaze at the nearby mountains of Kalon Oros and Agia Dynati. As you watch this virtual tour, you can soak up the sounds of waves crashing and watch people playing in the sea.
See Ancient Egyptian Tombs
Egyptian tombs are fascinating burial places, some of which date back more than 5,000 years. The country’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities recently created virtual tours of some of its most well-known tombs featuring detailed 3-D imagery and background information. One tour shows the tomb of Meresankh III, an Egyptian queen, and includes ornate paintings and carvings.
Climb the Great Wall of China
One of China’s most famous attractions can be accessed via a virtual hike on the site thechinaguide.com. This 360-degree tour can be watched with a virtual reality headset or on another device. The tour spans the area of the wall from Jinshlangin to Simatai, which is known for its picturesque views.
Go on a Virtual Safari
The safari company and Beyond has made going on a safari a reality for virtual visitors. It has launched a content hub called Bringing Africa Home, where you can stream three-hour long safaris in real time. Virtual visitors to this content hub can also chat with guides and wildlife experts and explore film and other resources about South Africa.
Virtual Museum Tours
World-Class Virtual Museum Tours by Robin Bradford – Mar 12, 2021 (LibraryJournal)
Virtual museum tours are a creative field trip idea for students as well as a safe, fun way to engage the entire family. There is also the added bonus of accessibility; you can visit collections you might not have been able to visit otherwise. Now, with the help of museums across the world, you can tour these artistic treasures as often as you like from the comfort of your home.
The Albertina. This museum in the heart of Vienna, Austria, allows you to view collections by medium, such as chalk, pen, and watercolor. Taking the museum tour allows you to explore the building and view the gorgeously decorated rooms, including statues of Greek gods and more.
The Benaki Museum. Specializing in Greek art from prehistoric to times, this Athens museum is a delight to browse. An interactive map allows viewers to navigate from room to room, and also take advantage of some exhibits that have an audio component. If you’re just going to take a look around, that is easily achieved. If you’d like to delve a little deeper into the collection, the audio makes that easy and informative.
National Museum of Scotland. This museum, based in Edinburgh, specializes in Scottish antiquities, culture and history. The digital tour takes a little bit of trial and error to navigate, but thanks to Google’s Arts & Culture, they are able to spotlight noteworthy collections as well as offering virtual tours of the building. We particularly enjoyed the Textile and Early Silver exhibits.
Tokyo National Museum. Discover paintings, sculptures, textiles, clay, and ceramics at this renowned art museum, which allows you to wander the rooms as if you were there. As you browse the halls, you can select individual items for an up-close look and more information about specific items. We especially enjoyed the clay collection in this family-friendly museum.
ADDITIONAL OPTIONS TO EXPLORE
National Aquarium. Baltimore is known for its renowned aquarium, and now you can watch jellyfish, blacktip reef sharks, and coral reef firsthand thanks to three livestreams. While the livestreams are only available during business hours, views can watch pre-recorded segments at their own convenience during off hours. For similar exhibits, visit our article on watching and interacting with animals online.
The Exploratorium. Children interested in science, technology, and the arts will delight in the interactive experiences offer by the San Francisco-based museum. Videos on cells as well as soap film painting are a highlight. The museum helpfully includes a comprehensive list of past videos, allowing for browsing at one’s own pace.
Frida Kahlo Museum. With the extensive online collections of this Mexico City museum, you can learn more about the list of the influential artist and her legacy. Browsing items in each part of the collection, from oil painting to paper, allows for a better understanding of Kahlo’s appreciation for the genre of photography.
The Rijksmuseum. The extensive virtual collections of this Amsterdam-based museum spotlight Dutch history and culture throughout the centuries. In addition to collections of engraving and etchings, viewers can explore each floor of the museum firsthand, thanks to the Museum Views feature.
Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia. Teenagers and adults looking to strengthen their knowledge of social justice will find much to explore in this museum, located at Ferris State University. With options for a virtual tour and plenty of historical artifacts to browse, this is a welcome resource for students and educators.
Webcams at Zoos and Aquariums
Aquarium of the Pacific: penguin, shark, jellyfish, tropical reef cams, and more.
Atlanta Zoo: Check out the PandaCam
Cincinnati Zoo: Home Safari Facebook Live event daily at 2pm CST
EarthCam: Offers a variety of animal cams from across the country and around the world.
Explore.org: Offers 96 live feeds including some adorable bear cubs:)
Georgia Aquarium: Webcams offering a live look at beluga whales, California sea lions, jellyfish, piranhas, puffins, sea otters, an Indo-Pacific barrier reef and the ocean floor.
Houston Zoo: Live WebCams of elephants, gorilla, rhino, giraffes, Leafcutter ants, and chimpanzees.
Maryland Zoo: Penguin, flamingo, giraffe, and goat cams
Memphis Zoo: Hippo, elephant, and panda cams
Monterey Bay Aquarium: 10 Web cams allow you to view sea otters, jelly fish, penguins, sharks, and more.
National Aquarium: Three cams give you views of the Blacktip Reef, Coral Reef, and Jelly Invasion
National Zoo: AnimalCams of lion, elephant, panta, and naked mole-rats.
Oakland Zoo: Black Bear, sun bear, condor, and elephant cams.
Oregon Coast Aquarium: Live Shark Cam
Pittsburgh Zoo: Cheetah and penguin cams
Reid Park Zoo: Offers zoo cams of elephant, giraffe, grizzly bears, lemur, and lions.
San Diego Zoo: Amazing videos, activities, and games.
Seattle Aquarium: Sea Otters and harbor seal cams