5 Canadian Virtual Field Trips for Fun & Learning

Field trips are an exciting part of homeschooling. They allow a hands-on, real life interaction with a subject – whether that just be food at the grocery store, or re-enacting life in a pioneer village. However, sometimes…. it’s not possible to go out and touch, feel, and explore. Sometimes, it would be fantastic to go on a field trip without ever leaving your house.

Introducing the idea of a Canadian virtual field trip – a unique chance to explore somewhere online, instead of having to visit in person. These offer a glimpse into places that you might never be able to otherwise visit (like the Louvre!)

Today, we’re going to take a trip to 5 different Canadian virtual field trips that you and your children can join in from the comfort of your own home.

1. The Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, Ontario

Thanks to Google, we are able to do a “walking tour” through the Canadian Parliament Buildings in Ottawa just by clicking our mouse. The tour allows you to wander through the hallways and many rooms of the buildings, including:

• the Peace Tower Observation Deck
• the Memorial Centre
• the House of Commons
• the Prime Minister’s Office
• the Library of Parliament
• a Meeting Room

Combining this virtual walkthrough with videos from Parliament 360 that share more information on important parts of the buildings, and the school tour resources available online – and you can enjoy a great visit to Parliament.

PLAY THE PRIME MINISTER GUESS WHO GAME.

2. Churchill, Manitoba – Polar Bar Capital

The most northern regions of Canada consist of some of the coldest and most hauntingly beautiful locations in the world. Churchill, Manitoba is located on the coast of Hudson’s Bay, and is a home to many polar bears.

This website offers the opportunity to see what it is like in Churchill, the impact of climate change, the people who work with the bears, and more.

There’s a “view more” button at the bottom that leads to a street view of Churchhill so that you can explore around as if you were walking the streets yourself.

A virtual field trip is a warm, interesting way to visit the Canadian Arctic.

[Google Street View Treks also has several other similar and outstanding trips to places like Venice, the Great Barrier Reef, The Eiffel Tower, the Amazon, Galapagos Islands, Burj Khalifa, and more. These seem to change regularly so you can keep checking back for new ones!]

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE INUIT.

3. Farm Tours

Across each of Canada’s provinces are a variety of farms, and this website offers a great chance to visit some of them. The site has 15 different types of farms, including:

• egg
• chicken
• beef
• dairy
• fruit & vegetable
• pig
• grain
• sheep

There are even sub-categories for some of the farms. For example, under egg farms, you can visit a free run, free range, conventional, aviary, and enriched style of farm. Once you choose where you’d like to visit, you are taken to an aerial view of the farm, with question mark bubbles offering you a choice on where on the farm to go. Each one zooms into a different place which is an interactive panoramic photo with its own bubbles to explore. There are also videos and a dictionary to learn more about the lingo.

I love that these are Canadian farms and farmers. It’s a great way to learn more about our agriculture.

TRACK YOUR FOODS WITH A FOOD JOURNAL.

4. Canadian Museum of History 

With about 95 online exhibitions to search through and explore, the Canadian Museum of History not only offers unique opportunities to study Canadian history but also world and cultural histories. Some are interactive websites, others photographic journals. Some offer teacher resources, some are geared to older viewers, and some just share information. It’s a varied and exciting collection of history.

GET HANDS-ON WITH CANADIAN HISTORY WITH MY CANADIAN TIME CAPSULE.

5. The Royal Tyrrell Museum

This museum in Alberta is all about dinosaurs. Thanks for Google Maps and their street view camera, you can wander around the museum as if you were there. In fact, I think you can even access some of the parts behind the scene that might not be able to access as a visitor.

LOVE DINOSAURS? CHECK OUT THESE DINO TRADING CARDS.

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WANT TO EXPLORE MORE OF CANADA? 

TAKE A VIRTUAL TRIP FROM COAST TO COAST WITH THE CANADIAN ADVENTURE!