SoCal Field Trips

Just because aquariums are closed now doesn’t mean you can’t peek in on penguins, otters, sharks and jellyfish joyfully playing around in their habitats!  During a virtual field trip to an aquarium, you can check in on sea life with live webcams placed inside Aquarium’s exhibits.  At one such aquarium in Chicago, penguins can be seen taking a walk touring through the other animal’s exhibits on Twitter!  It is so fun to watch!

So, since we’re all stuck at home, we’re bringing the experience to you, with live cams from some of the best aquariums from around the world!  And if you are looking for even more activities to keep your kids busy, check out our list of 35 Live Animal Cams To Enjoy From Home, 101 Virtual Field Trips For Homeschooling and 101 Things To Do With Kids at Home!

Happy Virtual Field Tripping!

Jilleen

25 Live Aquarium Webcams For Kids

Clearwater Marine Aquarium – Watch a live webcam video of Winter and Hope, bottlenose dolphins, at the aquarium.   They also have otter, pelican, turtle rehab and other webcams you can watch for fun!

Shedd Aquarium – While the public was unable to visit in person, the aquarium let some of the penguins out of their exhibits to explore the aquarium and visit other animals!  People watching from home were delighted to see footage of the penguins’ escapades on social media.  Their exclusive 360 videos also let you come face to face with sharks at the Aquarium in Chicago and in the crystal-blue waters of the Bahamas.

California Academy of Sciences – Watch stingrays, coral reef, and penguin colony in HD, or take a trip to the Farallon Islands via a webcam.

Aquarium of the Pacific – They offer a variety of webcams and online programming so that the public can engage with their exhibits and animals and learn about the ocean.

Lake Wisconsin Exhibit – Learn about the different types of fish that live and swim in Lake Wisconsin by watching this live webcam from the Milwaukee County Zoo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Seattle Aquarium – Catch up with the Seattle Aquarium’s sea otters and harbor seals (Barney, Q and Hogan, much obliged) on the institution’s two live webcams. The Seattle Aquarium also has an awesome library of videos, including events like pacific red octopus hatching from their eggs and sea otter training sessions.

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“Virtual” is trending everywhere these days!  From virtual learning to virtual field trips to virtual work meetings, everything has moved online including playdates!  Virtual playdates are a wonderful way to help your kids stay connected with their friends from school, homeschool co-op, church, scouting troop and more.

How do I host a virtual playdate?

Technology also makes it really easy to stay connected with our friends.  Most families have smartphones, tablets, or computers with Facetime or video conferencing capabilities.  If you do, you can set up a virtual playdate for your children in a matter of minutes.

First, you need to pick an app or online program that you want to use to host a playdate.  There are many easy-to-use technology apps and websites to choose from.  Here are a few suggestions.

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Are your kids spending more time inside these days?  Thanks to the miracles of technology, kids can be educated at home by doing a few academic activities and going on a virtual field trip or two.  

What is a Virtual Field Trip?

“What is a virtual field trip”, you ask?  Good question!  On a virtual field trip students can visit museums, zoos, aquariums, historical sites, national monuments and other places of importance around the world from the comfort of their own home or regular classroom.   A virtual field trip can also involve attending an artistic performance or connecting with a leader in a certain field of study.

Virtual field trips bring text books to life!  Instead of reading about The Leaning Tower of Pisa, take a 360 degree panoramic tour of it!  Climb Mount Everest – virtually!  Watch adorable sea lions play at the aquarium on a webcam!  The opportunities for virtual learning are endless!

101 Virtual Field Trips For Kids

Virtual fields trips are also great for all ages.  Students can choose from a number of topics including zoology, sports, science, STEM, tech and manufacturing, agriculture, literacy and more.  Even though families may be stuck at home for an extended period of time, with this list of 101 virtual field trips for kids you still can travel the world and learn together!

Aquarium Virtual Tours

Check in on sea life with live webcams placed inside Aquarium’s exhibits.  The public can watch otters, sharks and jelly fish happily play all day long!

• Aquarium of the Pacific – They offer a variety of webcams and online programming so that the public can engage with their exhibits and animals and learn about the ocean.
• Monterey Bay Aquarium – Learn about the ocean from anywhere.  Choose a live cam and be mesmerized by moon jellies or see how many seven gill sharks you can spot.  You can also watch their daily live feedings.
• Georgia Aquarium –  They have 8 webcams for visitors to watch Jellyfish, Beluga Whales, California Sea Lions and more.
• National Aquarium – Watch their live 365 degree webcam of various animals including seas turtles, alligators, and fish.
• Waikiki Aquarium – Watch Hōʻailona, the monk seal, live his best life on the Island.
• California Academy of Sciences – Watch stingrays, coral reef, and penguin colony in HD, or take a trip to the Farallon Islands via webcam.

Zoo WebCams & More

Zoo webcams allow visitors to drop in on the habitats of some of the zoo’s favorite animal exhibits.  Catch a lion taking a nap, watch penguins slip and slide on the ice or gaze at the beauty of an American Bald Eagle.

• Explore – The world’s largest live nature cam network and is nicknamed “Pearls of the Planet”.  They have hundreds of live webcams of animals and prey from all over the world.
• Ouwehand Park Polar Bear Cubs – Watch the zoo’s tundra exhibit in the Netherlands, where two polar bear cubs play under the watchful eye of their mother and grandmother.
• Simithsonian’s National Zoo – They have multiple webcams available streaming live from various exhibits.
• The National Parks Service – Their live cams allow you to get up close to wildlife without disturbing them.  Watch the famous brown bears of Brooks River, go on a live dive in Channel Islands, or take a peek in a Bald Eagle’s Nest.  They have an library of videos on YouTube.
• Cincinnati Zoo – While the Cincinnati Zoo is currently closed, they’ll be live-streaming from the zoo each weekday at 3 pm EDT. Each stream will highlight one of the zoo’s amazing animals, and include an activity that can be done from home.
• San Diego Zoo Webcam – Live webcams of various animals including penguins, pandas, polar bears, elephants, koalas and more.
• Zoo Atlanta Panda Cam –  Take peek inside what’s it like to be a panda!
• Houston Zoo AnimalCam – See a heard of Asian elephants roam around, watch as giraffes nibble lettuce fed to them by guests at the feeding platform, see the rhinos roll in a mud puddle and more.
• Reid Park Zoo – Enjoy watching a life webcast of the elephants, giraffes, bears, lemurs and lions.
• National Geographic Safari Live – Watch an impala face a crocodile, a hyena clan resists a lion pride, baby elephants play and more.
• WildlifeEarth.TV – Take a virtual safari!  Experience one of the most beautiful places on earth and interact with animal experts in real time. 
• Sharks 4 Kids – Watch a variety of videos about sharks.
• The Science of Sled Dogs – Denali National Park and Preserve hosts the US government’s only dog-sled team.  The education staff at Denali can visit your classroom for free via the internet. Using Zoom videoconferencing connections, their staff will spend an hour teaching your class about Denali’s amazing natural resources using interactive lessons and activities
• FarmFood 360 – Offers 11 virtual tours of farm animals of minks, sheep, pigs, cows and more.
• Minnesota Zoo – Offers three live virtual field trips with Zoo staff that you book for your students including Engineering for Animals: Exhibit Design & Beyond, Engineering by Animals: Inventive Nature and Zoo Food for Thought.
• The Turtle Hospital – They offer virtual field trips for students to learn about a variety of turtle topics, including basic sea turtle anatomy, conservation, rehab, surgery and more.

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