Virtual Opportunities for Education and Fun
Art and Museums
British Museum – Museum of the World
Welcome to The Museum of the World – an interactive experience through time, continents and cultures, featuring some of the most fascinating objects in human history.
Detroit Institute of Arts
Experience the DIA’s collection of world-class art digitally, wherever you are. Over the next few weeks, the DIA will share pieces from our collection across social media platforms so that you can enjoy the #MuseumFromHome
Exploratorium
Explore a vast collection of online experiences to feed your curiosity and education resources supporting online teaching and learning.
Google Arts and Culture
Explore collections from around the world with Google Arts & Culture, created by Google Cultural Institute. Visit Florence’s Uffizi Gallery, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Palace of Versailles, the National Gallery of Art, and hundreds more – all online!
Guggenheim Collection Online
A searchable database of selected artworks from the Guggenheim’s permanent collection of approximately 8,000 artworks.
Louvre Online Tours
Visit the museum’s exhibition rooms and galleries, contemplate the façades of the Louvre…
Come along on a virtual tour and enjoy the view!
National Museum of Anthropology – Mexico City
Visit the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, devoted to the archaeology and history of Mexico’s pre-Hispanic civilizations.
Port Discovery Children’s Museum
Explore videos from the Port Discovery Children’s Museum in Baltimore, MD.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
The Smithsonian, National Museum of Natural History virtual tours allow visitors to take self-guided, room-by-room tours of select exhibits and areas within the museum from their desktop or mobile device. Visitors can also access select collections and research areas at our satellite support and research stations as well as past exhibits no longer on display.
Van Gogh Museum
A virtual tour of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Vatican Museums Virtual Tour
Welcome to the Vatican Museums, which conserve the immense collection of art amassed by the popes from the seventeenth century onwards.
Westminster Abbey Virtual Tour
Take a virtual tour inside Westminster Abbey. View treasures including the Shrine of St Edward the Confessor, the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, the High Altar and the Coronation Chair in unprecedented detail.
Books and Authors
Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems
Mo Willems invites YOU into his studio every day for his LUNCH DOODLE. Learners worldwide can draw, doodle and explore new ways of writing by visiting Mo’s studio virtually once a day for the next few weeks. Grab some paper and pencils, pens, or crayons and join Mo to explore ways of writing and making together.
Read Together, Be Together
“Read Together, Be Together” is a nationwide movement that celebrates the importance, and power, of the shared reading experience between an adult and a child. Stay connected with live story times and digital events.
Storyline Online
Storyline Online streams imaginatively produced videos featuring celebrated actors including Viola Davis, Allison Janney, Chris Pine, Wanda Sykes, Justin Theroux, and Betty White reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations, helping to inspire a love of reading in children.
Story Time From Space
Story Time From Space sends children’s books & demonstrations to the International Space Station. While in space, astronauts videotape themselves reading books to the children of Earth.
Education
Breakout EDU
A collection of digital games that students can play at home. Students can click on any game and start playing!
Coursera
Free courses in a wide variety of subjects from colleges around the world.
Early Literacy Calendar
Early literacy begins with you and your child. You can help your child get ready to read by doing simple activities every day. The Library makes this easy by creating an Early Literacy Calendar each and every month!
Free Code Camp
5,000+ tutorials on how to code like a pro!
Gale in Context: High School
Homework help resources from Gale help you confidently begin and complete assignments outside of the classroom.
Gale in Context: Middle School
Homework help resources from Gale help you confidently begin and complete assignments outside of the classroom.
Imagineering in a Box
‘Imagineering in a Box’ is a free online program that brings together the diverse talents of Disney Imagineers around the world for a one-of-a-kind learning experience! The series offers 32 videos in which Imagineers share how they use a wide range of skills – from story development and conceptual design, to math, physics and engineering – to create immersive experiences.
Khan Academy – Schedules for School Closures
Self-paced, interactive content for students in every grade and in most major subject areas. Teachers and parents can also use our teacher tools to monitor progress and assign specific work.
Kids InfoBits
Homework help resources from Gale help you confidently begin and complete assignments outside of the classroom.
Michigan History for Kids
Read stories about the history and heritage of all Michigan’s peoples OR click on the audio files and listen to the stories, enjoy the interactive educational activities and games, and check out the “Teacher Section” for lesson plans and ideas that can be easily used at home! Please use Username: MHK and Password: 1234
Miss Hucklebee’s Online Academy
Miss Humblebee’s Academy is an easy to use educational tool to prepare your preschoolers for kindergarten and beyond.
NASA STEM Activities
Launch rockets, build a hovercraft, create a winning science fair project and more! These science, technology, engineering and math activities are fun for kids, adults, and the whole family.
NASA TV
Live views from space, groundbreaking science, interviews with scientists: NASA TV has it all. Tune in to enjoy #NASAatHome weekdays at 10 a.m. EDT and 4 p.m. EDT.
National Geographic Kids
Make learning fun with National Geographic! Explore animal and country profiles, encyclopedia entries, maps, and more!
Scholastic Learn at Home
Explore learning experiences, each built around a thrilling, meaningful story or video. Kids can do them on their own, with their families, or with their teachers. Just find your grade level and let the learning begin!
Field Trips and Tours
Airpano Virtual Tours
Around 3,000 panoramas of more than 300 places of the Earth, including the North Pole, the Antarctic, volcano eruptions and even panoramas from the stratosphere.
American Battlefields Virtual Tours
Experience the Civil War like never before and tour the battlefields in panoramic view. Jump from battlefield to battlefield using our virtual tours that offer historic detail on battle highlights and points of interest, compelling photography, lively video, in-depth articles and more.
Arconic’s Advanced Manufacturing Virtual Tour
Take a virtual tour of Arconic’s Advanced Manufacturing hub in Alcoa, Tennessee and learn about the exciting ways robotics and digital technology impact the skills needed to succeed in Advanced Manufacturing.
FarmFood 360
Take yourself on a real life expedition of Canadian farms and food processing facilities from the comfort of your home. It’s a fun, simple and affordable way to educate and engage audiences and explore where food comes from.
Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Virtual Tour
As the birthplace of the Ford Model T car, the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is recognized as one of the most significant automotive heritage sites in the world. Take a 3D Virtual Tour of this Historic Site.
Great Wall of China Virtual Tour
Explore one of the most impressive ancient structures on the planet, the Great Wall of China!
Monticello Virtual Tours
Tour Thomas Jefferson’s plantation and explore its furnishings in this 360-degree panoramic presentation of Jefferson’s autobiographical architectural masterpiece.
Mount Vernon Virtual Tours and Online Learning
Explore Mount Vernon’s vast digital offerings including primary and secondary sources, virtual tours, as well as videos, games, quizzes, and activities that can be completed independently or as a group.
NASA Glenn Research Center Virtual Tours
Get an inside look at NASA Glenn Research Center’s facilities. Select a tour and tap the icons to view videos, images and see testing in action.
NASA Langley Research Center Virtual Tour
Look inside the gates of NASA’s Langley Research Center with a virtual tour.
NASA Space Center Houston App
The free Space Center Houston interactive mobile tour features audio tour, GPS maps, selfie filters, augmented reality experiences, virtual reality lite and more!
U.S. National Park Webcams
Links to all known U.S. National Park, National Monument, National Recreational Area, and National Seashore WebCams.
Walt Disney World Tours
Explore Disney Parks like never before – right from your phone or computer – on Google Street View.
Mindfulness and Self-Help
Calm Blog
Without a doubt, many of us are feeling anxious as we navigate the uncertainty of COVID-19. Enjoy this curation of content hand-picked to support your mental and emotional wellness through this time.
Edge Fitness Live Workouts
Free live workouts streamed via Instagram and Facebook. Class offerings include Cardio Dance, HIIT, plus many more!
Mindfulness and Movement for Kids – Katie Scherr
Enhancing school readiness with mindful movement and stillness. Yoga-inspired and science-informed.
Yoga With Adriene – Yoga for Uncertain Times
A free, 30+ video playlist from the Yoga With Adriene YouTube channel. This collection of practices is there to support you in times of uncertainty. May this collection serve to remind you that you are not alone, to support you through unknown times, and to help you find peace through your home practice.
Music and Performances
Bolshoi Theatre – Russian Ballet
Watch popular opera and ballet performances from the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
Center for Puppetry Arts
Workshops, museum tours, and puppet shows… all FREE from your own home!
Detroit Symphony Orchestra – Classroom Edition
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Educational Concert Series (ECS) has introduced students to classical music for more than 80 years. With special hosts and thoughtfully chosen music, these concerts bring kids inside the orchestra. Each performance includes a downloadable Teacher Resource Guide.
Detroit Symphony Orchestra – Replay Archive
Register for access to all Detroit Symphony Orchestra live webcasts and on-demand archive, DSO Replay.
Jim Gill
Read along and sing along with Jim Gill, who will be coming to Family Fun in Riley Park on June 17th!
Metropolitan Opera – Nightly Met Opera Streams
Experience encore presentations from the Met’s Live in HD series. Each performance available for a period of 20 hours, from 7:30 p.m. EDT until 3:30 p.m. the following day.
Playbill.com Stars in the House
This daily series, created by Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley, offers mini concerts and conversations in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Seattle Symphony Live Broadcasts
Enjoy performances from the Seattle Symphony that provide strength, comfort and joy.
Time Out: The Best Live Theater to Watch from Home
Theaters are closed for now, but you can find great stage stars and events live online.
Zoos and Animals
Detroit Zoo Virtual Vitamin Z
Get some #VirtualVitaminZ by checking out live streams, educational content and more.
Georgia Aquarium Beluga Webcam
Watch the Beluga whale livestream from the Georgia Aquarium. You can also explore puffins, jellyfish, piranha, and more!
Houston Zoo Webcams
Tune in to the Houston Zoo Webcams and enjoy a live look at animals that call the Houston Zoo home!
Kansas City Penguin Cam
Watch the live stream from the Helzberg Penguin Plaza at the Kansas City Zoo! Penguin cam is always on, and it is “penguins 24/7/365.”
Monterey Bay Aquarium Exploration
Experience the wonder of the ocean from anywhere. Choose a live cam and be mesmerized by moon jellies or see how many sevengill sharks you can spot.
Panda Cam – Zoo Atlanta
Watch the Pandas at Zoo Atlanta LIVE!
San Diego Zoo – Live Cams
Watch animals at the San Diego Zoo. Elephants, Koalas, Tigers, Apes, and more!
Smithsonian National Zoo Webcams
Watch animals at the Smithsonian National Zoo. Also includes a downloadable packet of educational activities to do with students K-5.
Tundra Connections
Experience the tundra and polar bears with Polar Bears International and Discovery Education! Learn about the Arctic ecosystem, adaptations, sea ice habitat, climate change, and more.
U.S. National Park Service – Watching Wildlife
Did you know that you can see what’s happening live at parks without leaving your home? Webcams 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.
