Virtual Days Out
Did you know that you can visit many fantastic museums, galleries and significant buildings in the UK and around the world, without even having to leave your own home?
Of course, we would always recommend visiting local museums and historic sites in person; however, the websites below are a great option if you wish to explore something new but can't get there yourself.
Stonehenge
Through English Heritage's Stonehenge website, you can take a virtual walk through the stones with a 360 degree view from inside the monument. By clicking on highlighted features, you can learn more about the history of the stones and other key information.
The Roman Baths
You are able to explore the Great Bath, heated rooms and plunge pools through this virtual walkthrough of this historic Roman site in Bath, England.
The British Museum
The British Museum's 'withgoogle' website, allows you to take a look at some of the artefacts on display by scrolling back through time. Those of you learning about the Ancient Egyptians might like to find out more about some of the Egyptian artefacts held in the British Museum, including the Rosetta Stone.
The Globe Theatre
Through the Globe Theatre's website, you are able to step inside the Globe from the comfort of your own home. The tour uses photos, videos and audio to guide you around the theatre.
Kensington Palace
Through Kensington Palace's website, you can explore areas such as Kensington Palace Gardens, The King's State Apartments, The King's Staircase and the Queen's State Apartments. The website includes key information, photographs and some short video clips.
Buckingham Palace
Explore this magnificent building through Buckingham Palace's virtual tours. You will be able to look at the Throne Room, the White Drawing Room, the Blue Drawing Room and the Grand Staircase.
Nasa Glenn Research Center
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. For those of you in Year 5 who have read Cosmic, it might give you an idea of the sorts of things Liam and Florida saw on their rather unusual 'holiday'.
London Zoo
London Zoo are bringing the zoo to you through their website. They are regularly updating their 'Virtual London Zoo' web page to include webcams and live streams, animal antics, zookeeper videos and behind-the-scenes updates.
Google Earth and Google Maps
Google Earth allows you to explore locations all over the globe and gain a sense of space and place.
Through Google Maps you can also explore famous landmarks around the world. By searching for the landmark's name and opening street view in that location (drop the orange figure on the blue circles/lines on the map), you can gain access to these landmarks without leaving your own home.
Some landmarks you might like to look at are:
- The Colosseum, Rome, Italy
- Mount Everest Base Camp, Nepal
- Buckingham Palace, London
- Pompeii, Italy
- Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA
- Chichen Itza, Mexico
- The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt