The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in many government changes, from the adjustment of a circuit breaker, home-based learning, updated regulations on hygiene and sanitation, and travel restrictions around the world. Though there’s another month left until the end of the circuit breaker and all its associated regulations, at the moment it’s still unforeseeable when countries will open up their borders once again.
Luckily, more and more places of attraction are adapting to these circumstances and bringing their experiences to the digital sphere. With virtual tours made readily available globally, you can walk through some of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions like the British Museum and the Louvre, admire the sculptures and paintings in the Museum of Modern Art, and watch beluga whales swimming in the Georgia Aquarium.
We’ve put together a list of virtual tours and activities that are equal parts educational and entertaining. From museums and zoos to puzzles and craft sessions, plan your next family activity here.
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is the world’s largest children’s museum and during the Covid-19 circuit breaker, it still remains open virtually to bring all kinds of learning resources available to families across the world. Visit their Museum at Home section dedicated to virtual tours, science experiments, and even videos of narrated stories.
This iconic museum was the first of its kind when it opened in 1759 and it’s still one of the top attractions in London today. Its virtual tour allows you to choose which collections or regions of the world you’d like to explore. Don’t miss the Egyptian mummies and the ancient Rosetta Stone. Items also have audio descriptions so if you don’t want to read the text that accompanies each of them, just click and listen away.
There are three virtual tours to explore here – Egyptian Antiquities features collections from the Pharaonic period; Galerie d’Apollon, which is famous for its high-vaulted ceiling and central panel; and Remains of the Louvre’s Moat, the original perimeter of the structure when it was originally built as a fortress by the French king Philippe Auguste.
If opera is the cultural activity you enjoy most, you’ll be thrilled to find out that the Royal Opera House has launched free online streams of its past opera and ballet performances. There are also clips of musical masterclasses and rehearsal footage that will give you a unique behind-the-scenes look. And it will be adding more productions, so do check their website for details. Catch them on their YouTube channel or Facebook page.
For the kids (and parents) who are fascinated with dinosaurs and the history of them, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has a compilation of virtual tours that examines the current, past, and permanent collections.
Take a look at the online exhibitions to dive into all sorts of topics under the scope of air and space. From a look into human space flight in the last 50 years to artifacts used in the development of the Star Wars trilogy and dramatic landscapes of the Moon–there’s something for everyone in the family.
If you’ve always wanted to visit MoMA or just want to reminisce about the time you went there, you can check out its past exhibitions online, right from when the museum opened in 1929. There are photos of the collections, digital catalogues, and even press releases. Search for an exhibition or choose one from the list, which is categorised with dates so you can pick the ones that take your fancy fairly easily.
From now until 10 July 2020, visit the National Museum of Singapore’s website to enjoy craft activities, learning resources, and diverse programmes together with your family. Perfect for the young ones, you can easily follow the craft video tutorials to make your own toys and engage in music and movement activities.
From now until 31 May 2020, you can also celebrate International Museum Day from the comfort of your own home and try your hand at making performer puppets using materials from home, learn about the significance of Ramadan, and embark on a scavenger hunt across the site.
Curated from 18 beautiful landscapes across New South Wales, Destination NSW developed digital jigsaw puzzles to help curb your cabin fever. Take part in it as a family interactive activity, you can piece the Sydney skyline together or get a closer look at the wombats. All puzzles are automatically set to 32 pieces, but you can customise it to your choosing depending on the difficulty level you want to go for.
Warning: animal lovers will spend hours glued to these webcams. So if you’re meant to be working from home, try to be productive too and not be distracted by these cute creatures. Two zoos in Melbourne have live-stream cameras in some of their enclosures so you can bring the zoo into your home. The penguin cam is too cute for words and other animals you can watch are giraffes, lions, zebras, and snow leopards.
The Georgia Aquarium features sea-dwelling animals like beluga whales, jellyfish, and African penguins. Spot them on the aquarium’s live cam any time of the day.
The San Diego Zoo has the most live cam options, and lets you toggle between the animal exhibitions all in one sitting. Plus there are added activities suited for children, from crafting animals out of everyday objects and materials (like a crocodile clothespin and zebra puppet) to stories on the animals inside the zoo.
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Text: Balvinder Sandhu/Her World, Additional reporting: Farisia Thang
This post was first published on May 5, 2020, and updated on May 18, 2020.