Seattle’s Pacific Science Center launches virtual field trips for at-home learning

By Christina Ausley, SeattlePI

Published

1:44 pm PDT, Tuesday, September 15, 2020

For years, Seattle’s Pacific Science Center (PacSci) has operated as an independent, non-profit science center with a mission to ignite curiosity and fuel a passion for discovery, experimentation, and critical thinking.

In wake of the novel coronavirus, the Science Center has doled out myriad digital programs for students and families learning from home. On top of virtual Curiosity Courses — a curated series of self-guided, self-paced science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities for maximized offline learning – virtual homeschool opportunities, virtual camps and more, PacSci is officially launching virtual field trips.

Engaging students in enriching content designed to enhance curriculum and spark their curiosity, PacSci educators come to classrooms virtually and lead students through workshops, activities, and demonstrations featuring various STEM topics. Perfect for school groups, homeschoolers, micro-schools, and afterschool programs for grades pre-K through sixth.

Via Zoom or an unlisted YouTube channel, groups can now take field trips like those of “Animal Adventure,” where pre-K through second grade students can learn about creatures’ fangs, fur, and scales, and go on an animal adventure to compare different species, and learn how animal adaptations help them survive.

Participants can also study “Radical Reactions” paired with chemical reactions and experimentation, virtual planetariums to get a glimpse into the night sky, and “Piece of Mind” as students learn about the brain and how it controls memory, movement, and sight.

The virtual field trips are designed for small groups of students, including school groups, homeschool students, micro-schools, and afterschool settings. Each private program is 40 minutes long, and runs $200. Financial aid may also be available to groups serving Title I audiences.

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