Virtual Explorations Starter Kit

Article

by Barbara K. Stripling, June 2021

The freedom to explore the world through technology is still intriguing and highly motivating for students. Librarians can provide portals to these discovery experiences, even virtual summer camps, offered by museums, organizations, and corporations like Google. Here's my starter list of resources, but be advised that one link leads to another and it's hard to stop diving into them!

History and Culture

Smithsonian Institution. Fun Stuff for Kids and Teens — https://www.si.edu/kids

Google Arts and Culture — https://artsandculture.google.com

Collections: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner
Experiments: https://artsandculture.google.com/project/games
Historic Events: https://artsandculture.google.com/category/event
Historical Figures: https://artsandculture.google.com/category/historical-figure

"The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Museum Resources, E-Learning, and Online Collections," Museum Computer Network — https://mcn.edu/a-guide-to-virtual-museum-resources/

"20 Famous Art Museums You Can Visit from Your Living Room," We Are Teachers — https://www.weareteachers.com/virtual-museum-tours/

Science Centers

NASA at Home. For Kids and Families — https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-at-home-for-kids-and-families

"11+ Best Science Websites for Interactive Learning," Interesting Engineering — https://interestingengineering.com/11-best-science-websites-for-interactive-learning

Summer Learning

Samantha Cleaver, "Creative Summer Learning Ideas" (grades: PreK-K,1-2, 3-5, 6-8.) — https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/creative-summer-learning-ideas

Mills, Melissa Mills "8 Virtual Summer Camps Our Kids Will Love." Parents — https://www.parents.com/fun/activities/outdoor/free-virtual-summer-camps-2020/

About the Author

Barbara K. Stripling, DPS, is recently retired from a long career in the library profession, including positions as Director of Library Services for the New York City schools, a school library media specialist and school district director of libraries in Arkansas, a library grant program director in Tennessee, and Senior Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Practice in the School of Information Studies, Syracuse University. Barb has written or edited numerous books and articles and is the creator of the Stripling Model of Inquiry. Stripling has recently developed and published (in April 2019) a re-imagined version of the Empire State Information Fluency Continuum, a PK-12 continuum of the skills that librarians teach to empower students to be lifelong learners (https://slsa-nys.libguides.com/ifc). Stripling has served the profession as president of the American Association of School Librarians (1986-1987), president of the New York Library Association (2016-2017), president of the American Library Association (2013-2014), and current president of the Freedom to Read Foundation (2020-). Email: bstripli@syr.edu, Twitter: @barbstripling, LinkedIn: barbarastripling

MLA Citation

Stripling, Barbara K. "Virtual Explorations Starter Kit." School Library Connection, June 2021, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Article/2264365.

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https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Article/2264365?topicCenterId=2252404

Entry ID: 2264365