Virtual Field Trips

Photo: Rachel Ormiston/Burke Museum
Photo: Rachel Ormiston/Burke Museum

Visit the Burke Museum from the comfort of your own home or classroom!

You’ll get unlimited access to this digital resource for the month of your choice. Through your web browser, visit a gallery in the Burke Museum and go behind-the-scenes to see the collections and workrooms! Screen-share during class and take your students through the tour together or have them access it independently. 

Virtual Field Trips have been designed for and are recommended for Grades 2–8. We recommend that students in Grades 2-3 have adult assistance if being asked to use the digital resource on their own.

Want a sneak peek of a Virtual Field Trip?



Each virtual field trip includes:

  • A visit to one of the exhibit galleries at the Burke.
  • Behind-the-scenes moments in our collections, workrooms, and lab spaces.
  • Prompts, activities, and videos that get your students thinking about natural history and culture.
  • A facilitation guide for teachers with suggested ways to use the virtual field trip with a group of students.
katherine maslenikov holds a shark specimen in the fish collections
Photo: Timothy Kenney/Burke Museum
Photo: Timothy Kenney/Burke Museum

Interconnected: Biology at the Burke

How do living beings survive, adapt, and interact?

Investigate the incredible biodiversity on our planet today and why it matters. Explore the Amazing Life gallery to learn about the relationships between living beings and how species adapt to their environment. Visit the Floor 2 experience alcove to observe the different roles organisms play in three Washington ecosystems. Go behind the scenes with the Burke’s Biology collections managers to understand how natural history collections are a library of life used for research. 

Request program

COST STRUCTURE & PRICING

Unlimited access to this digital resource for the month of your choice
for a class of up to 35 students: $40

cultures of the pacific northwest virtual field trip screen shot showing the northwest native art gallery and a menu in the app
Photo: Burke Museum
Photo: Burke Museum

Cultures of the Pacific Northwest

Learn about the Coast Salish and Columbia Plateau Native peoples of this area on this virtual tour of the Burke Museum. 

By looking closely at our collections, we can learn about ancestral ways of life, how traditions are passed down through generations and continue to be practiced today. Go behind the scenes with the archaeology collections staff to learn about their work and how pieces are cared for. 

Check out the contemporary art by Native artists in the Northwest Native Art gallery. We encourage you to continue your learning of Native American cultures by reaching out to your local Tribe for more resources. Learn more

Request program

COST STRUCTURE & PRICING

Unlimited access to this digital resource for the month of your choice
for a class of up to 35 students: $40

paleontology virtual field trip screen shot showing a menu in the app
Photo: Burke Museum
Photo: Burke Museum

Paleontology at the Burke

Dig into fossils and paleontology! 

Go behind the scenes with Paleontology Fossil Lab Manager Kelsie Abrams to learn how fossils are prepared for study in the wet lab. Take a journey through time in the Fossils Uncovered gallery. Visit the Floor 3 experience alcove to do an activity to learn more about rocks and how fossils are formed.

Request program

COST STRUCTURE & PRICING

Unlimited access to this digital resource for the month of your choice
for a class of up to 35 students: $40

Virtual Programs FAQ

Burke Live! lessons are live virtual lessons—a Burke educator joins your group via video conferencing, sharing activities and discussions that focus on a specific topic. Burke Live! lessons are 45-minute long events.

Virtual Field Trips are web-based tours that your group can complete at your own pace. They consist of a series of videos, photos, and text prompts that bring you behind the scenes into research spaces as well as into galleries within the Burke Museum. Groups can choose to project this tour in front of a classroom or do screen-sharing with remote students in order to go through the tour together as a group. Or, you can assign sections of this tour to students to view independently on individual computers. Virtual Field Trips are accessible for one full month, which gives you time to review the material yourself, and make a plan for how you would like your students to engage with the material.

Absolutely! Our virtual offerings have been designed for youth learning in a variety of settings including school groups, homeschool groups, micro-schools, after school programs, community groups, early learning or childcare centers and libraries. If you have questions about whether a virtual program is a good fit for your group, we are always happy to discuss your needs and help you find which program will be the best fit. Reach out to us at burked@uw.edu or 206.543.5591.

 

Yes, however our virtual field trip URL and password is changed each month. If you’d like to request access to a virtual field trip for an additional month, please submit your request for the month you’d like access to begin, then send us a follow-up email at burked@uw.edu to let us know you’d like to extend your access. We will book your access for the months you indicate in your email. Each month of access costs $40, and you will be invoiced accordingly. Please note that you will be sent a unique URL and password for each month of access that you book.

Yes, if you need to change or cancel a reservation, please call the Education office at 206.543.5591 or email burked@uw.edu as soon as possible.

Cancellations must be made a minimum of two weeks before the scheduled program for a refund. Cancellations made with less than two weeks notice will be charged the full fee. We will work with you to reschedule the program for a different date if possible.

Yes! Our generous donors make it possible for us to offer cost assistance to schools and programs across the state. For more information please visit our Cost Assistance information page.

If you have any questions about our virtual offerings, please contact us via email or by phone before submitting a request. When you’re ready, you can submit your request via our online form. Once we have received your request, we will respond with more information. If we can accommodate your request, you will receive an email with your reservation details and a link to confirm or decline the reservation. If we are unable to accommodate your request, we will contact you to discuss alternative dates or options.

Once your program is finalized, you will receive an invoice and any pre-program materials via email. You can pay for your program by check, credit card or purchase order. For Burke Live! programs, payment is due on or before the date of your program.

For Virtual Field Trips payment is due on or before your access end date. If you choose to pay by credit card, you can do so via our online portal. You will receive a link to this portal when you confirm your reservation.

Please note:

  • Placing a hold on a tentative date and time will hold your program for one week. If you do not confirm your program within one week of placing a hold, your hold will be released.
     
  • Cancellation for Virtual Field Trips and Burke Live! programs must be made two weeks in advance in order to receive a refund. Efforts will be made to reschedule your program if you must cancel within two weeks prior to your program, but refunds cannot be offered.
a burke educator teaches students during a field trip

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Photo: Rachel Ormiston/Burke Museum
Photo: Rachel Ormiston/Burke Museum