Virtual Field Trip: British Museum

Ready to travel? To virtually explore the world? Join us on a virtual field trip to the British Museum!

The British Museum, located in London, England was founded in 1753. With 8 million objects, the museum’s artifacts come from all parts of the world and all parts of history. To follow along on this Virtual Field Trip, you will need a computer, Internet and use Google Maps – Street View.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. In Google, search for the British Museum. 
2. Click on the Map view. 
3. I’m going to zoom in to the museum by scrolling my mouse wheel or you can use the zoom tools on the bottom right. I want a nice close look into the Museum. 
4. Now, let’s grab our street view friend by using the orange fellow on the bottom right. Click and drag the orange guy to the Hallway of Enlightenment. Look! We are inside. How cool! 
5. To explore, click on the arrows to walk forward and click on the x’s to stop and take a look at an artifact. 
6. If you see a blue dot, click on it to find out more information about the artifact. 
7. Now, if you are ready to explore another part of the museum or stuck, click on the arrow in the black box at the top left.  
8. Find another spot in the museum to drop the orange fellow and continue to explore. 

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Guided Activities 

1. Visit the Greek Vases room and take a look around. A challenge: create your own Greek vase using the this template:

2. Take a stroll through the Egyptian Sculpture room. What is your favorite piece and why? 

3. The North Americas room features clothes and artifacts from Native Americans. Research Native American tribes in our database, Explora (found in the TexShare database). What tribes lived where we are now in Texas? 

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Continue Learning

Your library has a plethora of books and databases for your to use to learn more about these artifacts, people and time periods. You will need a Plano Public Library card to use these resources:

For kids

Magic Tree House Fact Tracker by Mary Pope Osborne (eBooks). Topics include:
– Mummies and Pyramids
– Ancient Greece and the Olympics
– Ancient Rome
– Knights and Castles
– Ninjas and Samurai

What are the Great Pyramids? by Dorothy Hoobler (eBook)

Mummies by Joyce Milton (eBook)

Colors: Early Learning at the Museum (print)

Advanced/Adults

The Ancient Greeks for Dummies by Stephen Batchelor (eBook)

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: Volume 1 and Volume 2 by Edward Gibbon (eAudiobooks)

How to See the British Museum in Four Visits by Blanchard Jerrold, EBSCO eBook

A Critical Edition of the Private Diaries of Robert Proctor: The Life of a Librarian at the British Museum by Robert Proctor and J. H. Bowman

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Other resources

The British Museum YouTube

Google’s Art & Culture: The British Museum online exhibits