Summer is a great time to brush up on old skills—or develop some new ones. Watch, listen, and learn by connecting with some of our EF Explore America partners—from the comfort of your home. The possibilities are endless with these virtual experiences. For example, you can keep your students motivated by encouraging them to enroll in online STEM summer learning camp while you collect inspiration for fall lesson plans.
Until we can get out and explore the U.S. again, we’ve highlighted seven expertly designed digital summer learning programs to keep everyone curious all season long.
Looking back to look forward
Smithsonian NMAAHC
The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, an EF Explore America Partner and highly anticipated stop on D.C. itineraries, has put together Talking About Race, a thoughtful online platform for help navigating difficult conversations. The compilation of tools, resources, and guidance is meant to inspire and guide discourse around race, empowering all of us—from infants to adults, students to teachers, and everyone in between—to engage in reflective, thoughtful, respectful, and productive dialogue.
Urban Archive
Take a trip through time with Urban Archive’s interactive map of New York City. Thanks to their virtual tour, you can see scenes of summer in the city throughout the ages. Step inside the shoes of an immigrant just starting a new life in America and walk through the city they must have seen in the early 20th century. Urban Archive uses technology for cities, museums, and libraries to share their archives in a new and experiential way.
A different kind of summer camp
FIRST
Keep students engaged with STEM summer learning with a little help from our partner, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). The New Hampshire-based global non-profit is offering a free, 12-session online learning series for teachers, parents, and coaches to help them guide students through various projects and lessons. Each activity focuses on bringing the engineering design process to life and can be done at home with household materials. With the ability to use each as a stand-alone lesson or to bundle them together, there’s plenty of material to keep everyone busy.
Summer learning soundtrack
South Street Seaport Museum
Listen to American history come to life as you tap your feet to Sea Chanteys and Maritime Music from the South Street Seaport Museum. This popular add-on to our New York City itineraries highlights the history of the Big Apple as a global port city. While living together in close quarters for months on end, the sailors who put New York on the map needed something to keep their spirits up. Their solution? Singing! Not only are they still singing to this day, but you can join them. Sign up for the museum’s live round-robins led by passionate seafaring singers and musicians. Participants can listen, request songs, and even jump in and sing along.
Carnegie Hall
Experience the sounds of world-famous Carnegie Hall from the comfort of your couch, no formal wear required. Through the venue’s online streaming platform, you can enjoy recent broadcasts and curated playlists on demand. In addition to top-tier musical performances, Carnegie Hall also offers behind-the-scenes stories, live events, and educational programming.
Teaching inspiration
TEDx
Our partners at TEDx recommend their video Why is Storytelling so Powerful? to teachers contemplating new approaches to teaching and learning with students in the fall. Watch and listen as the presentation expert David JP Phillips regales you with his storytelling while simultaneously imparting tips and tricks to make you a better storyteller. Grounded in neuroscience, Philips’ advice will leave you with the power to tell stories that connect you with any audience.
Topics:
Virtual learning, United States
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