During this time of social distancing and remote learning, staying connected with the world and keeping our children engaged has been a priority for all of us. Teachers and parents are constantly looking for fun and educational activities that will empower students’ learning, make them smile, and spark imagination and curiosity.

Learning from home doesn’t mean that you have to be cut off from the world. Skype in the Classroom recently launched a new activity called “Live Events.” Every Wednesday at 10:00 AM Pacific Time (5:00 PM Coordinated Universal Time), teachers, students, and parents can tune in to connect with subject matter experts and visit amazing locations across the globe. From exploring the habitats of Yellowstone National Park, to learning about sequoias or visiting a zoo, these 30-minute interactive events will add some extra fun and inspiration to your children’s learning.

“Adventure and familiarity, simultaneously. During remote learning due to the pandemic, the weekly Skype in the Classroom virtual field trips have enabled my students to travel the country and the world, right from their own homes. They’ve missed the connections we’ve made with people throughout the world while we were in our school building, and these events have given them the sense that the excitement continues. My third graders and I loved the trip to Yellowstone and enjoyed hearing from the Night Zookeeper…we can’t wait to learn about sharks and animal adaptations! We’re looking forward to what else is in store until we meet again,” says Amy Rosenstein (@SkypeAmy), third-grade teacher from New York, United States.

One of the most powerful parts of these events is that children can ask questions via a fully moderated Q&A chat tool.

“As a family we visited Yellowstone. We watched while having our dinner here in the UK and talked about all the animals the speaker showed us. There were many we hadn’t heard of before. It challenged our family to find out about somewhere totally new to us and we could ask questions via the chat tool. My kids were learning without it feeling like a lesson!” said Sarah Clark (@sfm36), parent from United Kingdom.

In addition, every event has follow-up activities that parents and teachers can share with their students for a richer learning experience. Make sure you check them out!

Are you ready for a learning adventure?

  • View upcoming Live Events at https://aka.ms/EDULiveEvents.
  • Live Events take place on Microsoft Teams. However, you do not need Skype or Teams to join. You can select to watch on the web. Download the “How-to join” guide to get started.
  • Each event has one or more follow up activities! Make sure you check those out to enrich the learning experience.
  • Live captions are available in six languages.
  • Download a digital certificate to celebrate your participation.

No need to worry if you miss the live event! All episodes will be available to watch on demand.