Past Field Trips
Today the United Nations celebrate International Peace Day. Tune in just before noon to hear this special live recital of the carillion, the bells, from the Peace Tower in Ottawa.
To learn more about the bells, and why it was named the "Peace Tower" click here.
Tuesday - Go on a live-streamed African safari
Have you ever wanted to go on an African safari? "andBeyond" #WildWatch has been broadcasting safaris since May. The broadcasts feature an expert guide and are aired on YouTube Live starting at 12:30pm and midnight our time every day. Viewers who watch the live presentations can ask questions using the "Chat" platform. Some notes:
- Clicking on this link will take you to the "andBeyond" YouTube Channel but not directly to today's Live Stram. The upcoming steams are only posted 12hrs in advance, which means you will have to check the channel for the time of the upcoming Live Stream.
- The first 5 minutes of the stream usually seems to be filler re-play footage with music. Be patient, the live Safari usually starts before 10 minutes in.
- There is a warning on the videos that the Safari's may contain footage of animal carcasses and kills. Viewer discretion is advised.
Follow this link to the "andBeyond" YouTube channel and see if you can join today's afternoon safari.
Wednesday - Neptune the Mystic
Today in 1846, the Planet Neptune was discovered. Click here for a little information about the farthest planet in our solar system.
The planets have inspired many artists throughout time. Gustav Holst wrote an Opus with parts dedicated to each planet from 1914-16. The music has inspired many sci-fi movie soundtracks, and the movement "Neptune the Mystic" is no exception.
Click here for some highlights from the movement, played by the Philharmonic Orchestra of London, with commentary presented by Paul Rissman.
Click here for the recording of the complete movement of "Neptune the Mystic", and scenes from the orchestra.
Thursday - Jim Henson's Birthday
Jim Henson created the Muppets and Sesame Street. Turns out there's a lot of art and engineering that goes into making and operating a puppet like Big Bird or Elmo.
Click here to listen to some of Sesame Streets puppeteers talk about how they bring these characters to life.
Try making your own sock puppet at home! Click here and get started.
Friday - The World's Biggest Trees
On September 25, 1890, Sequoia National Park was established. The park is home to one of the worlds biggest trees, named General Sherman, which is 83m tall, and estimated to be over 2000 years old! Click here to take a general tour of the park on Google Earth.
Click here to walk through the trees using Street View.
And click here to do a search on the park using our Gale in Context Elementary Encyclopedia. A library card number is required.
Monday - Early Flight
On this day in 1924, two airplanes completed a flying trip around the world. It was the first time anyone had flown an airplane around the world. Click here to learn more about that trip.
Or, try building and testing your own plane in this game that simulates some of the engineering work done by the Wright brothers - siblings who invented the first flying machine in 1903. Click here to access the game.
Tuesday - Explore Cervantes' Spain
On this day in 1547, Miguel de Cervantes was born in Spain. He is said to have written the first modern novel, and his most famous work "Don Quixote" has been translated into almost as many languages as the Bible.
"Don Quixote" was inspired by real places, many of which still exist today. Click here to take a virtual tour.
Wednesday - All About Animation
You can make your drawings move with these animation experiments!
Throwback - Visit a Dairy Farm
Let's go visit a dairy farm and after our tour, we can try making some fresh cheese. It's pretty easy (you will need an adult's help) and requires only 2 or 3 ingredients. Watch the video or simply follow the recipe.
Click here for the Dairy Farm Tours.
Click here to learn how to make cheese in 5 minutes with just 2 ingredients.
Click here for the recipe for homemade fresh cheese...with just 3 ingredients.
Friday - Let's Go To Montreal
Jacques Cartier, a famous western explorer, first reached Montreal on this day in 1535.
Click here to listen to some of the life stories of notable Montrealers through time.
Of course, Jacques Cartier was not the first person to see the site of Montreal. Then and now, several indigenous individuals and groups lived on the lands in and near the city. Click here to learn about 5 sites in the modern city from an indigenous perspective.
Monday - The Palace Versailles
On October 5, 1789, a mob of angry citizens marched on the palace of Versailles in France, where King Louis XVI and his nobles had lived a life of opulent luxury in complete ignorance of the poverty of the French people. The King and nobles were taken to Paris, the palace art was taken to the Louvre, and the furniture was auctioned off.
Now restored as an important tourist site, you can explore Versailles virtually, and learn all about the lives of the Kings and Queens who lived within it's halls. Click here to take the tour.
Or follow this link to find out with French Royal you are most like.
Tuesday - Exploring Empathy Through Film
It is said that on October 6 in 1889, Thomas Edison first tested his moving picture machine, and movies were invented.
Movies can show us many things, and help us understand the experiences of others. Check out these playlists from the National Film Board of Canada that explore building empathy through film.
For Elementary Students, click here.
For Secondary Students, click here.
Wednesday - Retro Game: Operation Neptune!
Ask your parents if they remember playing this classic DOS game about exploring the ocean, solving math problems, and collecting pieces of a broken research satellite that has crash landed in the Pacific. Challenge your friends to see who can collect the most satellite pieces before running out of oxygen!
Note: You need to choose the right files from the drop down menus:
Game Version: Operation-Neptune.zip
Game Executable: super-solvers-operation-neptune/ON.EXE
Thursday - Register in Advance to Meet Author Wesley King
Wesley King is an award winning Canadian author and fan favorite whose 13 novels have been best sellers and award winners that have been read and reread by thousands of kids. Wesley is the author of the popular OCDaniel series and recently released a YA fantasy, sports based fiction book that he collaborated on with basketball star Kobe Bryant.
Follow this link to register for the webinar. Please note that registration closes on October 7th.
Friday - Fit Friday!
How about a fit Friday? Play a fun game of "would you rather" and workout too! Follow this link to get started.
Or would you rather dance? Follow along with this Trolls dance video, or make up your own moves. Have fun!
Did you have cranberries today? Click here to check out this video and find out how cranberries are grown and harvested!
Tuesday - Culture Days
Culture Days this year are in the form of online arts events taking place across Canada from September 25 to October 25. Check out some of the many cultural events taking place both in real time and video, including the opportunity to learn some words in Anishinàbemowin, an Indigenous language.
Video series (note episodes 3 and 4 will be released later this month), just click here.
Or try these colouring pages that teach Anishinàbemowin vocabulary.
Wednesday - Martin Luther King Jr.
On this day in 1964, Martin Luther King Jr was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his actions against racism in the United States. You can see pictures of King’s life by clicking here.
Or listen and read his famous “I have a Dream” speech by clicking here.
Thursday - Pop Music
Do you like pop music? Here is an interesting list of 10 songs that may have been history’s first English “pop” song, with the oldest dating back to the 1200s. You can find examples of all of these songs on YouTube.
Want to compose your own song, give this quick tutorial a try.
Friday - World Food Day
October 16th is World Food Day, and today the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization is celebrating Food Heroes. Click here to learn more about food heroes all around the world and what they do.
One of the Food Heroes is a chef from Ghana (can you find which one?). If you’d like to try to cooking a dish that’s popular in Ghana and nearby Nigeria, you can try this Jollof Rice recipe (note, it is very spicy!)
On this day in 1987, stock markets all around the world crashed. It is thought that the total amount of money lost on stock investments was 1.7 Trillion US dollars.
What is a stock market? It is a place where people invest money by buying pieces of companies, called stocks or shares. If you own stocks or shares of a company, you can earn a portion of the company’s profits, and if the value of the company goes up, you can sell the shares for more than you bought them for.
Want to give it a try? Click here to make a free account, and get $100,000 worth of fake virtual money to invest in a stock market. There are resources for students and teachers too.
Tuesday - Ahoy Pirates!
The famous pirate Captain Calico Jack, also known as John Rackham, was captured on this day in 1720, along with his crew, which included two pirate women: Anne Bonny and Mary Reid. Calico Jack is also famous for first flying the “Jolly Roger,” the pirate flag with a skull and two crossed swords.
To celebrate pirates, check out this VR video recreation of a merchant ship that sunk in 1659. It does take a long time to load, but if you click and hold with your mouse, you can “look around” at the shipwreck. Or, do what pirates love to do most: look at treasure! Have a peek at this online exhibit: 5000 Years of Jewelry!
Wednesday - Florence Nightingale
Today, nurses are some of our front-line heroes, helping battle the spread of Covid-19. On October 21 in 1854, Florence Nightingale left Europe and traveled to Crimea (present day Turkey) to be a nurse for soldiers in the Crimean War. During her career she worked to stop the spread of diseases between patients in hospitals, establish the modern nursing profession, and pioneered the art of the infographic – a visual representation of data. You can learn more about Florence Nightingale here.
Interested in learning about infographics? You can run a google image search for the word “infographic” and your favorite topic, but click here for three really good ones.
Thursday - The Thousand Years Capital
On this day in 794 Emperor Kanmu declared that Kyoto was the new capital city of Japan. It would be the capital of Japan from 794 to 1868, over 1000 years!
If you want to take in the beauty of Japan, there is no better place than Kyoto. Take a walk through the Kamigamo shrine, which is as much a garden as it is a Shinto sanctuary. Can you spot the priests and priestess in their traditional Japanese dress? Click here to start exploring.
Shinto was one religion and set of ideas that shaped the culture of Japan, the other major influence came from Buddhism. Try this calming breathing exercise based on Zen Buddhist breathing meditation.
Friday - Sweet
By this time next week, we will all be thinking of candy! Or maybe you are already there? Some candy is made in a factory, but there are also techniques for making candy that are as much about art as they are about the taste. Check out these two videos that explain and show how candy is made - the first one explains the process, but the second has better video.
Video 1
Video 2
Want to try making your own candy? This sponge toffee recipe is a good place to start.
Uluru is a great sandstone monolith located in the middle of the Australian continent. It is the heart of the culture of the local Anangu Aboriginal Peoples, one of the oldest human societies in the world. On this day in 1985, the Australian government formally gave ownership of the monolith and nearby cultural sites, back to the Anangu.
Uluru and its surroundings are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. You can learn more about the site by clicking here.
If you are interested in learning more about Anangu Culture, explore this section of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park website.
Once you have read the stories of the Anangu people, take a virtual walk around Uluru in street view and see if you can recognize the sites of these mythical events. Click here to start your virtual walk.
Tuesday - Scavenger Hunt
Do you like puzzles? The Rijks Museum of Amsterdam has put together a fantastic virtual scavenger hunt through their galleries for ages 9 and up. Learn about Dutch paintings and culture, find the keys and discover the secret word! You will need a pencil and a piece of paper to record the letters for secret word. Click here to start the virtual scavenger hunt.
Wednesday - Making Costumes
Do you have your Halloween costume ready? Or, do you want to change your costume somehow to improve it. Click here for some ideas for easy Halloween costumes to inspire you.
To make a costume, you might need to learn about how to sew. Click here for an easy online lesson to get you started. You’ll also get to make your own monster companion! Just in time for Halloween!
Do you like designing costumes? Edith Head won a record eight “Best Costume” Academy Awards for her costume designs used in movies between 1949 and 1973. Coincidentally, today is her birthday. Edith was also the inspiration behind the character of “Edna” in The Incredibles. Check out a side-by-side photo of both by clicking here.
Thursday - It's the Great Pumpkin
The largest pumpkin in Canada this year was grown right here in Ontario. It weighed 1,939.5 pounds. You can read about the giant pumpkin by clicking here.
How are giant pumpkins grown? With a lot of garden knowledge and care. Check out this video with a few good tips on how you can begin to grow your own giant pumpkin.
What do you do with a giant pumpkin? Why not make some fantastic Pumpkin Mac and Cheese! Click here for a great recipe!
Friday - Face Painting
Some people put on face paint only around Halloween, but for some people, face paint is a career. Click here to check out some famous movie makeup masterpieces
Want to try putting on some face paint of your own? Click here for some great tutorials to get you started.
Today is the Mexican Day of the Dead, a colourful celebration of lives lived with art, decorations, and makeup! Learn a bit about the day of the dead by clicking here.
And learn how to make a paper flower used in Day of the Dead decorations here. You can use tissue paper if you don’t happen to have any crepe paper.
Tuesday - Na NoWriMo
As a library, we LOVE novels! This month is National Novel Writing Month – a month for writing your own novel! Want to try it out? Sign up at the NaNoWriMo website. They will help you set your own goals, make use of writers’ resources, and earn badges as you progress towards completing your own novel.
Wednesday - Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall, and the institute that carries on her work, have been observing the chimpanzees at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania for 60 years. In November of 1960, Dr. Goodall first recorded her observation of chimpanzees making and using tools – something many people thought only humans had the intelligence to do. Her research was groundbreaking in many other ways as well.
You can learn more about Jane Goodall’s work in this short video.
And you can learn more about some of the chimpanzees Jane studied by clicking here.
You can also walk miles and miles of jungle paths, and visit the Research Center in Gombe Stream National Park on Google Maps Street View.
Thursday - Vienna Opera House
Much is destroyed by war, but sometimes things can be rebuilt. On this day in 1955, the Vienna Opera House re-opened after being bombed during WWII. You can take a tour through the rebuilt Opera House by clicking here.
Or meet opera singer Angel Blue in this fantastic interview done by kids!
Friday - Fake News
Misleading information posing as news or facts - today we call this “fake news” but in the past it has also been called “propaganda”.
Nazis in Germany used propaganda, especially propaganda targeted at youth, to gain support for their government, start WWII, and murder millions of European Jewish people during the Holocaust. You can read about the Nazi influence on German children by clicking here.
Today, a lot of “fake news” aims to use the same tools as propaganda to influence people to think a certain way. Luckily, there are some fun and interesting games out there that can help you learn to spot fake news. Here are 2 good ones:
On November 9 1938, Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, marked the beginning of Jewish persecution in Nazi Germany. Click here to view a video explaining the events and significance of Kristallnacht.
And here are the stories of survivors, who would have been children at the time of the event.
Tuesday - Vimy Ridge
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was one of Canada’s greatest successes in WWI, and also one that saw some of the heaviest losses. Today, all is peaceful hills and green grass, but remains of the battle can still be seen, along with numerous memorial sites, cemeteries and some re-created and preserved relics from the battle. Click here to explore many of these through virtual tours.
If you have an account with Curio through WPL’s Digital Library, you can also check out this reading of “In Flanders Fields” in Mi’kmaq
If you would like to make a free Curio account, the instructions are available online here.
Wednesday - Remembrance Day
The Canadian War Museum will be streaming a Remembrance Day ceremony from Memorial Hall, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The event starts at 10:40am. Click here to watch the ceremony live.
The Museum has also selected a number of artifacts from its collection related to Remembrance Day, and made them available online for viewers to browse and reflect on. View the collection online now.
And there will be a special performance from the Peace Tower Carillion both before and after the ceremony at the War Museum. The first performance starts at 10:10am, and the second at 11:45am. Click here for more information and the program.
Thursday - Build a Shelter
This is the time of year when animals begin building shelters and looking for places to hibernate for the winter. Would you like to build an outdoor shelter? Here are some ideas to get you started:
Boys' Life - How to Build a Survival Shelter
Forest School Activities - Den Building
Want to learn more about tying different knots? Check out this video!
Friday - Classical Music
On this day in 1940, Disney released the film “Fantasia” a movie that featured animations inspired by selections of classical music. What does the music inspire you to draw? Grab some paper and art supplies, and see what you come up with while listening to these pieces:
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Abraham Dukas:
The Nutcracker Suite by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky
There are other ways to visualize music as well. Click here to visit a website that shows you what different chords and combinations of notes look like, as well as sound like.
And in this video, you can watch Beethoven’s 5th Symphony visualized as geometric shapes using computer code.
Monday - UNESCO
UNESCO was founded on this day in 1945.
“UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture.”
One of UNESCOs mandates is to preserve sites of cultural and natural significance, through the UNESCO World Heritage program. There are over 1000 protected sites worldwide on the list, which can be browsed by clicking here.
Preserving heritage sites can be difficult in the face of factors like wars, climate change, and accidents. Technology can help, and here Google demonstrates how it’s being done in several places around the world:
Heritage on the Edge – four sites in danger because of climate change.
Reconstructing Shurijo after a devastating fire.
Open Heritage - worldwide efforts to digitally preserve sites in danger.
Tuesday - Shakespeare
On this day in 1558, Queen Mary I of England died, marking the beginning of the the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and the Elizabethan Era. The most famous art to come out of the Elizabethan Era was Renaissance Theatre, most notable Shakespeare’s plays.
Fans of “The Bard” have been active online since the beginning of the internet, but here are some especially interesting sites to view:
Take a virtual tour of The Globe Theatre, where Shakespearian plays were originally performed.
See a condensed version of Hamlet performed in 360/VR.
Use this Shakespearian Insult Generator to upgrade your put-down game.
Happy Birthday, Mickey!
Today is Mickey Mouse’s Birthday! Disney declared November 18th to be Mickey’s birthday, because his first big film, Steamboat Willie, was released on this day in 1928. You can watch the original Steamboat Willie by clicking here.
If you would like to make your own animated story, you can try Google’s Toontastic 3D. Unlike Steamboat Willie, Toontastic 3D has both color and 3D animations to bring your characters to life. You can download the Toontastic 3D app for android here or for Apple products, click here.
Thursday - Keep Fit
On this day in 1969, soccer player Pelé scored his 1000th professional goal. Pelé would become known as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, and several of his records remain unbroken.
If you want to improve your soccer game in the off season, give these home exercises a try!
Or if your game of choice is hockey, check out this fitness training video for hockey players.
Friday - Sperm Whales
On this day in 1820, a large sperm whale attacked and sank the Essex, a whaling ship from Massachusetts US. The attack inspired Herman Melville to write his classic Moby Dick.
Sperm Whales are the largest predators on earth, and are also the deepest diving mammal. Generally, they aren’t easy to swim with – you have to find them in the ocean, and then there’s the fact that they could eat you – but here is an amazing 360/VR YouTube video that shows you what it’s like to swim with these whales.
For more facts about the sperm whale, you can also check out these links:
Kids: Animalia
Adult/Teen: BBC.com