Virtual Field Trips with Bill Nye, Olivia Wilde, Marley Dias and AirBnB

Today, Airbnb is launching a new collection of online experiences, Field Trips! These are designed for parents to broaden their kids’ horizons and supplement their core curriculum. With these crazy times many after school programs have been shut down for kids, which makes it harder for them to engage socially and academically like they would once have. Now with these field trips they will be able to attain a sense of normalcy. Bill Nye, Olivia Wilde and Marley Dias are here to help them navigate and teach them along the way.

Through Airbnb’s newest collection of Online Experiences hosted by passionate, expert hosts, parents can now send their kids on a virtual trip of discovery with some of the world’s brightest and bravest.

Special activities will include Decoding The Science of 2020 with Bill Nye (the science guy); a Socially Conscious Story Hour with filmmaker, actress, and activist Olivia Wilde; and How to be a Social Problem Solver with the Dias family of #1000BlackGirlBooks, among others. 

“We want everyone, kids especially, to be curious,” Nye said. “Asking questions and seeking answers is how we make discoveries and learn about the world around us. We’ll encourage questions and share facts with a new generation about some of this year’s hottest topics in science. It’ll be a blast.”

According to a new study of parents, participation in extracurricular activities is down 30% for children that typically take part in at least one structured activity during an average week, and has dropped nearly 50%for kids that typically take part in multiple activities.

As parents look to lead more activities from home, 86% worry that their children will miss out on important developmental opportunities if extracurriculars and after school activities are cancelled, and 71 percent are concerned that their child’s mental health will be impacted. 

“As a mother of young children, I’ve been navigating the challenges of at-home education with my own family this year,” Wilde added. “Now more than ever, I believe the stories we tell our children today are an integral part of who they become tomorrow.  I’m delighted to offer this experience to encourage storytelling that fosters empathy, awareness, and curiosity.”

Families can now gain unique access to 75+ extracurricular Online Experiences hosted from over 20countries around the world, including: 

• Go on a leopard safari in Sri Lanka
• Discover Bueno Aires street art and sketch
• Make a traditional Mexican piñata
• Uncover Pompeii with an archaeologist 
• Learn about origami and the essence of Japan
• Dive under the sea with a shark scientist
• Spend a day in Paris with a Parisian
• Learn about space with an astronomer
• Discover the science of swimming with an Olympic Medalist
• Enjoy a K-pop concert & dance class for beginners
• Make vegan brownies with the family
• Experiment with colored pasta and chocolate volcanos
• Learn sign language through games

The collection will also feature a number of activities affiliated with Classroom Champions, a nonprofit where volunteer Olympians, Paralympians and Professional Athletes offer a social and emotional based curriculum and mentorship experiences to K-8 classrooms.

Classroom Champions helps Olympians and Paralympians bring these experiences to life online, where you can now find them on Airbnb through Field Trips.