Cross-Canada Virtual Road Trip

The Cross-Canada Virtual Road Trip will run from March 26th to May 16th, 2024.

The Cross-Canada Virtual Road Trip is a road trip like no other! Offered in collaboration with Parks Canada and Exploring by the Seat of your Pants, this program is free to all Canadian teachers and students in Grades 3-8 and features live virtual field trips to 10 different Parks Canada sites that stretch from coast to coast to coast. Students will learn about biodiversity in Canada, environmental and cultural protection, archaeological initiatives, scientific innovation and much more! Note: while the program is designed for Grades 3-8, teachers and students in all grades and educational settings are welcome to join.

Presentation schedule

All events are virtual and last approximately 35 minutes. Register for as many events as you want!

There are three ways to participate: as a featured class on camera, as a featured class with audio only, or off-camera streaming from YouTube. If you choose to participate as a featured class, your students will have the opportunity to ask questions directly to the presenter. You will be notified by email if your class is selected as a featured class. If you choose to participate off-camera, you will receive an email with a YouTube link to watch the presentation and your students will be able to ask questions in the chat. Note: students who participate on camera must have parental/school permission to be recorded.

The list of presentations and the button to register are below. Registering will ensure you receive all necessary communications and presentation links, and that you are eligible for the program contest.

Recordings of the presentations will be available at the bottom of this page.

Click here to register for the live presentations!

March 26 – 1:00 p.m. ET — St. Lawrence Belugas at Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park
- A day in the life of a beluga! St. Lawrence beluga whales and humans are more alike than we might think. To survive, they need to feed, socialise, rest and learn.
April 16 – 11:00 a.m. ET — Wildlife: Wildfire Smart at Wood Buffalo National Park
- Animals’ natural survival and adaptation skills make a real difference in a wildfire scenario! How did the wildlife survive the worst fire season in history in Wood Buffalo National Park?
April 18 – 1:00 p.m. ET — Conserving the Cache at Kluane National Park and Reserve
- Archeology and conservation! Join us in learning about Parks Canada archaeological work in the traditional territory of Kluane First Nation and how artifacts are preserved for future generations to discover!
April 22 – 11:00 a.m. ET — To the Edge and Back – The Critters That Built Canada with Parks Canada Coastal BC Public Outreach and Education with Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites
- Building Canada on beavers’ and otters’ furs pushed them to near extinction, but their recovery has revealed their value beyond the fur trade!
April 24 – 11:00 a.m. ET — Hear the Magic of the Arctic at Wapusk National Park
- Guess the sound and identify the animals in Wapusk National Park! We will also discuss the many ways Parks Canada surveys the animals.
May 1 – 11:00 a.m. ET — Dr. Norman Bethune – The doctor’s story beyond borders at Bethune Memorial House National Historic Site
- Bethune dedicated his life to serving others, his many acts demonstrated his personal courage, compassion, and selflessness. This presentation will bring to life Bethune’s action packed existence, seeking to inspire youth to understand these values, be compassionate for others as Bethune was, and to learn more about this famous Canadian’s historical interaction with the world.
May 1 – 1:00 p.m. ET — Dr. Norman Bethune – The doctor’s story beyond borders at Bethune Memorial House National Historic Site
- Bethune dedicated his life to serving others, his many acts demonstrated his personal courage, compassion, and selflessness. This presentation will bring to life Bethune’s action packed existence, seeking to inspire youth to understand these values, be compassionate for others as Bethune was, and to learn more about this famous Canadian’s historical interaction with the world.
- NOTE: This presentation will be in Mandarin.
May 6 – 11:00 a.m. ET — A Cultural Landscape at Ukkusiksalik National Park
- A journey through time and space! Explore the shores of Wager Bay in Nunavut to learn how Inuit survived and why Ukkusiksalik still so important to Inuit now.
- NOTE: This presentation will be in Inuktitut.
May 7 – 11:00 a.m. ET — A Cultural Landscape at Ukkusiksalik National Park
- A journey through time and space! Explore the shores of Wager Bay in Nunavut to learn how Inuit survived and why Ukkusiksalik is still so important to Inuit now.
May 9 – 11:00 a.m. ET — The Butterfly Effect at Waterton Lakes National Park
- How important can just one butterfly be? Join in as we learn about species at risk and how the loss of even one single, small species, can alter an ecosystem in large ways.
May 13 – 11:00 a.m. ET — Fantastic Fossils at Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve
- The Mingan Archipelago 465 million years ago! Take a journey back to an era predating the dinosaurs to explore the species that inhabited the Ordovician sea.
May 16 – 11:00 a.m. ET — The famous and not so famous inventions of Alexander Graham Bell at Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site
- The telephone is Alexander Graham Bell’s most famous invention. But this incredible inventor didn’t stop there, and spent his life experimenting with sound, flight, and more. Discover some of his lesser known inventions during this special tour of the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site.

Click here to register for the live presentations!

Contest

Educators are invited to work with their class to complete and submit the following form.

Educators from any grade level may submit one contest entry per class. Educators in homeschool or extracurricular settings may submit an entry so long as their class/group has three or more students/participants.

To be eligible, educators and their students must have watched (either live or a recording of) at least one of the ten presentations in the 2024 program.

All submissions must be received by midnight (ET) on May 24, 2024, to be eligible for prizes. Five randomly selected classes will win a prize pack consisting of merchandise and learning materials from Parks Canada and Canadian Geographic Education.

Full name: ^*

Email address: ^*

Number of students: ^*

Grade level(s) of students: ^*

If you could add an eleventh stop on the Cross-Canada Virtual Road Trip, which Parks Canada location would you choose, and why? ^*

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Lesson plan

Looking for a primer on Parks Canada’s mandate and the importance of preserving and protecting environmental and cultural heritage? Use our quick lesson plan to get your students excited about a virtual visit to Parks Canada places and spaces.

Download lesson plan Download student activity cards

Google Earth Voyager story

Are your students craving more interaction with the sites featured in the 2023 program? Are they keen to “visit” these sites again? Have them explore the beauty and wonder of these incredible places using our Google Earth Voyager Story. For every site, we have included background information, photos, videos, and easy classroom activities to get your students asking questions about the unique geography of these Canadian landscapes and their histories.

Explore with Google Earth Voyager!