Virtual Tour - The British Museum

The British Museum
 http://www.britishmuseum.org/default.aspx

For a little overseas adventure, I thought I would check out The British Museum's website.  The British Museum is located in London, and is open daily with free admission.  For those of us who don't live in London, a virtual tour of the website can be used to explore their collections.

The homepage for the museum is neatly organized and inviting.  Links to information about membership, exhibits, and events are among others.  A toolbar across the top of the website offers the same information with easy to find buttons.

When trying to decide where I should start first, I was drawn to a link called "Young Explorers."  The link took me to a page designed for children, so I called over Peyton to take a look at it.  There is a "Play," "Discover," and "Create" button along the top of the page.  She decided to click on the "Play" button.  She found several games that use artifacts from the museum.  She played one game where she put in her height, then tried to guess the height of three artifacts.  After getting the correct height for the artifact, information about the artifact popped up.  She concluded that it was a very cool website.

Another link on the home page that I like is the "School and Teachers" link towards the bottom of the page.  Resources, grouped by grade level, are shared here.  You can download Word documents, pdf files, and PowerPoints that provide lessons and activities that you can use in the classroom.  Some activities can be used by students as they independently explore the site.

Overall, this is an excellent website that can be used for educational purposes or personal enjoyment.  You can keep up with museum news and events on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Flickr.  The British Museum also has a blog where you can follow museum happenings.