Attention homeschool families: State agencies offering virtual field trips this week

Several state agencies are pooling their resources to provide virtual field trips and cultural experiences to North Carolina students this week.

The N.C. Business Committee for Education, along with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction and N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, will host Cultural Arts Live, an "immersive virtual experience" that's designed for arts and humanities educators and their classes (including homeschoolers). Programs are Dec. 15 and Dec. 16.

The conference offers 70 different sessions. Some are designed just for teachers, but others are intended for school audiences too. They include virtual tours of Battleship North Carolina, the N.C. State Capitol and other state historic sites, along with a behind-the-scenes look at Carolina Ballet and The Nutcracker, concerts from the North Carolina Symphony, a yoga and mindfulness workshop, writing workshops, dance sessions and more. 

Participation is free, and sessions will be recorded. So if you can't attend something at a specific time, you can watch it later. Programs are designed for kids in elementary school, middle school and high school.