Virtual School Tours

All virtual tour programs are completely free. Virtual School Tours bring The Ringling right into your classroom! You may choose between facilitated Live Virtual School Tours and On-Demand Video Tours.

Live Virtual Tours are facilitated by a skilled museum educator and offer high levels of interactive engagement through reading, writing, conversation, and art making.

On-Demand Video Tours are recorded tours accompanied by lesson plans and provide flexibility for teachers to use at their own pace.

Choose from two formats: Live Virtual School Tours or On-Demand Video Tours and submit a request form for the program you are interested in.


 

Live Virtual School Tours

These 30-40 minute long tours are facilitated by museum educators who use conversation, activities, and art making to guide students in looking at, interpreting, and thinking about art.

Choose from the themes below or ask to speak with an educator about a customized tour to fit your curriculum. All Live Virtual School Tours are hosted by the museum on a secure Zoom platform unless otherwise requested by the teacher.

Live Virtual School Tours are available Tuesday through Friday from 9:00am – 3:00pm EST. After receiving a tour request, a member of education will be in contact within 5 business days to confirm your tour. Please allow 2 weeks’ notice to schedule a Live Virtual School Tour.

Live Virtual Tour Themes
Art-Ish (Grades K-2)

In this introductory tour, students will read the book Ish by Peter Reynolds and look at several works of art from The Ringling’s collections. Using vocabulary gained from the book, students will analyze the works of art and discover color, emotion, and shapes. Students will have the opportunity to create their own work of art at the end of the tour. This tour practices English language arts and visual arts standards. Students will need paper and crayons, colored pencils, or markers for this virtual tour.


Artful Imagination (Grades 3-5)

Learn about color and mood in art on this interactive tour. Students will read the poem Since Hanna Moved Away by Judith Viorst and will analyze how the poem uses color as a symbol for emotions. Students will then analyze works of art and craft color palettes that capture the mood of the artwork. Lastly, students will create a color palette and original work of art that captures an emotion. This tour practices visual art, English language arts, and social and emotional learning (SEL) skills. Students will need paper and crayons, colored pencils, or markers for this virtual tour.


Meet The Ringling (Grades K-5)

Students will define what art is and what museums do. They will explore The Ringling venues highlighting the circus, Museum of Art, Ca’ d’Zan, gardens, and more. Students will then focus on analyzing and interpreting a few works of art from The Ringling collection. This tour is an opportunity to explore all The Ringling has to experience! This tour practices visual arts standards, English language arts, and social and emotional learning (SEL) skills. This tour does not include art making.


Elements of Art (Grades 6-12)

Elements of Art is the sister tour for Meet The Ringling. This tour explores The Ringling and then focuses on a deeper, formal analysis of artworks in the collection. Here, students will use the elements of art as a lens to analyze paintings, prints, and sculptures from The Ringling collection. Students will discuss the building blocks of art including color, line, shape, form, and pattern. They will practice critiquing works of art and will analyze the composition and choices made by the artist. This tour practices visual arts standards and is ideal for students taking art or art history. This tour does not include art making.


Myths and Legends (Grades 6-12)

Discover thrilling tales from ancient Greece and Rome! Students will explore works of art inspired by Greek and Roman mythology. After learning about various gods, goddesses, mythical creatures, and magical objects, students will…

For grades 6-8: students will create their own god or goddess through writing and drawing.

For grades 9-12: students will explore artworks from The Ringling’s collections that depict scenes from the epic Greek poems. Students will analyze the works of art in the context of Homer’s poems, and will discuss how subsequent generations and cultures have interpreted The Iliad and The Odyssey.

This tour practices English language arts and social and emotional learning (SEL) skills, and is customizable to fit your curriculum.


Museum Careers at The Ringling (All grade levels)

Interested in learning more about museum careers? Join a Ringling educator for a conversation about education and careers in museums. Students will learn about various career fields in museums and have the opportunity to ask questions. This behind-the-scenes look at museum careers is great for students considering education after high school, or younger students curious about opportunities about working in the arts, history, or cultural organizations.


 

On-Demand Video Tours

On-Demand Video Tours provide teachers with the greatest flexibility. Accompanied by a set of three standards-based lesson plans, these tours can be adapted to fit any curriculum.

Videos range from 10–20 minutes in length and provide time for students to interact through writing, drawing, and conversation.

On-Demand Video Tour Themes
  • Meet The Ringling (Grades K-5)
  • Meet The Ringling (Grades 6-8)
  • Meet The Ringling (Grades 9-12)
  • Artful Imagination: Color and Mood (Grades K-5)
  • Animal Adventure (Grades K-5)
  • The Iliad: Myths and Legends (Grades 9-12)
  • Portraits and Portrayal: Exploring Identity Through Circus Posters (Grades 9-12)