Gone are the days when we have to actually get in the car or a plane to visit some amazing landmark around the world…cue in Google Maps and Google Earth.
Want to see a place you can’t reach physically?
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Now, Google Maps and Google Earth are not a perfect alternative to going somewhere in real life, but when you can’t actually go they make a GREAT alternative!
So let’s go on a virtual field trip to see the Glacial Grooves on Kelleys Island, Ohio!
Taking a Virtual Field Trip via Google Maps or Earth
Google Maps and Google Earth are great tools to use in your homeschooling for many reasons — one of which is to take virtual field trips to many, many historical landmarks that you can’t reach otherwise.
Kelleys Island is just one of many, many islands in Lake Erie. Many of the islands are part of Ohio, some are part of other states and others are part of Canada.
Interesting note, if you stand on the viewing deck of the Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial in Put-in-Bay, South Bass Island you can see Canada! South Bass is near Kelleys Island.
Ohio History book on Kindle, Paper & Hardcover
Years ago (2012) Camp Patmos hosted our family for two night on Kelleys Island and we took time to visit Glacial Grooves in person. You can see our visit to Glacial Grooves video beginning about the 1:20 mark.
Visiting Glacial Grooves
Glacial Grooves provides a rare look of what it looks like when a glacier scrapes through an area. It is estimated that a glacier came through that area some 18,000 years ago.
Now, no one alive today was there to see it happen. Personally, I believe in the biblical view of creation in which God took six literal days to create everything that He put on the earth as stated in Genesis 1 so I believe the timeline could be quite a bit shorter than 18,000 years.
It is really cool to be able to visit Glacial Grooves in person, but if you can’t you can at least see it from Google Maps and Google Earth! AND, while you’re there don’t miss the petroglyph rock I’ll mention below.
Visiting Inscription Rock
The Story of Early Ohio in Kindle & Paperback
Inscription Rock Petroglyphs on Kelleys Island
If you can go in person be sure to make time to see the Inscription Rock of petroglyphs, too! According to one source I read that no one knows what the petroglyphs mean but they are thought to be less than a thousand years old.
Petroglyphs Pictographs & Projections on Kindle & Paperback
While the actual petroglyphs are fading away due to the elements you can see a copy of what they looked like in a model at that location and on images online. Learn more about Inscription Rock here.
Where would you take a virtual field trip next?
