All the times and places you can find museums live streaming

Our world might be shrinking at a rate of knots right now, but deep down you know it can't be all Netflix and Lego - no, not all the time.

Check out 10 super online museum offerings ... and don't miss the Aussie ones

The Smithsonian

The Smithsonian offers 11 museums and galleries on Washington DC's National Mall but in these times of home-schooling, why not break it up with some educational offerings from the US?

Authors, scientists and others are offering fun livestream lessons and performances to keep kids engaged during isolation. Take your pick here.

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Take your pick of virtual tours galore - from the fantastic permanent exhibits to the bone hall and the butterfly pavilion, there are deep dives aplenty here.

Might be best to have an adult on hand to help steer your device through the very many rooms available here.

NASA Langley Research Centre

Let the good people at NASA walk you through a range of experiences you can't get anywhere else. There are flight simulators, subsonic tunnels, the hypersonic facilities complex and variable density tunnel display.

British Science Museum

It's not exactly a live stream or even virtual tour, but maybe it's better: activities and experiments.

This site brings together resources from a range of museums, - plus activities, games and videos.

When in doubt, Google it

Want an almost never-ending supply of museums to search through? The collection is extensive to say the least - it's right here.

It's not all about overseas, as there are a welter of homegrown institutions online and their offerings are proving more popular than ever. Try these for size:

National Museum of Australia

From defining moments in our history (gold rushes, Gallipoli and marriage equality) to audio experiences (miss the songlines series at your peril) to a soon-to-be released online-only experience, you can stay engrossed for a very long time.

On April 7, the museum will open a major exhibition tied to the 250th anniversary of the landing of Captain Cook and the Endeavour on Australian shores.

National Gallery of Australia

The gallery is developing a suite of digital content to keep its community in Australia and across the globe engaged with the national collection and current exhibitions.

"Now, when the simple act of people coming together is difficult, we will develop new digital pathways to share our exhibitions and the national collection, engage our audiences both young and old, and inspire people to be creative," National Gallery, director Nick Mitzevich, said.

Museum of Australian Democracy

Due to COVID-19, the Museum of Australian Democracy last week live streamed from PlayUP, its normally hands-on interactive space for kids. It was a winner.

"Jess (Cram) and Naomi (Atkins) are natural talent on the camera, I'm worried I'm going to lose them to Play School," the museum's Manager of museum engagement Nanette Louchart-Fletcher said.

It'll be streamed again on Wednesday from 10.30am.

Australian Parliament House

The online offering for Parliament House allows you to see much more of the artwork than they would be able to if you walked the corridors of power.

From unforgettable moments in time to the downloadable portrait gallery to the top five treasures, it's all at your fingertips.

Australian War Memorial

The Australian War Memorial has curated a range of "museum at home"content for visitors to explore, watch, and listen to online while it is temporarily closed to the public.

Visitors can go to to view online exhibitions, explore the On Closer Inspection interactive experiences, listen to podcasts, or start researching their family history of military service.