As a gathering space that fosters connection, learning and new experiences of Vancouver’s diverse communities and histories, the Museum of Vancouver offers a range of enriching educational experiences connected to the BC curriculum for K-7 students. Elementary students of all needs and ages have the opportunity to engage and learn through hands-on, inquiry-based programming.
Half-Day Programs
+ Explore Egypt: Grades K-1
Learn about Ancient Egypt by role-playing archaeologists. Excavate and examine Egyptian artifacts and build a pyramid!
+ Lost Toys: Grades K-2
Little Victoria lived in Vancouver a long time ago. Listen to the story of her lost doll as Victoria’s family evolves over the years. Play with toys from each generation and see the evolution of toys overtime. Students are invited to consider the connection of toys to sustainability and environmental impact over the decades. Role-play archaeologists and discover toys like Victoria’s.
+ Cedar & Sealskin: Grades 2-4
Examine traditional belongings of the First Nations and Inuit cultures in relation to food, clothing and shelter. Excavate belongings connected to the Coast Salish. Be a player in a life-sized board game and learn about the traditional belongings of the Inuit through the seasons.
+ Stories of Resilience & the Road to Reconciliation (New Updates): Grades 4-6
Explore c̓əsnaʔəm: the city before the city through a scavenger hunt activity based on the Big Six Historical Thinking Concepts. Learn about the impacts of colonization on the Musqueam First Nation and their resilience in the face of assimilation. Through Object-Based Learning, examine the impacts of colonial practices and policies on various aspects of First Nations traditions, languages, and cultures, and examples of reconciliation today.
+ Immigration Nation: Grade 5-6
Learn about past and present immigration policies while discovering the history of Vancouver through the decades: 1900 - 1970s. Modelled after the points-based-system, explore the History Galleries through a scavenger hunt activity and examine suitcases from four immigrants’ stories. This program focuses on who immigrates and why, the quality of life for new immigrants over the decades, and immigrants’ contributions to Vancouver.
+ Global Citizens: Grade 6
Explore the Vancouver History Galleries to uncover moments when Canadians either demonstrated good global citizenship or ignored their responsibilities. Be buyers for the Museum’s gift shop, “The Global Village” and consider cultural awareness, fair labour practices and sustainability in a global consumer society.
+ Ancient Worlds (New Updates): Grades 6-7
Uncover the social science of archaeology by investigating artifacts from the ancient cultures of Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, Egypt, China, Greece and Rome. Students work in teams to do a simulated field dig and analyze artifacts to formulate and test their hypothesis. Learn about three prominent Northwest Coast archaeological sites and related archaeological findings. Using traditional First Nations belongings, examine the role and limitations of archeology when studying the cultures and traditions of the First Nations.
Make a day of it! add-on program
+ Self-Guided Museum Visit: All Grades
Explore our permanent and feature exhibitions at your own pace. Complimentary self-guided quizzes are provided for teachers to enhance the self-guided visit.
+ Monumental Scavenger Hunt: All Grades
Discover Vanier Park’s outdoor monuments and art installations with our easy-to-follow activity guides (digital or physical). This activity is complimentary when booked in conjunction with another program.
Seasonal programs
+ Animating History: Grades 5+ +
FULL DAY PROGRAM | 9:30am – 2:00pm
October 1 – October 31, 2024 and/or January 27 – February 28, 2025
Work with professional animators to storyboard a plot, create and animate characters, and add dialogue and sound effects. Students complete a one to two-minute animated story by the end of the day. Stories include Vancouver Fire, 1907 Anti-Asian Riots,and Japanese Canadian Internment. Presented in partnership by Reel 2 Real with the Museum of Vancouver.
Cost: $550 / per class (Only available in English)
+ New Story! Skwachàys: The Great Seal Hunt +
Terminal Avenue in Vancouver was once a body of water known as Skwachàys. A Hunter was paddling these waters when he encountered a massive King Seal. He struck the King Seal with his spear before it swam down into the spiraling water. Later the Hunter had visions of a burning lake. One day the Hunter noticed a glow. He followed it to Deer Lake where there was a raging fire. In the lake were bones from a giant creature—the skeleton of the King Seal, with the prized spear still lodged in its neck. The King Seal must have used the portals connecting the lake to the creeks and eventually to Skwachàys.
Developed by Austin Aan’yas Harry, a Coast Salish Artist from the Squamish Nation with ancestral ties to the Namgis Nation.
Highlight Video
PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE
All half-day school programs and add-ons are offered twice daily from Monday to Friday (morning sessions begin at 10:00am and afternoons at noon). Space is available in the Museum’s Lower Lobby for students to eat their own lunch. Note that there is no cafeteria at the Museum, however vending machines with snacks and a water fountain are available.
