By Leslie Norman
Every year the Pitt Meadows Museum plays host to two or more summer students, who come to us via the Government of Canada’s Summer Employment for Students and Young Canada Works program.
This year we also have some gaming revenue that allows for the hiring of an additional two part-time students.
This year Petra Maior is the student co-ordinating our summer programs, including our popular Heritage Thursdays for children sessions.
Below is her write-up about this year’s sessions.
Three other students are with us this summer: Keagan Nagy, working in collections and assisting Petra; Leonie Uriel, working with collections and visitors at the Hoffmann site; and Mark Chen, who continues to work on oral history recordings and research related to the pre 1942 history of Japanese Canadians in Pitt Meadows.
Mark will also spend some time working with the “Landscape of Injustice” project this summer.
From Petra:
The Pitt Meadows Museum hires new students every summer and I was chosen as one of the lucky candidates for the children’s programmer position.
Being a current history student at Thompson Rivers University, this position allows me to continue doing what I love and guide me towards my future career.
It also combined two of my greatest interests: history and museums.
I am currently studying both European and Canadian history, alongside archaeology and anthropology. With a hope of becoming a teacher, this position allows me to get a glimpse of activity planning that is fun for children, yet educational.
The annual children’s program that the Pitt Meadows Museum is hosting is called Heritage Thursdays, and I am the program co-ordinator. Every year the program follows a different theme, and this summer it is “Imaginary Places and Mythical Creatures.”
The program will explore the unknown mysteries of urban legends, folklores, mythical cities and creatures through games, crafts and lessons.
The program runs every Thursday starting July 7, and ending on Aug. 18, from 1-3 p.m. There is a fee of $6 per session, with an age range of five to 10.
In addition to Heritage Thursdays, the museum also hosts a weekly arts and crafts program called Museum Sundays, which runs every Sunday, 2-4 p.m. and is open to children, families and adults of all ages.
These activities allow children to create an outlet for their imagination while having a good time, but still learning a few things along the way”.
The Pitt Meadows Museum is also participating in the Pitt Meadows’ Canada Day celebrations, being held on Friday at Spirit Square.
Our contribution is a Canada Day scavenger hunt that introduces participants to the flags of the provinces and territories of Canada, and, yes, there is a prize for correct answers.
Not into scavenger hunts, then stop by our booth and make a Canada Day fascinator or try out some of our hands-on items and books, and, weather permitting, there will be laundry to do.
Wishing everyone a happy and peaceful Canada Day from the Pitt Meadows Museum.
Leslie Norman is curator at Pitt Meadows Museum.