Summerland Museum & Heritage Society

KINDERGARTEN
Self, Family, School: About Our Community and Our Museumm
A short tour through the Museum to discover what a museum is all about and why we keep the objects from the past. Students are requested to watch for artifacts (objects), photographs and other things that show natural and human-built characteristics of Summerland in the past. 45-minute visit.

GRADE ONE
Self, Family, School: Family Life in Summerland, Then and Now
Students learn about the families who settled here in the early years and how families can be different today. Chores from the early years are compared to the responsibilities of today’s family members. Includes Power Point presentation. One hour visit.

GRADE TWO
Self, Family, School: A Community in the Past
The students are introduced to artifacts in the museum as primary research sources that tell us about the past. Through demonstration and discussion the students can compare the technologies from the turn of the century, the 1920s and the present. Also includes references to families and their specific chores in pioneer days. One hour.

GRADE THREE
Communities – Past & Present: A Community Grows
Why did people come to the Okanagan Valley? Where did they come from and who were they? Search for answers using the artifacts and storyboard photographs in the Museum to discover how communities started in the past. This Museum visit will engage students in an enquiry about the development of Summerland in the early years. Following the Museum visit, students may complete a variety of related enrichment activities in the classroom.
Power point presentation to reinforce findings. One hour visit.

GRADE FOUR
Aboriginal Cultures, Exploration and Contact: Aboriginal Studies
Before the explorers and other Europeans came to North America, the Aboriginal people were the only residents. Where did they come from? How did they survive? How did the arrival of the Europeans affect them? One hour visit.

GRADE FIVE
Canada - From Colony to Country: A New Home in Canada
What was it like to travel to a new country not knowing what was in store? Discover what life was like for immigrants in British Columbia in the early years. Compare it to problems immigrants might face today. One hour visit.

GRADE SIX
Cultural Diversity and Incidents of Inequality: The Internment of Japanese-Canadians
Study the Japanese Culture, their immigration to Canada and how World War Two changed their lives. Learn about the Japanese-Canadians in Summerland and how they fared.

Early Transportation in the Okanagan
Students take a guided tour of the Museum, listening and looking for clues about early transportation methods in the Okanagan. A discussion on their findings is followed by a presentation on the history of the Kettle Valley Railway, its impact on Summerland and eventual demise. Includes a visit to the model railway on the second floor. Activity sheet. One hour visit.

Making a Case at the Summerland Museum
Learn more about life during the early years of Summerland. Why do people save and collect objects from the past and how can we learn from them? Students consider natural resources, tools & technology and communications that supply information about the past and create a time capsule to show children 100 years from now, what life was like at this time in Summerland. Activity sheet. Classroom follow-up project. One hour visit. (Formerly the Centennial Project of 2006)

Walking Tours
Put on those runners and come along on a journey of discovery. We’ll see the historical sites and talk about the memorable stories as we walk through time in Summerland. Up to an hour per tour. Topics on walks include; street naming, pioneer families, historically significant buildings. Tours Routes start and end at the Museum:

To book your class for a Museum visit please call the Curator, Sherril Foster, at 494-9395 or email info@summerlandmuseum.org.
Tuesdays are reserved for class visits. Please give us two weeks notice. Some programs involve securing museum volunteers to assist. If it is necessary to cancel please call asap.
All supplies necessary for the visit will be available at the Museum unless otherwise discussed at the time of booking.
Due to the size of the museum we can only accommodate up to 25 students. It is helpful the children wear name tags. (Just something simple such as labels with first name).
At least one adult (teacher, Education Aid or parent)for each of the two groups should accompany the children.
The Museum can assist with limited bussing costs (Trout Creek School) through our provincial grant monies.
Please note: Times listed for visits do not include travel time. No food or drink is allowed in the Museum.
Teacher packages with pre-visit and post-visit activities will be sent upon booking.
Visit our Virtual Exhibit at www.summerlandmuseum.org. It is a brief history of Summerland. Also picture books called A Centennial Story and the Centennial publication, Summerland: In Celebration of 100 Years can be found in your library. Also booklets about Canada's First Peoples (Grade 4) are available from the Museum.
Please feel free to call with any questions. If you have an idea for a different program, other than what is listed here, we’d like to hear about it.