The Penticton Museum is proud to offer a variety of programs. If you would like to participate in any of the following , please call 250-490-2454 for availability and up-to-date information.
Educational Programs
We at the Museum strive to maintain a healthy and safe environment for all students, families, teachers and staff, while providing educational opportunities.
Some of these changes include:
- Following protocols as outlined by Public Health Orders.
- Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting protocols. The Museum is cleaned on a regular schedule.
- Providing hand sanitizer for all participants to use. We have done our best to continue to offer hands-on learning opportunities. Using hand sanitizer allows us to keep this learning format available.
- Maintaining physical distances between classes and the presenter. In situations where physical distances cannot be maintained, a mask or face shield will be worn.
- Providing a Lending Library of Materials that can be used in your classroom. These materials will be quarantined after being borrowed. See below for more details on what is available and how to borrow these items.
- Offering the opportunity for an educator to come to your class to present educational programs of your choice. In Class Programming below for more information.
- Offering the opportunity for an educator to take your class outside to explore and learn about ecosystems around your school and in the neighbourhood. See Outdoor Programs below for more information.
- At this moment, the Archives is only accepting email or phone requests for services and information. Currently, it will take approximately two weeks to process requests due to a large backlog.
If you have further questions, please contact the Museum by email or phone (250-490-2454).
The Penticton Museum & Archives have many program opportunities to help meet your educational objectives. We have programming connecting the B.C. Ministry of Education curricula with local topics. If you don't see something you're looking for, please contact us. We may be able to help you out.
Grade
People History
Natural History
Kindergarten • Get to Know the Museum • Okanagan Plants and Animals Grade 1 • s'yilx on the Land
• Get to Know the Museum• Okanagan Plants and Animals Grade 2 • s'yilx on the Land • Animal Tracking Grade 3 • s'yilx on the Land • Animal Tracking
• S.T.E.A.M. Lab - GeologyGrade 4 • Fur Traders in the Okanagan • Okanagan Birds Grade 5 • Museums & Indigenous Peoples • S.T.E.A.M. Lab - Geology Middle &
High School• Museums & Indigenous Peoples • Natural Selection These programs are developed and delivered by our educator, Chandra Wong, a trained science and math teacher with a background in art. She uses hands-on and place-based learning that your students will enjoy.
Programs are about 45 minutes long, and can take place in the museum or your classroom. Contact Chandra with any questions or program ideas you might have.
We will continue our special promotional rate of $25 per program. In-museum programs are delivered Wednesdays - Fridays. 10 student minimum, 30 student maximum.
Explore science and technology principles with hands-on activities in the museum or in your classroom.Cost: $40 per program
Length: 1.5-2 hours
Minimum 10 students. Maximum 30 students. Available Wednesdays through Fridays.
Forces: Students learn about forces that make things move (push, pull, gravity, friction) through hands-on activities, like making paper airplanes or marble tracks.
Soil Science: Students learn through observation and inquiry about:
- features of living animals,
- animal behaviours that help them survive in their ecosystem,
- animal life cycles, and
- how they sense and respond to their environment.
This program features live animals (pill bugs or red wiggler worms, depending on availability).Engineering: Students learn about the principles of engineering design through hands-on designing with Keva blocks.
Energy: Students learn about different forms of energy, and how energy is transformed. Students are challenged to make a toy car move using at least one form of energy.
Hydraulics: Students learn about how hydraulics work to make our lives easier. Students are challenged to create a hydraulic machine using the Museum's hydraulic kits that include syringes, vinyl tubing and water.
Geology: Students learn about the rock cycle and local geology, including the Okanagan Valley fault. Students are challenged to build an earthquake-resistant building, and
test it on the Museum's Earthquake
Machine!Visit and explore local ecosystems with a trained biologist. Students will learn about Okanagan plants and animals.
Cost: $52.50 per program
Length: 2 hours
Minimum 10 students. Maximum 30 students. Available Wednesdays through Fridays.
Our programs require a minimum of 6 people. Smaller groups will be charged the cost of a regular program. Please discuss museum behavioural expectations (calm bodies, low voices, etc.) with your students prior to your visit. Please provide students with name tags to assist with class management.
Bookings are limited, so please register early. Please book at least two weeks in advance by phone (250-490-2454) or email. Programs are available Wednesday through Friday between 9 am and 5 pm.
*Teachers and Educators: Sign up for our exclusive email list and receive information about the Penticton Museum's newest educational programs and exhibits, special guest lectures, deals on museum visits, and more! You will not receive spam or our regular newsletters, nor will your email be shared with third parties - you'll just get the good stuff!
Lending Library (Schools, Groups & Families)
Perfect for classes or group that can't come to the Museum in person, our Lending Library has a variety of educational resources that can be borrowed.
From the Royal BC Museum, Penticton is proud to host this incredibly rich and detailed kit that explores the life of the Chinese immigrants that came to BC through graffiti and historical primary documents. Utilizing the "Big Six" approach to learning, the kit and online resources help students explore the archival materials, artifacts, and activities. The result is an experiential journey of extracting information from primary sources and incorporating that into the student's knowledge base.
Click here for more information.
This original Artifact pack was developed to highlight the challenges and opportunities that faced European settlers that came to this area. It covers the local history from the first contact with the Okanagan First Nations, right through to Tom Ellis and the settlement of Penticton, and continues on to the First World War.
It contains artifacts that illustrate the life of pioneers and invites critical thinking through artifact exploration. The pack includes photos of early Penticton, a copy of Tom Ellis's actual diary from 1865, worksheets, classroom and small group activities, and suggested reading and resources.
Having a Voice encourages participants to use their inquiry skills to investigate participation and representation in BC politics, the electoral process and electoral boundaries. The kit, designed by the Royal BC Museum and Elections BC, fits the Grade 5 Social Studies: Canadian Issues and Governance curriculum.
Click here for more information.
Teach your students to see bat species in a new light! Celebrate bats and learn about how essential they are to our environment. Discover fascinating facts, uncover common myths and examine BC bat specimens up close.
Containing over 35 hands-on activities for elementary, middle, and high-school students, the BC Bat Edu-Kit is intended to be used in either a classroom or a non-formal classroom setting.
The BC Bat Edu-Kit consists of:
- BC Bat Edu-Kit Activity Guide
- BC Bat Edu-Kit Craft Binder
- Props for the activities (including bat puppets, a bat costume, games, posters, books, and more)
- Digital files of activity guide, crafts binder, and a bat PowerPoint presentation.
Note: The BC Bat Edu-kit was developed though the efforts of many partners. The Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance provides classroom presentations for this kit. Please check their website for more information.
Bat Edu-kit 
Bat Edu-kit contains a variety of learning resources including a bat skull and scat This kit was made possible thanks to the following partners: Bat Education & Ecological Protection Society, BC Community Bat Program, BC Government, En'owkin Centre, Kelowna Museum Society, NatureKids BC, Okanagan Community Bat Program, Okanagan Nation Alliance, Penticton Museum & Archives, Regional District of Central Okanagan - Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan.
SumBlox Building Blocks teach a wide range of mathematics through guided, hands-on discovery. Learn basic math skills, including multiplication, fractions and factors.
Teachers’ guides help students to reach a deeper understanding of the properties of math through step-by-step investigations, engaging discussions and fun challenges like:
Pre-K to 5th grade
Simple concepts
Hands on application
Builds confidence
Creates excitement
Increases retention
The Educational SumBlox Set includes 30 x single blocks, 12 x two blocks, 8 x each of blocks 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 2 x ten blocks. The set also includes 4 teaching manuals for teaching addition, subtraction, multiplication and fractions.
Borrow Sumblox from the Penticton Museum. Makedo is a cardboard construction system for exploring ideas through making and play. With simple to use and deliberately designed tools, Makedo facilitates the creation of something new from up-cycled, low-tech cardboard.
Online videos expand cardboard construction ideas.
Class set of 24 available to borrow. Each kit contains: 1 Scru-driver, 21 Scrus, 7 XL Scrus, and 1 Safe-Saw
Recommended for ages 7+ years old
With Makedo and cardboard, students' creativity is unlimited Nine teeth and jaw fragment replicas from the three major animal classifications: herbivore (Gorilla, Hippopotamus, Beaver), carnivore (African Lion, Alligator, Coyote), and omnivore (Human, Grizzly Bear, Baboon).
For children 6 to 12 years old.
Included: 9 tooth and mandible replicas, lesson plan and educational material.
Penticton Museum & Archives' Animal Bites Kit Book an item in the Lending Library by calling 250-490-2454 or send an email.
There are two ways to use the kits:
- Sign it out for $15 for up to a week at a time (you can renew if you need more time, provided it has not been booked by other educators!).
- Have a Museum educator bring the kit to your classroom to present the materials and introduce the kit for $2 per student.
Note: Lending Library items are quarantined upon return to the Museum. Items that can be sanitized easily have a shorter quarantine period.
Lending Library Borrowing Guidelines can be read here.
Teachers and Educators: Sign up for our exclusive email list just for you, and receive information about the Penticton Museum's newest programs and exhibits, special guest lectures, deals on museum visits, and more!
Adult & Family Programs
Spend part of an afternoon making crafts with your family hosted by the Penticton Museum & Archives.
This program provides opportunities for families to make and create a nature-based craft, disconnect from technology, and spend time together. Activities designed for 6 years to adults. Children under 6 are welcome to participate with adult support. Pre-registration required. Covid protocols observed as indicated by the Public Health Orders.
Dates for Crafternoon at the Museum 2021 2022 September 25 - TBD January 29 - TBD October 30 - TBD February 26 - TBD November 27 - TBD March 26 - TBD December - no session April 30 - TBD Participation by donation.
Take-home Crafternoon Kits
A limited number of kits are available at the museum to take and create at home . Kits come with instructions and most of the materials. You and your family get to go outside to discover the nature materials. Kits available by donation. Sign up for an email to be notified when kits are available.In museum sessions are all booked.
To maintain Covid protocols:
- Groups must pre-register for 30 minute time slots between 11 am and 2 pm.
- Family groups limited to maximum of six (6) people
- Out of respect for other families, please register for a maximum of two sessions, please.
- Register by phone (250-490-2454) or email (chandra.wong@penticton.ca)
Hands-on, after-school activities from science to history to the natural world for children ages 8-12 years old. Every first and third Wednesday of the month. No cost. Pre-register through www.pentictonlibrary.ca.Ages: 8-12 years.
When: 3:30-4:30 pm on the first and third Wednesdays of the month, September to April inclusive.
Cost: Free
Details to be posted with each session on the Penticton Library website: www.pentictonlibrary.ca
Come spend some time exploring the world through play at the museum with your toddler and preschooler. Themed boxes available to use in the museum. New theme every month from September to April. Parent supervision required. Recommended ages 2-5 years.
The Brown Bag Lecture Series is held every Tuesday at lunchtime (noon to 1 pm) from September to April. Each week a guest lecturer speaks about a subject in their area of expertise. Topics include local history, travel, culture, and natural history. Everyone is welcome to bring their lunches with them. Coffee, tea, and confections are provided. Admission is by recommended donation of $2 per adult and $1 for children.
Sign up for our event newsletters for the latest information and news about events, exhibit openings, and programs.
Our presenters for 2021 are as follows:
Date Speaker Topic/Title Sept. 21 Lori Goldman Composting Options in Penticton Sept. 28 Chloe Howarth Snakes in the Okanagan
Oct. 5 Karen Collins W.J. Snodgrass of OK Falls Oct. 12 Mary Read G.H.E. Hudson - Photographer in the Okanagan
Oct. 19 Mattias Bieber Vaseux Lake Bird ObservatoryOct. 26 TBD
TBDNov. 2 Jon Bartlett &
Rika RuebsaatA Portrait of the
Depression in CanadaNov. 9 Ann Doyon Indigenous Publishing House Nov. 16 Ethel Warbinek Kathleen Ellis: Nurse from Penticton
Nov. 23 Margaret Holm &
Jim BeattieOur Climate Future
Nov. 30 Matt Hopkins Cycling as Transportation Dec. 7 Rebecca Gilmore
Bioarcheology
Covid Protocols
We will be implementing the following measures based on recommendations from the Public Health Office. These measures will remain in place until otherwise recommended.
These protocols will remain in place as long as recommended by the Public Health Office. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Covid protocols, please contact us by email, in person or by phone (250-490-2454).Covid Protocols for Brown Bag Lecture Maintaining physical distance – Chairs will be arranged to maintain physical distance. Please do not move the chairs. Two metres distance will be maintained between the presenter and the audience. Requesting masks be worn by all attending, including the presenter while not presenting. A face shield is not a substitute for a mask as it has an opening below the mouth.
There are exemptions for:- People with health conditions or with physical, cognitive or mental impairments who cannot wear one
- People who cannot remove a mask on their own
- Children under the age of 12
- People who need to remove their masks to communicate due to another person’s hearing impairment
Reducing audience size – Audience size will be capped at 30. No refreshments will be provided. At this time, public health orders indicate that proof of vaccination is not required for groups smaller than 50. This situation may change in the future. Thank you for your patience and understanding in this regard. Requesting the following information for contact tracing. This information will be destroyed after 30 days. - First and last name
- Telephone number or email address
Please remain at home if you are sick. Requesting that the public disperse immediately after the event, and not congregate with other participants who are leaving the event.
Tours
By Donation
Check out the museum at your leisure any time, Tues to Saturday, 10 am-5 pm. While there is a minimal charge for self-guided visits, the Museum must schedule them so there is no conflict with our other programming. Contact us at 250-490-2454 or email.
Check out our Exhibits page to see what's new!
Have an experienced staff member or volunteer show you around the permanent gallery and tell you the stories behind the artifacts. Ask lots of questions! Suitable for groups of up to 10 people due to space considerations. Cost is $3 per person, please book at least 3 days in advance! 250-490-2454 or email.
Have an experienced staff member show you the behind the scenes activities in the Museum & Archives' collections.
What does it take to take care of and preserve objects and documents of the past for generations of the future? Suitable for groups of up to about 25 people.
Cost is $3 per person. Please book at least three days in advance! Phone: 250-490-2454 or email.
Explore Penticton's Historic places through a scavenger hunt and colouring book.
Created through a partnership between the museum and the Penticton & District Community Arts Council (PDCAC), this celebration of Historic Places Days offers a guided journey through some of Penticton's historic places by visiting each site and hunting for the answers.
Historic places Days is part of a larger national event hosted by the National Trust for Canada. Events take place July 3-31 in communities across the country.
Nearly 30 historic places are highlighted in the scavenger hunt and colouring book. 17 local artists were commissioned to create the colouring book pages based on the historic places.
Each comes in a booklet that can be picked up at the museum and the PDCAC. Both are free to the public. Digital downloads are always available online for printing.
Have Questions?
For questions, contact us at 250-490-2454 or chandra.wong@penticton.ca
Teachers and Educators: Sign up for our exclusive email list just for you, and receive information about the Penticton Museum's newest programs and exhibits, special guest lectures, deals on museum visits, and more!