Programs & Tours

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.

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.

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.

Educational Programs

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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.

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.

Using photographs and reproductions, students will engage with the question “What or who influenced the start, growth and decline of Paldi?”.

In addition to learning more about South Asian Canadian history in BC, students will also learn how to use primary sources to learn about the past and get glimpses into the lives of children who were in Paldi in the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Borrow a set of 29 small binoculars for your group to view birds, or other items at a distance. Binoculars are 8x magnification. Part of this collection is due in part to the generousity of the local NatureKids group.

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! 

One Saturday afternoon per month spend time with your family making things at the museum. Activities designed for 5 years to adults. All materials supplied. By donation. Pre-registration required.

When: Third Saturday of the month
Saturday afternoons 2-3 pm.
Oct. 21, Nov. 18, Dec. 9*, 2023
Jan. 20, Feb. 17, Mar. 9*, 2024
*Not the third Saturday of the month

Register in advance by phone (250-490-2454) or email.

Hands-on, after-school activities from science to history to the natural world for children ages 8-12 years old. No cost. Pre-register through www.pentictonlibrary.ca.

Ages: 8-12 years.

When: 3:30-4:30 pm, Sept. 27, Oct. 25, Nov. 29, Jan. 31, Feb. 28, Apr. 24.
(No program during March due to Spring Break)

Cost: Free

Details to be posted with each session on the Penticton Library website: www.pentictonlibrary.ca

One Thursday morning per month spend time with your 3-5 year old building, designing, concocting and discovering. Different opportunities to tinker around from October to April. All materials supplied. Parent supervision required. Recommended ages 3-5 years. Pre-registration required. By donation.

When: First Thursday of the month
Thursday mornings, 10-11 am
Oct. 5, Nov. 2, Dec. 7, 2023
Jan. 4, Feb. 1, Mar. 7, 2024

Register in advance by phone (250-490-2454) or email.

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. Contact the museum for more information. 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 the Fall 2023 season are as follows:

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.

Download a PDF copy of the guide 

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!