This year, the Courtenay Museum is offering a variety of programmes that can be brought to the classroom or presented at the museum. Save the cost of the school bus by having us come to you!
FOSSIL PACKAGE 'A':
This is our very popular introductory programme about prehistoric life in the Comox Valley. Your experience begins with an interactive discussion and Power point presentation. In addition to learning about the formation of Vancouver Island, students will discover that the area, rich in 80 million year old marine fossils, was once submerged beneath a tropical sea!
Then the class will tour the Museum's palaeontology exhibits and learn about the collection, identification and significance of fossils and the interpretation of the distant past. The tour features the 12 metre long Puntledge River Elasmosaur, as well as the Kourisodon puntledgensis, a new and distinct species of Mosasaur, unique to the Comox Valley.
When this programme is brought to the classroom, students will be treated to a hands-on fossil session in lieu of the museum tour!
Duration:
1.0 hour
|
Cost Inside Museum: $65
Cost Outside Museum: $80
Plus HST
|
GEOLOGY PACKAGE 'B':
Explore the power of our ever changing earth's surface in this exciting discussion of geology. Through a power point presentation, hands-on activities, and interactive discussions, students will compare and contrast geological features and discover the cause and purpose of natural formations and phenomena.
Also, applying scientific observation techniques, students will learn the difference between igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock.
Whether in the museum or the classroom, children will have the opportunity to examine a variety of rocks and minerals.
Duration:
1 hour |
Cost Inside Museum: $65
Cost Outside Museum: $80
Plus HST
|
NATURAL DISASTERS:
Natural hazards affect human activities in many ways. This programme explores how and why natural disasters occur, their effects on humans and how we can prepare for them. Topics will include earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis and climate change.
Duration:
1 hour |
Cost Inside Museum: $65
Cost Outside Museum: $80
Plus HST
|
THE ICE AGE:
There have been four major glacial periods in the last 100,000 years. Are we headed for another one? Children will learn all about the creatures that lived during the last ice age and what happened to them!
Duration:
1 hour |
Cost Inside Museum: $65
Cost Outside Museum: $80
Plus HST
|
2.) Field Trips
The following field trips can be combined with our Fossil 'A' or Geology 'A' programmes in the Museum to make a three hour package!
Cost of combined Fossil 'A' & 'B' or Geology 'A' & 'B' is $140.00 + HST
FOSSIL PACKAGE 'B':
This is the most popular feature of the Museum's fossil programmes. Students are taken to the Puntledge River where they will have the opportunity to explore an 80 million year old sea floor! After a brief discussion on what to look for, use of tools, safety precautions and the history of the dig site, students will search for fossils in the shale. Participants will be able to keep any common fossil discoveries but if a student finds a rare or significant fossil, they may be asked to donate it to the Museum's collection. Their name would then go into the history books as the person who discovered it.
The group must provide its own transportation from the museum to and from the dig site, either by parent car pool or bus. It is possible to book two groups (up to 60 participants) for one time slot, providing that two guides are available for that date.
This programme is most effective when combined with our Fossil 'A' package. By having the Fossil 'A' portion done in the classroom, this gives the children more time at the river when they come to collect fossils!
Duration:
2 hours |
Cost: $95
Plus HST
|
GEOLOGY PACKAGE 'B':
This is an extension of Geology 'A' and a chance for students to examine different rocks, minerals and geologic formations and to apply what they have already learned in a field trip setting. Participants will travel to a geologically significant site at Comox Lake where they will be able to explore and analyze rocks as well as observe the processes of sedimentation, erosion and volcanic activity. Interesting or unusual rocks may be taken back to the classroom for further study.
The group must provide its own transportation from the museum to and from Comox Lake, either by parent car pool or bus.
Duration:
2 hours |
Cost: $95
Plus HST
|
3.) Presented Only in the Museum
Due to the nature of the following programmes, they can only be presented inside the Museum.
PIONEER LIFE:
This is an interactive programme showing the changes in family life brought about by new technology. Clothing, tools, food, education, housekeeping and entertainment, past and present are discussed and examined through many hands-on experiences, including the opportunity for students to churn butter!
Duration:
1.5 hours |
Cost: $85
Plus HST
|
CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS:
Come and join the Courtenay Museum for a lively, interactive discussion of the history and development of Christmas traditions.
Duration:
1.5 hours |
Cost: $85
Plus HST
|
Special Notes
- When booking a programme please have the following information available:
- Preferred date and time
- School name and grade
- Number of students
- School phone and fax number
- Programmes are limited to a maximum of 30 participants. Fossil tours may be booked two groups at a time, up to 60 students, providing that two guides are available for those dates.
- Programmes will require a 20% booking deposit, which is refundable with 48 hours notice of cancellation. Full payment must be made at the time of the programme.
- In school lectures may have additional expenses added to cover travel costs if outside School District #71.
Please contact the Courtenay Museum at (250) 334-0686 to register or for more information on programme content.
