One museum staffer has been charged with the mammoth task of using artifacts like a mastadon tusk to teach kids about Collingwood’s history.
Lisa Barr-Klouman is the educational programmer at the Collingwood Museum. She’s had the job since August and has been putting together the schedule for 2019 programs.
The Mastadon tusk – an artifact in the museum’s collection thanks to the eclectic collection of the Huron Institute – will be part of the March Break program where Barr-Klouman will take kids back to the ice age, and learn more about Collingwood before it was settled.
“The themes are based on Collingwood’s heritage and culture with a focus on what we have in our collection,” she said. “It’s fairly unique for a community museum to offer so many different children’s programs.”
Other programming themes include a session on honey and those who have bottled and sold it in Collingwood and a day on the history of fires that impacted Collingwood, with a tie-in on fire safety.
On January 25 (a local PA day), Barr-Klouman will teach kids about old-fashioned toys and she’ll include an activity for making a simple toy that would have been similar to those owned by Collingwood’s first children.
Each of the programs planned by Barr-Klouman include a lesson, some hands on activites and lots of question and answer.
So far the schedule is as follows:
Jan. 25, From the Toy Box
March 1, Ships in Motion
May 3, Bee-autiful Honey
May 31, Fire Brigade
March 12, Ice Age
March 13, Kid’s Castle
March 14, Annual Shenanigans, the 7th annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration
The programs are for kids aged 6 to 12 years old and will run from 9 a.m. to noon. Space is limited to 16 children per session. Registration is $12 per child and can be done online at recreation.collingwood.ca, by phone at 705-444-2500 or by email to [email protected].
