In-Person Field Trips

Guided Learning Labs

Natural History Learning Lab

• Amazing Adaptations (K–3)

  Program Length: 60 minutes
  Designed for: Grades K–3
  Cost: $150
  Capacity: 30 students max

  Program Description: Plants and animals have features (body parts) and behaviours that help them survive. These are called adaptations. Learn about some BC animals and the amazing ways they survive and thrive in our local environments through this onsite Learning Lab in the Natural History Gallery.

  Program Keywords/ Vocab: adaption, behaviour, habitat, ecosystem

  Program Format:

  1. Introductions to the Royal BC Museum, the facilitator and an overview of the program
  2. Visit the Woolly Mammoth and Climate on the Move galleries
  3. Break into two smaller groups. Groups rotate between a teacher-led activity in the forest and a specimen handling session with the museum educator.
  4. Final questions and a wrap up.

  Learning Objectives:

  • Practice observation skills
  • Be able to describe at least three examples of BC animal adaptations
  • Demonstrate curiosity about the natural world

  BC Curricular Connections/Core Competencies: Grades K–3 Science, examples of content

  • Science K Content – Basic needs of plants and animals; adaptations of local plants and animals
  • Science 1 Content – Structural features of living things in the local environment; behavioural adaptations of animals in the local environment
  • Science 3 Content – Major local landforms (eg. mountains, riverbeds, deltas, oral narrative about landforms)

  First Peoples Principles of Learning:

  • Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place)
• Super Skeletons (5–6)

  Program Length: 60 minutes
  Designed for: middle school/ grades 5–6
  Cost: $150
  Capacity: 30 students max

  Program Description:

  Students explore different skeletal systems and choose nature-inspired powers for a superhero character.

  Program Keywords / Vocabulary: multicellular organisms, biomimicry, endoskeleton, exoskeleton, hydrostatic skeleton

  Program Format:

  1. Introductions to the Royal BC Museum, the facilitator, and an overview of the program
  2. Students break into three groups and explore the skeletal systems of different animals
  3. Students choose their favourite skeletal features for their superhero “Biomimic-er”
  4. Wrap-up: students share which powers they selected for their superhero and ask follow-up questions

  Learning Objectives

  • Explore how systems work together to support life functions
  • Learn about skeletal systems and their unique features

  BC Curricular Connections / Core Competencies

  • Grade 5 Science:
    • Multicellular organisms have organ systems that enable them to survive and interact within their environment
  • Grade 6 Science:
    • Multicellular organisms rely on internal systems to survive, reproduce, and interact with their environment
• Enhanced Natural History Tour (all grades)

  Program Length: 60 minutes
  Designed for: Varies
  Cost: $150
  Capacity: 20 students max

  Program Description: Students explore the Natural History gallery with a museum educator based on a theme described by their teacher.

  Program Keywords/Vocab: Varies

  Program Format:

  1. Introduction to the Royal BC Museum, the facilitator, and an overview of the program,
  2. Students tour the gallery, and the educator provides additional hands-on opportunities depending on the theme chosen.
  3. Wrap up with a summary and question period.

  Learning Objectives: Varies

  BC Curricular Connections/Core Competencies: Varies

History Learning Labs

• Exploring Identity (5–6)

  Program Length: 60 min 
  Designed for: Grades 4–10
  Cost: $150
  Capacity: 30 students max

  Program Description: Step into the past with this interactive program that takes students through Old Town and the Hayashi Photography Studio exhibition. Through close looking and storytelling, students will uncover the stories behind historical photographs and explore how images reflect identity and representation.

  Program Keywords/ Vocab:identity, dispossession, internment

  Program Format:

  1. Introductions to the Royal BC Museum, the presenter and an overview of the program
  2. Split into two groups
  3. One group looks at photographs to reflect on identity and the other group will use story telling to learn about Japanese Canadian experiences in BC
  4. Groups switch
  5. Wrap up and questions

  Learning Objectives:

  • Obtain information from a selection of primary and secondary sources
  • Assess diverse concepts of Canadian identity
  • Observe changing cultural identities within a society
  • Reflect on the awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the factors that contribute to a healthy sense of oneself

  BC Curricular Connections/ Big Ideas:

  • Positive personal and cultural identity
  • Immigration and multiculturalism continue to shape Canadian society and identity
  • Canada’s policies and treatment of minority peoples have negative and positive legacies
• Object Based Learning (4–10)

  Program Length: 60 minutes
  Designed for: Grades 4 and up and Theory of Knowledge learners
  Cost: $150
  Capacity: 30 students max

  Program Description: Using objects from the Royal BC Museum’s handling collection students will take part in close looking, make connections and engage with history! Once they have made a hypothesis about what their mystery object is, they will find a place for it in the Old Town gallery.

  Program Keywords/ Vocab: analysis, reflection, deduction

  Program Format:

  • Introductions to the Royal BC Museum, the facilitator and an overview of the program
  • Small groups will each get a mystery object they have to draw and then describe
  • Groups will spread out into the Old Town gallery to find a place in the gallery where their object might belong based on their conclusions
  • To wrap up, students will share their findings with the rest of the class and have a chance to ask any follow up questions

  Learning Objectives:

  • Practice observation skills
  • Critical and reflective thinking

  BC Curricular Connections/ Core Competencies:

  • Creative Thinking: Generation of ideas and concepts that are novel and innovative in the context in which they are generated.
  • Critical and Reflective Thinking: Making judgments based on reasoning, where students consider options, analyze options using specific criteria and draw conclusion.
• Museum Career

  Program Length: 60 minutes
  Designed for: Grades 10–12, international students, business students
  Cost: $150
  Capacity: 30 students max

  Program Description:Museums employ a wide range of people with diverse skills from carpenters to researchers. Learn about the different opportunities available at museums and reflect on how these roles are visible throughout the exhibition.

  Program Keywords/ Vocab: curation, conservation, exhibition arts

  Program Format:

  1. Introductions to the Royal BC Museum, the presenter and an overview of the program
  2. PowerPoint presentation introducing different roles and people who work in the museum
  3. Small group discussion on what jobs did you hear about that were most interesting to you
  4. Trip to the Natural History Gallery to think about how museum roles are expressed in the exhibition, text and programs

  Learning Objectives:

  • Demonstrate curiosity about different careers and opportunities
  • Be able to describe at least three examples of different careers at museums

  BC Curricular Connections/ Big Ideas: Career-life development includes ongoing cycles of exploring, planning, reflecting, adapting and deciding.

Feature Exhibition Learning Labs

• Beyond the Beat (4–12)

  Program Length: 60 minutes
  Designed for: Grades 4–12
  Cost: $200
  Capacity: 30 students max
   

  Program Description: Explore the temporary Beyond the Beat: Music of Resistance and Change exhibition and uncover the role that music has played in various human rights movements. Students will learn about how musicians use their talents to create change in the world and will be encouraged to think about how they could do the same.

  Program Format:

  1. Introductions to the Royal BC Museum and the Beyond the Beat: Music of Resistance and Change exhibition.
  2. Students split into groups and given “tickets” that have questions corresponding to the different sections of the exhibition.
  3. Students find the artists on the tickets and answer the corresponding questions.
  4. If they complete their tickets and time is left, they can swap tickets with another group.
  5. After 40 minutes in the gallery, the group reassembles and a debrief is conducted.

  Learning Objectives:

  • Understand that music and musicians have played and continue to play an important role in various human rights movements.
  • Observe that music plays an important role in representing, honouring and preserving cultural practices.
  • Students can use their own strengths, gifts and abilities to recognize injustice in the world and use those gifts to make a positive change.

  BC Curricular Connections/ Big Ideas: Teaching for diversity and social justice

• Odysseys and Migrations (4–6)

  Program Length: 60 minutes
  Designed for: Grades 4–12
  Cost: $200
  Capacity: 30 students max

  Program Description: Chinese migrants have been coming to BC for almost 250 years. Despite racism and hardships, Chinese Canadian communities have maintained a strong sense of cultural identity and contributed to the vibrancy of this province.

  Program Keywords/Vocab: Diaspora, cultural identity, racism.

  Program Format:  

  1. Introduction to the Royal BC Museum, the presenter, and an overview of the program.
  2. Students are split into two groups.
  3. One group visits the Odysseys and Migration exhibition with a workbook while the other takes a guided tour of the History gallery with a focus on Chinese Canadian experiences.
  4. Groups switch activities.
  5. Wrap up with a summary and question period. 

  Learning Objectives:

  • Describe at least three key moments in Chinese Canadian history in British Columbia
  • Obtain information from a selection of primary and secondary resources
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the Chinese diaspora in Canada and its impacts on Canadian society

  BC Curricular Connections / Big Ideas

  • Immigration and multiculturalism continue to shape Canadian society and identity
  • Canada’s policies and treatment of minority peoples have both negative and positive legacies

Self-Guided Field Trips

• More information

  Audience: Grades K–12
  Availability: Tuesday through Friday
  Cost: BC public and independent grade schools access core galleries free of charge through school bookings made a minimum of two business days in advance. Admission rates apply for other schools or groups, please contact us for more information.
  Capacity: up to 35 students maximum plus chaperones. If you have additional students please book an additional field trip for another time or day.
  Chaperone Ratio: 1 adult per 5 students for grade K–8 and 1 adult per 10 students for grade 9–12 required for field trip visits.