Summerland Museum & Heritage Society

We welcome community organizations and school classes at the Museum. We are currently developing units of study for the various grades in conjunction with the School District’s teachers, and according to the curriculum.

KINDERGARTEN
About Our Community and Our Museum
A short tour through the Museum to discover what a museum is all about, and why we keep the objects from the past. A simple history of Summerland is offered. Family tree worksheet. 45 minute visit.

GRADE ONE
Family Life in Early Summerland: Then and Now
Students learn about the families who lived here in the early years and how families can be different today. Chores from the early years are compared to the responsibilities of today’s family members. Includes Power Point presentation and activity sheet. One hour visit.

GRADE TWO
Pioneers: Summerland in the Past
Visit a tent house and discover how the pioneers worked and played together as a family. Peek in a parlour and kitchen from the 1920s to see how families lived compared to nowadays. Includes a Power Point presentation showing early life in Summerland. Activity sheet available. One hour visit.

GRADE THREE
A Community Grows
Why did people come to the Okanagan Valley? where did they come from and who were they? Search for answers using the artifacts and storyboards in the Museum to discover how communities started in the past. Power Point presentation to reinforce findings. Story for follow-up discussion. One hour visit.

GRADE FOUR
Making a Case at the Summerland Museum
Learn more about life during the early years of Summerland. Why do people save and collect objects from the past and how can we learn from them? Students consider natural resources, tools & technology and communications that supply information about the past and create a time capsule to show children 100 years from now, what life was like at this time in Summerland. Activity sheet. Classroom follow-up project. One hour visit.

GRADE FIVE
A New Home in Canada
What was it like to travel to a new country not knowing what was in store? Discover what life was like for immigrants in Summerland in the early years compare it to problems they might face today. Pre and post visit activities. One hour visit.

Early Transportation in the Okanagan
Students are led on a guided tour of the Museum, listening and looking for clues about early transportation methods in the Okanagan. A discussion on findings is followed by a presentation on the history of the Kettle Valley Railway, its impact on Summerland and eventual demise. Includes a visit to the model railway on the second floor. Activity sheet. One hour visit.

The Mystery Suitcase
The suitcase includes several artifacts used in early times. It may be loaned to a school(pre or post visit) for study for a two-week period.

To book your class for a Museum visit please call the Curator, Sherril Foster, at 494-9395 or email info@summerlandmuseum.org.
Tuesdays are reserved for class visits. Please give us two weeks notice. Some programs involve securing museum volunteers to assist. If it is necessary to cancel please call asap.
All supplies necessary for the visit will be available at the Museum unless otherwise discussed at the time of booking.
Due to the size of the museum it is best if the class is divided into two groups (before they come) and it is helpful the children wear name tags. (Just something simple such as labels with big block letters).
At least one adult (teacher, Education Aid or parent)for each of the two groups should accompany the children.
The Museum can assist with limited bussing costs (Trout Creek School) through our provincial grant monies.
Please note: Times listed for visits do not include travel time. No food or drink is allowed in the Museum.
Pre-visit and post-visit activities are available. Please enquire at time of booking.
Visit our Virtual Exhibit at www.summerlandmuseum.org. It is a brief history of Summerland. Also picture books called A Centennial Story and the Centennial publication, Summerland: In Celebration of 100 Years can be found in your library.
Please feel free to call with any questions. If you have an idea for a different program, other than what is listed here, we’d like to hear about it.

One of the most frequently asked research requests at the Summerland Museum is for information from the archives pertaining to the families who live or have lived here. We are fortunate that many families have provided us with their histories but there is much of this information missing.

If you are interested in genealogy or just have a good story to tell about Summerland and its people, we would like to hear from you. We would also like to publish your story on our website. If you would like to submit photographs along with the text, we welcome those as well.

If you would like to have your story published on our website, please transfer the text and any scans of photographs to a CDRom or Computer disc and drop it off at the Museum. If you are unable to do this, you can contact our Webmaster, Alpha Woldenga at 494-5008 or email him at websiteguy1@shaw.ca. For a $ 50.00 fee he can transfer text (maximum 2 pages) and scan photos (maximum of three) and post your Family Story to the Museum website, as well as provide you with a CDRom copy for your files.

Anyone wanting to donate photographs to the Museum can also have them scanned by us, so you can retain the originals. Photographs assist the Museum immensely in their research of Summerland’s history!