Spring is here! And the City of Edmonton Archives is already thinking about summer, summer daycamps for kids that is.
The City of Edmonton offers a wide variety of Summer daycamps and the City of Edmonton Archives’ Youth Education Program is offering two exciting camps this year: Soldier Through Time and History Hunters. For full course descriptions see the City of Edmonton Archives News.
In addition to summer daycamps, our programmers offer learning opportunities to school groups throughout the school year. For example, City Hall School students spend time touring the Archives, including the vaults which are usually off limits for the public. I say usually off limits…but if you like the idea of seeing our hidden vaults, and maybe hearing ghost stories, we offer tours for the public on Free Admission Day in September.
As part of their experience, the City Hall School students write about what they have seen at the Archives. The exercise is called R.O.W.S (Reflect, Observe, Wonder and Sketch).
Some things make a deep impression, like Frank Oliver’s moustache.
Other students are impressed by the Archives as a whole and are given a deeper awareness of what history means to them personally.
Many people wouldn’t think that kids and archives go together but in fact they do. Archives have a lot to offer and it’s never too early (or too late!) to use them. Teachers are often impressed by students who use archival material for their homework. And it doesn’t have to stop there; using the City of Edmonton Archives to research for an entry in the Edmonton Regional Heritage Fair is another perfect example of how archives can help kids learn and grow.
Just remember, our reference archivists are always here to help you get started.
For full course descriptions see the City of Edmonton Archives News.