Both Pre-Visit and Post-Visit Packages

Explore the Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site through the lens of innovation, and how things have changed throughout the history of fishing and boatbuilding in Steveston. Students will engage in four different interactive stations with themes ranging from innovation in recycling, resources, and communications. These concepts will then be discussed and applied to a boatbuilding activity, with each student making their own wooden boat model to bring home.

As a distinctive neighbourhood filled with cultural monuments and historic sites, Chinatown’s public places are a precious and integral part of the city. Yet the neighbourhood is evolving quickly and many heritage sites are starting to disappear. How might we imagine a future Chinatown that honours and protects its heritage while welcoming new ideas and communities? We’ll survey Chinatown’s past and present sites of cultural significance and invite students to imagine the neighbourhood’s next phase of growth and revitalization with a creative “vision board” activity.

Total length: 1 - 2 hours
Grade levels: 9 - 12
Cost per student: $8 (1 adult chaperone per 10 students may visit for free)

Connections to the BC Social Studies Big Ideas

Grade 9

• Collective identity is constructed and can change over time.
• Emerging ideas and ideologies profoundly influence societies and events.
• The physical environment influences the nature of political, social, and economic change.

Grade 10 

• Historical and contemporary injustices challenge the narrative and identity of Canada as an inclusive, multicultural society. 

Grade 11

• Decision making in urban and regional planning requires balancing political, economic, social, and environmental factors.

Grade 12

• Social justice initiatives can transform individuals and systems.

In this guided school program, students will learn about the history and cultural life of Vancouver’s Chinatown through our interactive exhibits and touchable teaching collection. Delving into the lived experiences and mementos of Chinatown’s diverse residents, students will gain an appreciation for the community’s resilient spirit and rich cultural heritage.

Total length: 1 hour

Grade levels: adaptable to all grade levels

Cost per student: $8 (1 adult chaperone per 5 students may visit for free)

September 15, 2025-June 25, 2026

Discover the interwoven worlds of math and art. Using tessellations as a foundation, each workshop explores pattern making and mathematical elements of design. Workshops examine the artwork of Coast Salish contemporary artist Dylan Thomas, and how he has connected math and geometry to his art practice.

Curriculum tie-ins: Art Education, Indigenous Art, Earth Science, Math, STEAM

The River Champions outreach program is available for students in grades 3-12. Note* This is offered ONLY as an in person field trip.

Grades 3-5  

Students explore the basics of climate science and river processes. Using a stream table model, students model different climate change scenarios and design infrastructure that could mitigate the damage caused by climate change. 

Grades 6-12  

Students discuss connections between climate change and land management practices, both traditional Indigenous and current industrial. Using a stream table model, students model different climate change scenarios and design infrastructure that could mitigate the damage caused by climate change. For the optional action project, students research how their communities may be susceptible to extreme weather events and climate change, and present their findings using ArcGIS Story Maps. A follow-up online workshop connects students to knowledge holders.

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Learn about past and present immigration policies while discovering the history of Vancouver through the decades: 1900 - 1970s. Modelled after the points-based-system, explore the History Galleries through a scavenger hunt activity and examine suitcases from four immigrants’ stories. This program focuses on who immigrates and why, the quality of life for new immigrants over the decades, and immigrants’ contributions to Vancouver.

Examine traditional belongings of the First Nations and Inuit cultures in relation to food, clothing and shelter. Excavate belongings connected to the Coast Salish. Be a player in a life-sized board game and learn about the traditional belongings of the Inuit through the seasons.