International Museum Day is on May 18th.

The goal of this day is to raise awareness that “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.” (International Council of Museums)

Do you have a favourite museum that you like to visit?  What is it that you like about the museum?

Here are some virtual museum exhibits that you might like to visit:

Sq’éwlets: A Stó:lō-Coast Salish Community in the Fraser River Valley (available in English and French with Halq̓eméylem) (Creators: The Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre)

A Scholar’s Garden (available in English, French and Chinese) (Creator(s): Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden)

Canada Under the Stars (available in English and French) (Creator(s): ASTROLab du Mont-Mégantic)

Video Clips from Canadian Museums:

The Canadian Stamp (Canadian Museum of History)

Nature Scoop Playlist: (Canadian Museum of Nature)

Begins with: Forest and seaside lichen adventure in Kejimkujik

For Teachers:

“On May 18th, through the celebration of International Museum Day, museums around the world will raise awareness of the important role they play in the development of society. Established in 1977 by the International Council of Museums (ICOM), this day reminds us that museums are “an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples”. *

This month’s resources allow students to think critically about the decisions that museums and historians make. Younger students can begin by examining local historical landmarks and the clues they offer about their community. For older students, considering the rightful ownership of historical artifacts, the naming and dedication of museums and the techniques experts use to detect forgeries will assist them in recognizing and thinking critically about some of the issues museum curators may face.” (Source: The Thinking Teacher, The Critical Thinking Consortium, April 19, 2017.)

Free resources:

	Critical Challenge: Community landmarks have stories to tell [PDF] Grade range: Primary View more resources in the Critical Challenges collection.
	Critical Challenge: Alberta’s fossil heritage [Web] Grade range: Intermediate View more resources in the Critical Challenges collection.