Discover Canada Again for the First Time

Free Fieldtrips Parks Canada

Do beavers breath under water? Am I really sitting in a real birch bark canoe? I didn't know a Canadian invented Superman!

Canada Place in Banff National Park has captivated students and teachers from across Canada since opening July 2000. Using the most recent touchscreen technology, Canada Place portrays Canada's distinct story in a new, innovative way. The main theme of Canada Place, "Canada: A Celebration of its Land and People," is explored through a variety of displays within the exhibit, creatively designed to be interactive as well as informative. Whether students try out surveying instruments from the fur trade era, observe wildlife in national parks all across Canada using a touchscreen computer, or discover Canadian inventions on our "Made in Canada" wall, they are challenged to see Canada as an incredibly diverse nation with much to offer. Canada Place is now offering free programs for school groups so that students from across Canada can discover Canada again.

Most school programs done at Canada Place capitalize on the diverse exhibit topics, connecting the past with today. Starting with the fur trade, students can sit in a real birch bark canoe and see first hand how they were constructed. Then they can try using a sextant, a surveying instrument used across Canada during the late eighteenth century, and examine a map of the Banff area that was drawn by David Thompson in 1807. Just by stepping around the corner, students can then jump forward two hundred years and find the location of Banff on a GPS unit. The map from David Thompson and the GPS coordinates match perfectly, and students learn to recognize the relevance of our past.

The possibilities for discovery just grow from there. The National Parks, National Historic Sites, and the "Made in Canada" touchscreens are commonly used. In addition to those popular exhibits, Canada Place also includes a "Building a Nation" wall, which highlights snapshots of Canadian history, and three "Canada Touches the World" touchscreens where students can touch any country in the world to discover what Canada has contributed to that region.

Canada Place is a free exhibit, open to the public year round. During the summer the interpretive staff welcome over 400 visitors daily, answering questions about Canada's political system, geography, history, national parks system, and much more. The winter season begins in September, when Canada Place welcomes school groups from across Canada. The many themes touched on in Canada Place offer teachers and interpreters a great opportunity to design unique programs that are relevant to a range of skills and objectives covered in Canadian curricula.

Field trips to Canada Place are free once groups have paid their admission into Banff National Park. If you would like to review a sample program or discuss program possibilities for your group, please contact Jerilyn Sambrooke:

Senior Heritage Presenter
Parks Canada, Canada Place
jerilyn.sambrooke@pc.gc.ca
403-760-1338
www.canadaplace.gc.ca [select Canada Place Centres]

Canada Place, Banff is part of a series of Canada Places across the country. If you are unable to come to Canada Place, Banff, contact the Canada Place nearest you for program possibilities as well as a wide variety of classroom tools available by mail:

Saskatchewan     Melanie Gerhardt 306-780-6231	Regina	A wide variety of programs in both French and English.
New Brunswick Maria Cormier-Maillet (506) 851-7026	Moncton	A two-hour program offered, best suited to Grade 6 classes.
Ontario Manitoba	Ottawa TorontoWinnipeg	No specific school programs at these Canada Places, but please check the web address for mail-out information.