The WDM is planning to host a series of week-long virtual summer camps beginning on July 13 and running through to mid-August, with each of the four branches located in Moose Jaw, Yorkton, North Battleford and Saskatoon contributing content and materials, offering a unique opportunity for anyone interested in seeing what they have to offer and learning along the way.
“To my knowledge, this is probably one of the first times the four branches have collaborated in this way for one project,” said Karla Rasmussen, education and public programs coordinator with the Moose Jaw WDM.
“We all have very similar education programs and public events we run throughout the year, and some of them we even share scripts, but quite often those are developed in our education department and disseminated that way. This time, from the brainstorming sessions we’ve been working on with the programmers at each of the locations, we’ve been able to really think things through and put together an interesting and fun program.”
Different themes will be featured each week, and will offer games, stories, crafts and more.
- Week 1 – July 13 - 17: In the Air
- Week 2 – July 20 - 24: Daily Life in the 1910s and 1920s
- Week 3 – July 27 - 31: Love This Land (Nature and Saskatchewan Geography)
- Week 4 – August 10 - 14: Make Your Own Museum
A major positive of the program comes from the variety of the WDMs being involved — while some folks might not have had a chance to visit the Yorkton or North Battleford branches, this will show a bit of what they have to offer as well.
“Maybe you’ve never seen a demonstration of baking bread that’s done in only one location, something like that,” Rasmussen said.
Plans are in place to make the whole event as accessible as possible, including for those who might not have an internet connection or printer at home. Those who wish to participate can pre-register and pick up printed kits filled with activities for each week.
“Each week will have five days of activities and each day should have about two to three hours of activities, so there’s lots to think about for sure,” Rasmussen explained. “You can do as much or as little as you like, and if you’re registering for a week, we ask that you register at least a week prior to the commencement of the week you’re interested in.”
The cost for the program is taking a ‘pay what you can’ model, with registration and further details available on their website in the near future. Rasmussen expects everything to be up and running around June 22.
The camps will remain on the website throughout the summer, meaning anyone who heard about them late can follow through at any time.
Anyone looking for something to do in the meantime can check out the WDM’s at-home activities page.
“We miss our visitors, and this is one way we can stay engaged with them a bit in our communities, exchange that knowledge and information and also have some fun with this,” Rasmussen said.
For more information visit the Western Development Museum website.
