March 12-27, 2016 | 12:30pm
Included with museum admission or membership
During Spring Break, join the Beaty Biodiversity Museum every day at 12:30 p.m. for a different hands-on activity, brought to you by volunteers, staff, curators, and special guests! Meet new friends while exploring different aspects of the biodiversity around us. From identifying incredible insects, to art, games, crafts, and hands-on activities, you’ll be a biodiversity pro in no time.
Check out the suite of daily activities we offer in addition to the Spring Break programs below.
Sunday, March 13: There is No Place Like Home | 12:30pm
Boomer the mountain beaver had things just the way he liked them. His elaborate home had several exits and special rooms for napping, feeding, storing food, and even an indoor bathroom! Learn about endangered species during this interactive story-time with SCCP coordinator, Pamela Zevit.
Monday, March 14: no session, the museum is closed
Tuesday, March 15: Meadow Exploration | 12:30pm
Curious about what is growing in our garden? Explore the wonderful plants that make a home on the roof of the Beaty Museum.
This activity takes place outside – dress accordingly!
Wednesday, March 16: Open Studio | 12:30pm
Get inspired to draw from amazing museum specimens with the help of Derek Tan, our Digital Media Specialist and the illustrator behind many exhibits in the museum. Art supplies will be available; feel free to bring your sketchbook.
Thursday, March 17: Beaty InstaMeet | 12:30pm
Are you an avid instagrammer? Or maybe just experimenting? Come with your smartphone and learn the basics of composition and colour with beautiful specimens from our Discovery Lab, then explore the museum and instagram away!
Please note that all participants under 18 must have parental permission to participate.
Friday, March 18: Social Insects | 12:30pm
Imagine life in a social insect colony! Build your own termite buddy to take home and investigate the amazing behaviour of social insects such as ants, termites, social bees and social wasps using games and specimens. Bee there or bee square!
Saturday, March 19: Sea any Seaweed | 12:30pm
Algae are a diverse and amazing group of organisms. They are extremely important to humans and the earth – probably more than you realize!
Sunday, March 20: Pressing Palaeontology | 12:30pm
Learn all about fossils and how they are formed! Get up close with real fossils, and make your own “fossil” to take home.
Monday, March 21: no session, the museum is closed
Tuesday, March 22: Pond Poke | 12:30pm
Join our Entomological Curator, Karen Needham, for a springtime pond poke! Peer beneath the water’s surface and discover the fascinating creatures living in the Beaty Museum’s water features.
This activity takes place outside – dress accordingly!
Wednesday, March 23: Museum Exhibits Takeover! | 12:30pm
Have you ever wanted to add your own stories to exhibits and specimens on display in the museum? Today, you’ll get to write and display your own creations in the museum for everyone to enjoy.
Thursday, March 24: Floating on the Wind | 12:30pm
How did that plant get there? Come learn about the different methods that plants employ to spread their seeds around Vancouver and around the world! Christopher Kopp, Biodiversity Research Centre Postdoctoral Research Fellow, will introduce you to the fascinating world of seeds.
This activity takes place outside – dress accordingly!
Friday, March 25: no session, the museum is closed
Saturday, March 26: Bat Box Building Workshop | 12:30pm
Bats are great to have around, want to know why? Join us in this fun workshop! Learn about bats, build a bat house, and find out what you can do to help these amazing animals.
The workshop will be led by Felix Martinez, co-chair and wildlife biologist from South Coast Bat Action Team (SCBAT). He and the SCBAT studies the importance of bats to the environment, along with the threats they face.
Make new friends while participating in this bat box workshop, where we will build boxes as a large team. Some of these boxes will stay on campus, while others will go home with a few lucky workshop participants!
This activity is open to all ages, but we will use power tools – we require one adult directly supervising every 1-2 children who participate.
Plan to spend at least 90 minutes outside, rain or shine, so dress for the weather!
If you know you will be in attendance, please email us so we have a better idea of numbers. You may want to bring a charged, cordless drill labelled with your name to speed along the box assembly.
Want to report a bat sighting? Email SCBAT.
Sunday, March 27: Sneaky Snails and other Disguises | 12:30pm
When is a sea snail like a secret agent? Find out with this interactive talk, including a creative craft to take home.
All activities are open to all ages and are included with membership or admission on a drop-in basis, unless otherwise noted. Children under the age of 13 must have adult supervision in the museum at all times. Please call us for more information at 604-827-4955; press 0 to connect to staff.
Are you offering a spring break camp? Check out our children’s program options for private, hands-on, biodiversity experiences suitable for your group
Meet under the whale at 12:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. The Beaty Biodiversity Museum reserves the right to change or modify programming as needed. The Beaty Biodiversity Museum is closed on Mondays and statutory holidays.
