Play the Old Fashioned Way

Here at the Museum, we embrace the exciting possibilities of using new digital technologies to interpret and explore our history. Curatorial Assistant Matthew Lovegrove is in the process of developing a digital heritage walking tour, and I am currently working on having our digitized newspaper collection accessible online for this spring.  While these new technologies have their benefits, I also believe that the Museum is exciting because it is “old-fashioned” - the artifacts are real, not virtual. You can come in and wander the two floors without being inundated with technology. You can contemplate and reflect or have a conversation with a friend while browsing. There is something magical about seeing things with your own eyes and doing things with your own hands, especially in this digital age. This is proven time and again here at the Museum. I see people's eyes light up when they open the drawer of butterflies, or when they tap out their name in Morse code. Kids are happy to discover that they can touch and play with the rotary phone, a mysterious thing indeed, or ring the ship's bell.

Puppets by Juanita Woods, Calgary based puppetter

To kick-off BC Heritage Week, and in celebration of all things ‘simple’ and ‘hands-on’, we are extending our annual Play Day event over two days. On Friday, February 17^th, we are hosting a Puppet Making Workshop at the Arts Building with Sandy Buck. Sandy has created and performed her own puppet shows for children and adults with her company, Rababoo Puppet Theater. Open to all ages and skill levels, Sandy encourages imagination and storytelling, “This puppet making workshop is more than creating puppets, it’s letting our hands create the characters we dream about and bringing them to life”.

Puppet Making Workshop

Friday, February 17th from 1:00 to 3:30

The Arts Building, 464 S. Fletcher, Gibsons, BC

with Sandy Buck of Rababoo Puppet Theater

Using newspaper, masking tape, and acrylic paint,

this workshop is fast, fun, and open to all ages and skill levels.

The cost is $12/person; $10 family fee with sliding scale for families.

All supplies are included.

Mask by Juanita Woods, Calgary based puppeteer.

The following day, we will be opening our doors for an afternoon of good old fashioned fun and games. We invite all the puppets and their makers to join us at the mobile puppet stage for a ‘Puppet Jam’ – an improvisational puppet storytelling fun time. We’ll have other play stations throughout the Museum where you can try your hand at creating your own board game, making a Chinese hacky sack, designing a totem pole, folding origami cranes, and more. 

To pre-register for the workshop or for more information, please contact the Museum at 886-8232.