Guided School Programs

Welcome teachers and students for the 2026-2027 school year!

Check out our menu of programs below. Subscribe to the Educator Newsletter for updates during the school year!

 

In-Person Field Trips:

Join us in person as we explore Nanaimo’s past with various programs suitable for grades K-12!

See below for a full listing and details on each program. Remember to check the Feature Exhibit Programs section below for details on new, limited-time programs connected to upcoming feature exhibits.

School field trips are available Tues-Fri, September 22-December 17, 2026 and January 19-June 24, 2027.

SHOW EXCEPTIONS

  • October 2026:
    • Coal Miner’s Child (K-2) and Black Diamonds (5+) are not available.
    • October field trip availability may be limited due to our evening Lantern Tour programs. Afternoon field trips (12:30-2:00) are more likely to work with our scheduling needs.
  • December 2026: Reserved for Yesteryear Christmas (K-2) and Winter Lights (K-3) ONLY.
    • Mon-Fri availability, Dec 1-17.
  • March 13-27, 2027: Spring Break kids’ programming (more info to come)
  • June 2027: Mon-Fri availability of all non-seasonal school programs.

 

Virtual Field Trips: 

SHOW VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS

Invite the museum to your classroom, virtually! Live or pre-recorded

Our live virtual program and follow-up Q&A sessions connect your students with a Museum educator via Teams or Zoom.
Pre-recorded programs offer you one (1) month access and the flexibility to break up the material or mix and match activities to suit your students’ learning style. These can be combined with the live Q&A for an interactive experience! 

 

Feature Exhibit programs (Limited Time!)

Coming soon: Hope Meets Action Add-on Module!

Availability: October 2026-February 2027     Cost: $25 per class for 30 min

Planning on visiting the Nanaimo Museum this fall or winter for one of our fabulous field trips? Add on an extra 30 minutes for your students to experience the upcoming brand new feature exhibit, Hope Meets Action: Echoes through the Black continuum! It’s a travelling exhibit created by the BC Black History Awareness Society in partnership with the Royal BC Museum. The exhibit reclaims and retells the complicated history of Black British Columbians, and traces an unbroken line of strength and resistance from the distant past to the present and into the future by highlighting the contributions of Black leaders whose actions echo across the centuries. 

This exhibit is best suited for middle and high school grade students. If you have younger students but want to extend your visit, check out the Modules section on the right side of this page.

 

For more information, or to book a program, please contact Steph Kveton via the form below.

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 Modules and Add-ons

Educators can add in person or virtual modules or add-ons to an existing program or build their own custom program using modules.

SHOW MODULES & ADD-ONS

In-Person Modules — 30 minutes;  $25 per class

  • Feature exhibit activity and exploration (primary or intermediate, when available)
  • Bastion Tour (all ages)
  • Story of Snuneymuxw  (primary or intermediate)
  • Snuneymuxw Tools (primary or intermediate)
  • Snuneymuxw Weaving (primary)
  • Coal Mine (primary or intermediate)
  • Century Classroom (primary or intermediate)
  • Old-fashioned Toys (primary)

Virtual Add-ons — 15-20 minutes; $10 per class; delivered via Teams or Zoom

  • Nanaimo Notables: Virtual Miner’s Cottage Tour Q&A
  • Nanaimo Notables: Nanaimo Bars Q&A
  • Virtual Yesteryear Christmas Q&A

Under Review 2025-2026

Periodically, we review our school programs to ensure they are up to date and that they reflect new understandings and more nuanced perspectives. Nanaimo Museum staff review programs with guidance from Snuneymuxw Elders and Cultural Knowledge Keepers. See below for the school programs currently under review.

SHOW UNDER REVIEW

From Cedar to Coal (Gr. 4) is under review. Alternative programs are: Snuneymuxw Traditional Life or Black Diamonds.

Far From Home (Gr. 5) is under review. Alternative programs are: Snuneymuxw Traditional Life or West Coast First Nations Art. For a list of resources about Residential Schools, including survivor stories, background information, and lesson plans, check out this resource guide: Residential Schools Resources (PDF)

Classroom and Resource Kits

Classroom kits are unavailable at this time.

Self-Guided Discovery Programs

Explore the museum with your students during this program, which includes discovery sheets that allow students to match pictures with gallery items to find answers to the questions. Each exhibit area has its own unique discovery sheet. A customizable set of four discovery sheets make up one Discovery Sheets Clipboard

SHOW DETAILS

Self Guided Tour:

Discovery Sheets $0.75/clipboard plus Regular Admission per student (chaperones complimentary)

Pre-registration is REQUIRED. Contact Steph Kveton at [email protected], or make an inquiry using the form below.

Virtual Programs

VIRTUAL Yesteryear Christmas

Grade K-3
Learn More

VIRTUAL Snuneymuxw Traditional Life

Grades 2-4
Learn More

Virtual Miner’s Cottage Tour

Grade K-3
Learn More

The Sweet Story of the Nanaimo Bar

Grade 3-10
Learn More

In Person Programs

Snuneymuxw Seasons

Grade K-2
Learn More

Yesteryear Christmas

Grade K-2
Learn More

Petroglyphs

Grade K-2
Learn More

Coal Miner’s Child

Grade 1-2
Learn More

Snuneymuxw Traditional Life

Grade 3
Learn More

Black Diamonds

Grade 5
Learn More

North West Coast First Nations Art

Grade 5-7
Learn More

The Bastion

Grade K-7
Learn More

Winter Lights

K-3
Learn More

Booking Details

Make a Booking Inquiry!

Steph is often leading the school programs you book with her, in addition to public programs! Please be patient, as response times can be up to a week or more. She’ll respond as soon as she can.