By Madeleine Dumont
On Monday, July 15, I attended an activity session at the Ashcroft Museum that taught us about bees and honey. There were eight children in attendance, and the activity room upstairs was filled with excitement.
First, Lisa Tegart, a local beekeeper, gave a presentation about bees and beekeeping. As a group, we got to try dandelion honey, chew on honeycomb, and try on beekeeping equipment. It turns out that beekeeping is really interesting and honeycomb is delicious.
Kathy Paulos, the museum curator, and her assistant, Breana Paulos, then arranged a series of activities. During the “find your hive” activity, we had to use our sense of smell like a bee does by locating a scented cotton pad in the museum that matched the scent of a cotton swab. It was in the orange-scented hive. The activity taught us that each beehive has its own unique scent. I was really happy that we got to learn more about bees and how they communicate.
This is the third year the museum has hosted activity sessions for children over the summer months. Kathy Paulos has made them interesting because she often lets children have a say in choosing the topics. I think this is a great idea, because kids think like other kids.
“We’re always trying to get young people excited about history,” remarked Kathy Paulos. According to Kathy, learning about the past can help us with the future. From going to the museum, I’ve learned that Ashcroft has a rich, interesting history that everyone, including kids, should know about.
Each Monday morning from 10 to 11:30 a.m., kids can come and learn about the history of Ashcroft and area with Kathy and Breana. Sessions are by donation and kids need to be accompanied by an adult.
So the next time you are looking for something to do that is interesting and fun, come by and check out the Ashcroft Museum.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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