What do you want to learn about British Columbia? Start with a subject, story, time or place.
Hannah Maynard
Hannah Maynard was an early expert in experimental photography. In the mid-1800s, she started capturing portraits of Victoria’s early settlers and Indigenous communities. With explorations of multiple exposures and photo sculpting, she experimented with surrealism years before its time.
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Simple Machines
Explore simple machines at the Royal BC Museum! Find examples of simple machines in the museum’s collections and galleries. If you can’t get here in person, you can find Royal BC Museum examples of simple machines here on the Learning Portal.
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Great Bear Rainforest
For thousands of years, Indigenous people have shared the Great Bear Rainforest with wolves, eagles, sea otters, salmon and herring, as well as many other animals. It is the only home of BC’s provincial mammal, the Spirit Bear.
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Bowker Creek at Oak Bay High School
The restoration of Bowker Creek in 2015 produced an ecosystem with a winding creek water path, native plant species, and an outdoor classroom, providing educational and natural history opportunities for Oak Bay High school students as well as for members of the community.
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Excavating Royal Jubilee
The Royal Jubilee Hospital collection housed at the Royal BC Museum captures a rare glimpse into the dynamic world of 1890s Victoria, from 'modern' medical treatments to children's toys, these are the stories the students from the Department of Anthropology (University of Victoria) researched to showcase the value of historical archaeology in B.C.
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Women of Science
Recent issues in the news have brought to light some negative attitudes towards women in science. I have assembled this playlist to encourage and support women and girls to pursue their interest in science. As you can see in these examples, women have a lot to offer the world of science - and have been doing so for a long time.
View PlaylistThe Yee Lun Ark Kee Collection
In 2004, a collection of almost 200 miscellaneous items was donated to the Royal BC Museum by David Walker. He had worked as a cleaner in downtown Victoria, including Chinatown, from the 1950s to the 1990s.
Spiders of British Columbia
E-Fauna BC’s Spiders of British Columbia is authored by Royal BC Museum research associate Dr Robb Bennett. This Electronic Atlas of the Wildlife of British Columbia is an excellent resource to find out more about spider life in this province.
Chinese Legacy in BC
Dr. Tzu-I Chung explores how gold seekers from many parts of Europe, the Americas and Asia followed the gold trail around the world. The gold rush brought the first major settlement of Chinese people to Canada, and what would later become known as British Columbia.
Mysteries of the Ediacaran Period
Marji Johns, Paleontology Collections Manager (Retired), writes about early life on Earth.
How Did I Become an Archaeologist?
Curator, Grant Keddie, writes about childhood experiences that sparked his curiosity and fueled his lifelong interest in ancient human history.
Archives Bootcamp
CBC radio visits BC Archives for Archives Bootcamp. This audio recording presents Archivist, Ann ten Cate facilitating a public event designed to introduce and demystify archives research.
