Canadian Space Agency astronaut Bob Thirsk made a special visit to The Manitoba Museum on May 27th. It was one year to the day since our Arctic Discoveries Medal blasted off on its journey to the International Space Station.

Dr. Thirsk returned our medal to Museum CEO Claudette Leclerc. The astronaut then shared his experiences aboard the space station with a 20-minute exciting video that he narrated live. A brief question-and-answer period followed.

The Arctic Discoveries Medal is part of the Museum’s world-renowned Hudson’s Bay Company collection. It was presented to explorers who mapped much of western Canada and the Arctic coastline. It is on temporary display in the Science Gallery.

The May 13^th issue of Maclean’s Magazine included an article about Ancient Seas!

The Manitoba Museum worked closely with Phlesch Bubble, an Australian digital production studio, to be the very first Canadian museum to offer this cutting-edge technology. Projected on three enormous screens spanning 7.5 meters, the installation of the Ancients Seas exhibit completes the recent renewal of the Museum’s Earth History Gallery.

As more and more people become concerned about climate change, the Ancient Seas exhibit is of great relevance, says Dr. Graham Young, the curator in charge of the project.

“Ancient Seas is very clear evidence of global change-the world has certainly changed beyond recognition,” explains Dr. Young, the Curator of Paleontology & Geology for The Manitoba Museum. “This exhibit enhances people’s knowledge of the world that immediately surrounds us, so we can understand how we got to be where we are today.”

Dr. Young used his own personal expertise, drawn from years of working at the Churchill site-where some of the original ancient shoreline is still preserved-plus the input of a team of experts to make the rendering as realistic as possible.

Ancient Seas can be viewed in our Earth History Gallery during regular Museum hours.

Our curator of zoology recently became involved with an ambitious, five-year project. The Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas was created to engage citizens in documenting the distribution and abundance of all breeding birds throughout Manitoba.

Anyone can participate. This is your chance to play a role in one of the most comprehensive environmental monitoring projects ever undertaken in our province. Your findings will provide scientific data that will contribute to the sustainable and responsible stewardship of our environment.

The Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas is a partnership of many governmental and non-governmental agencies, including The Manitoba Museum. Our curator, Dr. Randy Mooi, is serving on the Steering Committee, and we are looking for volunteers to participate in this exciting initiative.

For more information, please access the Bird Atlas website (www.birdatlas.mb.ca) or contact the Atlas Coordination office at 1-800-214-6497 or 204-945-6816 or mbatlas@bsceoc.org.

Treat your kids to the best summer of their lives by enrolling them in one of the coolest camps on Earth.

The Manitoba Museum’s Discovery Day Camp is only place in town where kids get to learn about archaeology, science, space, geology, paleontology, animals, and the environment-all under one roof!

Discovery Day Camp registration also includes planetarium shows, live science demonstrations, scavenger hunts and free time in the Museum galleries, plus Science Gallery visits.

The Museum’s qualified, friendly counsellors lead children age six to 12 (children must have completed Grade One). Themes differ in alternate weeks, allowing campers to come for two one-week sessions. Typical camper-to-leader ratio is 7 to 1.

Day Camps run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, although drop-off as early as 8 a.m. and pick-up as late as 5 p.m. can be accommodated.

The Discovery Day Camp begins on July 5^th, and runs throughout the summer. The last week of the camp begins on August 30^th.

For more information or to register, please contact Nicole Maier at 988-0626 or by e-mail at programs@manitobamuseum.ca.

Celebrate the beauty and diversity of nature with this colourful, fascinating exhibit that showcases rarely-seen specimens from our Natural History vaults. Created by our three natural history curators, this extraordinary display features some of the most phenomenal flora and fauna from fresh water, oceans, deserts, and grasslands. Drop by and visit the “original” beetles.

Open during regular Museum hours in the Discovery Room. Free with admission to the Museum Galleries.

Make your child’s next birthday a memorable one by celebrating it at The Manitoba Museum.

Design and race cars on our special track in the Science Gallery, explore the wonders of our award-winning Museum Galleries, or get spellbound by a Planetarium show.
Birthday Party Packages include everything you need to set a festive mood:

• A private party space in one of our classrooms for two hours;
• Access to one or two venues as selected;
• - Paper plates – napkins – cutlery – cups,
• Balloons streamers birthday party banner.

The packages include admission for a maximum of 20 people, not including two adults, who are admitted free of charge.For more information or to book a party, please see our website at http://www.manitobamuseum.ca/main/youth-programs/birthday-party-packages/ or contact Barb at bmcmillin@manitobamuseum.ca or (204) 988-0696.

Summer hours will begin at The Manitoba Museum on May 22, when we will be open daily from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. We will be open on Victoria Day, May 24, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

The Manitoba Museum is the first Canadian museum to recreate marine life as it was 450 million years ago. A dramatic, 3-screen virtual underwater observatory will transport you back to the Hudson’s Bay region during the Ordovician period. An experience that you will not forget!

Click here to learn more.

Activities for the entire family that are sure to Wow you.