Imaginary Places and Mystical Creatures with Petra Maior

Petra was one of summer 2016’s student employees. She was hired as the coordinator for our famous Heritage Thursdays children's program. Here she is in her own words:

"I am currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts Program at Thompson Rivers University, and I am studying European and Canadian history, alongside archaeology and anthropology. History has always been a passion of mine, ever since I was a child and I always loved learning about events from the past that have shaped our world to be the way it is today. I was also very fascinated with museums, looking at all of the objects from past decades and even centuries, which all had their own story to tell. When I saw the job posting for the Museum Programmer position, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to combine two of my greatest interests, and use that to guide me towards my future career. My goal, one day, is to become a teacher and teach my students all of the wonderful things history has to offer, which hopefully will make an impact on their education and future.

My job this summer mainly consisted of planning activities for an annual children’s program that the Pitt Meadows Museum hosts called, “Heritage Thursdays”. This year’s theme was “Imaginary Places and Mythical Creatures.” We focused on the legends we hear day to day and the folklore we know and love. We also explored, not only the mythical lands but also the historical places and lost cities that were once part of our world. As a history student, researching for this program was of course a pleasure, and I gained a lot of information that allowed the sessions created to be educational, yet fun and crafty.

In addition to working on Heritage Thursdays, I have been involved in Museum Sundays, a drop-in program hosted every Sunday filled with lots of fun crafting and education for all ages and skill levels, and have also helped with main museum events such as Pitt Meadows Day and Canada Day. I have also learned accessioning of artifacts that the museum has collected and recorded in their database, but that is a craft yet to be improved. It was such a wonderful experience, and I am so thankful to have such amazing teachers, Leslie, Jess, and Jen, who taught me so much about the museum itself, and the programs."

November 2016.