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March Break at MOA

Pop-Up Museum Activities throughout March Break

If you’re spending March break with your kids (or grandkids) you can bring them by the museum for a visit. We are open Monday to Friday from 10 am – 4:30 pm and will be featuring different ‘pop-up’ museum activities throughout the week. These will include crafts, games, and interactive exhibit additions. To find out what we are doing and at what time, pay close attention to our Facebook page where the day’s activities will be revealed each morning.  Pop-up activities will include snowsnake throwing, pottery reconstruction, cookie excavations, snow painting, storytelling, and more! Regular admission rates apply.

Snowsnake, a favorite March Break Activity
March Break Activity: Pottery Reconstruction
Cookie Excavation during March Break

 

 

 

 

 

March Break – MOA Olympics!

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MOA and the Ontario Curriculum

MOA Education Programming 

There are many considerations to keep in mind when developing education school programs: suitability to age groups, time needed, relevance to the museum content, but the most important is compatibility with the official curriculum, which can be found here . Teachers must prove their field trips are in line with the curriculum; so, we make it easy for them.

All the Museum of Ontario Archaeology school programming is designed to compliment the Ontario Curriculum, primarily Social Studies, as that is the most fitting compliment to archaeology and First Nations history and culture. However, we also compliment the Arts, Science and Technology and Mathematics when applicable. Read more

Workstudy Profile: Rowa Mohamed

My name is Rowa Mohamed. I started working at MOA in October.  I’m a museum gift shop assistant.  I greet guests, answer calls, do inventory and book workshops, events, birthday parties and tours. I started working at the museum through the work-study program at UWO. I have had a variety of work experience and am always looking for a new experience. I remember the museum from my childhood and was excited to return as an adult. My favorite part of my job is meeting the diverse people that pass through! MOA is a great organization that’s a little hidden, I would recommend to everyone to visit it at some point. It is one of the few sites left to learn about Aboriginal culture. When I’m not at work I am a regular volunteer at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, a Home Healthcare associate and a Health Sciences Student.

Workstudy Profile: Stephanie Alegria

Hello, I’m Stephanie. I have been working at the Museum of Ontario Archaeology for the past 3 years. My position is gift shop assistant and it entails helping customers, answering the phone, booking tours and birthday parties as well as being the first impression of the museum when people come in.

stephanie

I began working at the museum through work study at Western.  Work study has helped me financially to make it through university. I currently work at the YMCA as well, and through the YMCA I gained skills such as customer service and good work ethics.  At the YMCA I work with all sorts of people from young children, as small as three months to adults that all come from different parts of the world. This has helped me flourish at the Museum because I am able to provide a richer experience for the visitors that come.

I wanted to work at the Museum because I was interested in the First Nation culture and I also wanted to gain more experience outside of the YMCA. Read more

Archaeology Flotation

Flotation Technique in Archaeology

 

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What is it?
Flotation uses water to process soil samples and recover tiny artifacts that would not ordinarily be recovered when screening soil during an archaeological investigation.  The reason these artifacts aren’t normally recovered is that they are so tiny that they fall through the ¼” screen typically used by archaeologists to sift the soil.

To recover tiny artifacts, a soil sample is placed on a screen and with the addition of water; artifacts are separate from the dirt particles.  Light materials (called light fraction) float on top of the water while heaver materials such as bone, pottery, and stone rest on the screen.  Light materials include plant remains, seeds, and insects which can reveal information about diet, environment, and climate.

Heavy and light materials are collected separately and placed on a tray to dry. Once the sample has thoroughly dried, the material is placed in archival bags for storage and further research. Read more

Work Study Profile: Erik

Work study profile: Erik Skouris

How long have you worked at MOA?
I have been at the Museum of Ontario Archaeology for 6 months.

What is your job title and what do you do?
I am a Curatorial Assistant. I assist Joan Kanigan, the Executive Director, with various assigned and ongoing projects. This includes processing the Museum’s collections and registering, accessing, cataloguing, and shelving the museum’s existing objects. I also maintain inventory and documentation according to Ontario curatorial standards. I have prepared various reports regarding collection activities and conditions of archival objects as well. Currently, I am assisting in an exhibit design. The exhibition is titled, “What Archaeologists Do In The Winter”. Read more

How Archaeologists Get a Date

How Archaeologists Get a Date
A Valentine’s Day blog post 

Archaeologists like to use several dating methods to find out more about artifacts. It all depends on what the object is, where the archaeologist is located (what resources he/she has access to), and how old the artifact appears to be.

What is eligible for dating?
Not every artifact is eligible for all dating methods; for example, an artifact must be made from a carbon-based material to use radiocarbon dating (stone, for example doesn’t have carbon).  A stone artifact can be dated based on the way it looks and/or the way it was made.  Over many years of research chronologies of stone tools (and pottery) have been built, based on styles (called Seriation).

Archaeologists can also be matchmakers by using the context, which is the where, when and how an artifact is found. In the end, archaeologists often use a few different methods on an group of artifacts found together to come up with a reasonable date.

CarbonDating - How Archaeologists Get a Date

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Staff Profile: Joan Kanigan – Executive Director

Staff Profile Blog:  Joan Kanigan

joan

I joined the Museum of Ontario Archaeology as Executive Director in May of 2012.  This was an exciting change for me as it allowed me to merge two of my passions – museums and archaeology.  What excites me most about working at MOA is that I believe museums can profoundly change people, and that MOA has tremendous potential to inspire the archaeologist in everyone.  Museums are great for unleashing our natural curiosity, expand our understanding, and, broaden our sense of place in the world.  What makes MOA unique is the connection the museum has to past human experiences.  I believe museums connect people through shared experiences, and through archaeology, we can connect with the countless generations that have come before us.

Since joining the MOA team, the museum has seen many changes.  With input from many community members, we redeveloped our mission statement to clearly articulate our “why” what we do is important.  We have also created a new logo to support our belief that archaeology is (first and foremost) about people and that the role of the museum is also (first and foremost) to serve people.  We will soon start planning for a complete redesign of the museum’s permanent exhibits and I am looking forward to involving the community throughout the planning and design phases. Read more