Several years back when I was heading a project to understand what influences people to visit science centres, several of us found that the research findings on the question resonated with our own experience. That is, if you start visiting science centres or other informal learning places such as museums as a child, you are most likely to visit them as an adult. Early exposure makes a difference. If you are accompanied on such visits by parents or grandparents, the experience is even more influential. But school trips accompanied by teachers and peers also have an effect on our future behaviours. So, Heritage Fairs are important! Like science fairs, they encourage children in grades 4 to 10 to not only visit museums and heritage sites but also to participate in doing history through research.
The BC Heritage Fairs Society is a registered charity and non-profit organization that supports children’s participation in Canadian history. Students select a topic of interest and conduct a research project. Children’s projects are usually teacher supported in schools but according to the website, home schooled and individual students can participate. The outcomes are that students, “sharpen their critical thinking, master advanced research techniques, and gain invaluable experience in interviewing and evaluating credible sources, empowering them to navigate and analyze complex information with confidence.” (see website)
Heritage Fairs happen at the school, regional and provincial levels with students at each level presenting their research to educators and community adjudicators. The fairs are usually open to the public. Last Friday I visited the Regional Heritage Fair hosted at the Richmond Cultural Centre in Richmond BC. Displays were set up in the Library and the Annex and many students lingered by their displays and were able to answer questions about their research. It was a beautiful day in the park and on the plaza between the venues, activity centres were set up to engage students in hands on activities. I was curious as to whether the students’ displays would include food history research. I wasn’t disappointed!
Some of the questions students researched were: What impacts did McDonald’s have on the food industry in Canada? Why is poutine a national dish of Canada? What impact does maple syrup have on Canada’s economy? How did BC orchards evolve from 1912 to 2026? How has the Nanaimo Bar evolved since 1950? It was exciting to see the topics students chose for their research and the ways they chose to illustrate their findings with charts, objects and attractive display.
The BC Food History Network fully supports the work of the Heritage Fairs Society. There are several teacher resources on this website, see Lesson Plans for Food Inquiry Projects in the “Resources” section. A shout out to the Richmond Museum for hosting the Regional Heritage Fair, opening their doors, and providing unforgettable experiences for the many school children.
One of the delights of small city museums is you never know what you will learn or experience. For a few minutes we were able to hook onto a guided tour of the exhibit “The Maple Road Experience” about and by Richmond resident Kevin Harris who was Canada’s first professional skateboarder, having turned professional in 1982. Kevin had many stories to tell the students about growing up, learning to skateboard, competing, and life as a professional and their attention to his stories was total. A memorable experience for sure!
In addition to the food history topics that the school children investigated, there was a broad range of Canadian history topics at the Fair. All the projects showed that history has meaning to children when they are given the opportunity to explore it in depth and find the links to their own lives. Congratulations to all the participants, Richmond Regional Heritage Fair organizers, and the BC Heritage Fairs Society!
History at Home
A visit to the Richmond Cultural Centre and Minoru Park is highly recommended but Richmond Museum has some valuable virtual learning available: Richmond Stories: From Farm to Table, a five-minute video that talks about the farming heritage of Richmond. Four additional videos were produced in partnership with the UBC Asian Canadian Asian Migration program as part of the Canada 150 celebrations to explore Asian Canadian identity through food: Spam, Uncanning the Uncanny (5 minutes), Love Letter to HongKong Style Restaurants (5.5 minutes), Taking Over: Korean Fusion Food in Vancouver (5.7 minutes), and Khoai Lang – Sweet Potatoes (4.5 minutes).
