Fieldy handles all communication and booking for you.
What it actually looks like
Photos from Nanaimo Museum's website
Our note
This is the cheapest way to bring a group in and you set the pace, which suits younger children better than a timed tour. It still has to be arranged ahead, so do not treat it as a drop in.
What the children do
Bring your own group through the galleries using discovery sheets that ask children to match pictures with objects on display. Each exhibit area has its own sheet and a customisable set of four sheets makes up one clipboard, which costs $0.75. Museum admission is by donation and chaperones are complimentary. You have to register in advance.
Move through the exhibit areas at their own pace with a clipboard, matching the pictures on the sheets to objects in the gallery and answering the questions.
Good to know
The museum is wheelchair accessible and the whole visit is indoors. Washrooms, somewhere to eat lunch and how many adults you need are not on the site, so it is worth a call before you book.
Sources disagree. Their main school pages give this year's field trip dates, but the Petroglyphs page still shows last year's, which have already finished. Take the newer dates and confirm Petroglyphs is still on the menu when you enquire.
Sources disagree. Two sets of opening hours are floating around their site. The table on the page says Tuesday to Saturday, 10 to 4, while an older line still says Monday to Saturday, 10 to 5, and that older one is what shows up in search results. Go with Tuesday to Saturday, 10 to 4, and check the banner at the top of their home page on the day.
Sources disagree. Their pages give two different age ranges for the Bastion tour. The card on the school programs list says kindergarten to grade 7, while the tour's own page and their booking form both say kindergarten to grade 12. Either way it takes in the youngest grades, so it only matters if you are booking older students.
Washrooms
Needs confirmation
Lunch space
Needs confirmation
Rain backup
Needs confirmation
Strollers
Needs confirmation
Wheelchair access
The museum is wheelchair accessible. Unfortunately the Bastion is not wheelchair accessible.
Bus parking
Needs confirmation
Nearby park
Piper's Park, about a five minute walk from the museum, where the historical miner's cottage stands
Restrictions
The Lantern Tour takes 90 minutes and is not suitable for anyone under the age of 12
