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Category: Children’s Club News

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News from the club house

2019 Eco Camp

Thursday, 22 August 2019 by

The TCNM & DECR Eco Camp 2019 on Grand Turk was a great success. We had a big group of great kids this year who enjoyed swim lessons, swimming, bird walk/scavenger hunt, Gibbs Cay trip, a tour of the National Park, learning about the environment and ocean life. Special thanks to Grand Turk Divers & White Sands Charters for the trip to Gibbs Cay, Island Tram for helping transport the kids and Deep Blue Charter for the informative boat ride about the National Park. Many others helped make this a success: Kerri-Ann Smith for volunteering and helping out, Ben Stubenberg for swim lessons, Amy Avenant from DECR for running the camp, Salt Raker, Osprey Beach Hotel, Big Mums, Sandbar and Hilary Day for the fantastic lunches! It was a week of Fun & Education! The club is made possible by sales of the book “Where is Simon? Sandy”, written by Donna Marie Seim.

 

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Memories of Provo Summer Camp 2019!

Thursday, 22 August 2019 by

There were many first time experiences for our campers at the Turks and Caicos National Museum’s 2019 Living History Summer Camp in the Village at Grace Bay, Providenciales. The making of homemade ice cream using a hand cranked ice-cream maker with Mr. Simmons was a delicious one. Another was the hydroponics farm; they were fascinated with the concept and had many questions for Mr. Harrison who graciously answered them all.
Though the visit to the desalination plant at Beaches Resort was another first, they were able to relate it the hydroponics farm since Mr. Harrison also uses desalinated water and so they developed an even greater appreciation for water, our scare but vital resource.

However, corn, with its origins attributed to the indigenous people of this region of the world, was the big story of the week. Each camper planted their very own corn seeds and took them home to nurture them into plants. They learnt how to grind corn to make grits and roast corn outside on the fire and of course, there was the popping of corn. Learning traditional dance steps from Mr. Bowen that culminated in a dance party was loads of fun. Speaking of fun that aptly describes the learning and playing the game of cricket lovely cricket with Coach Daryl. We did make some time to enjoy a picnic on the gorgeous North Shore Beach of Little Water Cay and learn all about the iguanas and mangroves. At our closing sessions they was a unanimous “best camp ever” so I think I can safely say the campers enjoyed summer camp 2019.

We say thank you to our sponsors and all who have made this year’s camp the success that it was. To Turks and Caicos Banking Company, Donna Seim, Mario Smith and the Department of Agriculture, Turks and Caicos National Trust, Turks and Caicos Cricket Association, Beaches Resort, Sunshine Nursery, David Bowen, Ian Harrison, Dekkel Simmons, Blovena Greene, Lloyd Stubbs, Ron Higgs, Tatiana Stubbs, Witlene Williams, Guilmese Gustave and Thania Phanord, thank you!

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  • Published in A Day at the National Museum, Children's Club News, Museum News
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Children’s Club

Monday, 08 April 2019 by

The Grand Turk Monthly Children’s club for 2019 kicked off on Saturday February 16th. One of the projects for the club is to create a story book with the story and illustrations all to be completed by the children. They drew pictures and created an adventure for their characters.

On March 16th, the kids toured the museum with Director Dr. Michael Pateman.    The kids then did paintings and learned facts about whales, octopus and other marine life!

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Children’s Club on Grand Turk starts February 16th 2019

Tuesday, 15 January 2019 by

Children’s Club Information

!!The Club is FREE!!

When: The Kids Club will be held once a Month on a Saturday

Scheduled dates:

  • February 16th
  • March 16th
  • More Dates to be announced

Ages: 8-12

Where: Club will be held at the Science Building in the back of the Museum

Time: 1pm to 3pm  (note time change due to parent input!)

SIGN UP REQUIRED!!

Activities include art, crafts and mosaic projects that focus on the culture, nature, environment and history of the Turks & Caicos.

Email us at info@tcmuseum.org for more information or to receive a sign up form.

Or Visit the gift shop to sign your child up for the club.

 

 

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Grand Turk 2019 upcoming Projects

Thursday, 13 December 2018 by
Children’s Club – We are starting the monthly Children’s Club again. The first club will be held on February 16, 2019. Arts, crafts, games and field trips will be designed to be both fun and educational. Children from ages 8-12 are invited to participate. The club is FREE!! Enrollment will start in January. The club will be held once a month on a Saturday from 1pm – 3pm.
Oral History Interviews – Oral histories are the collection and study of historical information using tape recordings of interviews with people having personal knowledge of past events.  Preserving oral history is a critical phase of genealogical research and data preservation. If you are interested in participating or know someone who should be interviewed please contact us. Individuals from all islands will be included.
Community Mosaic – We plan to turn the museum wall into an original handmade mosaic. This project started on Museum Day and be an ongoing project. We had children draw pictures of landmarks, animals and plants. Those pictures were used to create the various images that will be part of the mosaic. The wall mosaic will transform our environment and community creating a lasting, beautiful change.  Participants will learn mosaic techniques and gain deeper pride in the community. The mosaic will include representations of all areas of life in the Turks & Caicos including our history, culture, nature and wildlife.
for more information on any of these projects please email us at info@tcmuseum.org
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Kid’s Club on Grand Turk

Thursday, 04 October 2018 by

We are excited to announce:

Turks & Caicos National Museum Kids Club on Grand Turk is starting back up in January of 2019!!

!!The Club is FREE!!
When: The Kids Club will be held once a Month on a Saturday starting January 2019 – Exact Dates to follow
Ages:  8-12
Where:  Club will be held at the Science Building in the back of the Museum

Activities include art, crafts and mosaic projects that focus on the culture, nature, environment and history of the Turks & Caicos.

Please let us know if you would be interested in volunteering to assist occasionally with the Kids Club.

More information will follow in December as we finalize the plans and dates for the club!

 

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Grand Turk Eco Camp 2018 – August 13th – 17th

Wednesday, 11 July 2018 by
August 13-17 the Museum on Grand Turk in collaboration with DECR hosted it’s annual Eco Camp for children. Kids ranging in ages from 9-14 enjoyed a week long camp that included a trip to Gibbs Cay, kayaking, learning to swim, learning about the history of the islands, marine life and what they can do to protect the environment.
The campers participated in crafts that included creating bags with environmental messages and recycled items they found in a beach clean up into jewelry and other gift ideas.
On the last day of camp everyone was awarded with a certificate of completion or a special gift for an individual accomplishment.
Many indicated that the Gibbs Trip was their favorite part of the camp but others enjoyed the swimming and the lunch provided daily!! They all departed on the last day excited to come back next year!!
Proceeds from the sales of Donna Seim’s book, Where’s Simon, Sandy? help to sponsor the children’s club summer camp.
A special thanks to Amy Avenant from DECR who led the camp and worked with the kids everyday. Also thanks to Grand Turk Divers, Oasis Divers, Jean Lightbourne, Rob Lightbourne, Ben Steubenberg and Katherine Hart. We had a great bunch of kids that had a great time thanks to your involvement and support!!
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Museum Summer Camp Held in Providenciales July 23rd-27th

Wednesday, 11 July 2018 by

Museum Living History Summer Camp

The Grace Bay Campus hosted its second annual living history summer camp, July 23rd to 27th. The 28 campers learnt the traditional arts of basket weaving from, net knitting and making of rag rugs. They even cooked outside. They visited the farm and saw chickens lay eggs, also saw goats and pigs. The bearing okra trees that they saw on the farm was a source of inspiration for their own okra tree-planting project. They were transported to the late 17th – early 18th century by a visit to Cheshire Hall Plantation followed by a lively and interactive presentation of the many traditional uses of plants. They also learnt traditional dance, much to their delight. Playing cricket in the afternoon was always highly anticipated. They learnt about the animals we share the island with and ways to coexist with them.  The trip to Little Water Cay to visit the iguanas was exciting, especially since the Iguana mascot made a special appearance. It was a great week of learning and lots fun!

Click on Read More to see our Photo Gallery from the Camp.

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EcoCamp Day 3

Thursday, 18 August 2016 by

By Amy Avenant
Environment Outreach Coordinator, DECR

We started the day with a turtle conservation and tagging information session hosted by DECR Environmental Officer Katharine Hart.

Katharine Hart explains the turtle conservation program during EcoCamp Day 3

Katharine Hart explains the turtle conservation program during EcoCamp Day 3

In light of our talk, we decided to clean up our beach to ensure the health of the lovely waters and creatures that call it home. A community member saw what we were doing and offered to take all 5 bags of trash to the landfill. Thank you sir!

All the trash we collected ready for the dump

All the trash we collected ready for the dump

After a well-earned lunch, we practiced our swimming skills learned from Ben on day 2 and had some recreational time.

IMG_7973

Time for a quick swim and more snorkeling practice.

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EcoCamp Day 2

Wednesday, 17 August 2016 by

By Amy Avenant
Environmental Outreach Coordinator, DECR

It was great fun today on EcoCamp Day 2. We boarded Reef Peepers for a boat ride (a first for some of us!) and snorkeling! We saw many little fish hanging about and one BIG fish too, a territorial barracuda.

EcoCampers on the way

EcoCampers on the way out for an adventure.

After lunch, we learned to swim and improve our skills with Mr. Ben Strubenberg from the TCI Swimming Federation.

IMG_7924

IMG_7938

A huge thank you to Reef Peepers and Ben Strubenberg for the donation of their time and equipment!

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The Museum is a publicly funded not for profit organization.

It is not a part of the Turks & Caicos Islands Government and receives no regular support from the Government. Only your Support makes it all possible. Become a supporter today — we can’t do it without your help.

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The Colors of the Turks and Caicos Islands

RED was chosen to represent the nation’s capital, Grand Turk. The color is taken from the red/pink fruit found on the national plant, the Turks Head Cactus. They were once found in abundance on Grand Turk before they were removed to accommodate the salt ponds.

WHITE was chosen to represent Salt Cay. The color came from salt. The salt industry was largely responsible for populating the islands of Salt Cay, Grand Turk and South Caicos.

ORANGE was chosen to represent South and East Caicos. The color comes from the Spiny Lobster and fish and reflects the fishing industry in the “Big South.”

TAN was chosen to represent Middle Caicos. The color is taken from the raw material (thatch) that once covered the roofs of the houses. It is also used to make straw hats, baskets and brooms. Middle Caicos is known for the superior quality of native craftwork.

GREEN was chosen to represent North Caicos and Parrot Cay. The color is taken from the fruit trees and other types of trees that flourish in the most fertile of all the islands. North Caicos is also home of Wade’s Green Plantation, the most successful of Caicos Islands cotton plantations.

TURQUOISE was chosen to represent the islands of Providenciales, Pine Cay and West Caicos. The color is taken from the beautiful turquoise waters that surround these islands on which our famous Caicos fishing sloops sail. These turquoise waters also contribute to our newest industry, tourism.

PINK was chosen to represent the beautiful conch shell, flamingoes and the numerous uninhabited cays that make up our chain of islands.

YELLOW represents God’s glory as the sun shining down on all our beautiful islands and cays. The sun also contributes to our newest industry, tourism.

View a timeline of important events and dates in the history of the islands

View Timeline

A Few Artifacts You’ll See at the Museum

Our collections represent the rich historical, cultural and natural heritage of the Turks and Caicos Islands and its people.

Lucayan Duho

Photo courtesy of Joanna Ostapkowicz. The Duho is one of the rarest artifacts in the museum’s collections. It was used a ceremonial seat for the cacique or chief of the Lucayans, the first inhabitants of these islands.

Fresnel Lens

The Grand Turk Lighthouse was erected in 1852 and was originally designed to burn whale oil and had an Argand reflector lamp. In 1943 the lighthouse was converted to a Fresnel Lens one of these lenses is now on display at the Museum.

Swivel Gun

The Molasses reef wreck, an early Spanish Caravel was equipped with three types of breech-loading swivel guns, one type is shown above. The swivel guns are thought to be anti-personnel weapons placed wherever convenient along the ship’s rail.

Salt Industry Post Card

The museum has diverse collection of early postcards of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Most post cards depict scenes on Grand Turk, the capital and from the salt industry.

Take a Look
TCI Governor

Governor of the Turks & Caicos Islands

H.E. Nigel Dakin CMG

The Turks & Caicos Islands National Museum on Grand Turk surely stands in one of the most majestic settings of any museum, anywhere! Perched on the edge of the Columbus Landfall national park. The 200-year-old building, “Guinep Lodge”, which houses a multitude of artifacts covering everything from the pre–Columbian Indians to the modern age, is a museum in its own right. The west facing building has stood firm and witnessed 200+ years of incredible TCI sunsets and has withstood every major hurricane since before records began.

The National Museum plays a vital role in recovering, preserving, recording and displaying the history of these island for all to see, enjoy and learn from. The museum’s archive is a veritable treasure trove of information, with enough information to fill two museums. With thousands of pre-Columbian artifacts from multiple archeological digs from around the TCI over the last 50 years, un-displayed artifacts from ancient warships, parish records or births, deaths and marriages dating back over 200 years; a veritable gold mine of information, just waiting to be discovered.

The museum is not only an exhibition facility for local history and artifacts, but also undertakes important work in the community with multiple events throughout the year and supports all the TCI schools, has a regular summer camp and kids club for our budding historians and archeologists of tomorrow.  The Grand Turk location includes a “science building” which is a fully fledged restoration facility to stabilize artifacts before they are displayed or stored in the archive. All of this work has been quietly undertaken since the museum was founded 30 years ago. There is also a campus on Provo and there are exciting plans underway to construct a new, multimillion dollar purpose-built facility for the wider enjoyment of our fascinating history. The Governor’s Office is proud to have supported the TCNMF over the years with vital capital projects.

Whether you are a local, or a visitor to our beautiful shores; I encourage you to visit and support the Turks & Caicos National Museum and absorb our colorful and surprisingly diverse local history.


H E Nigel Dakin CMG

Governor of the Turks & Caicos Islands

Minister for Tourism, Heritage & Culture for inclusion on the museum website

Hon. Josephine Connnolly

"It is a pleasure as Minister with responsibility of Heritage to welcome you to the Turks and Caicos Islands National Museum website. This Gem of an operation is perhaps the most notable establishment in regards to sites of historical interest. Since its establishment in 1991 it has always been an intricate part of our tourism product.

As a supporter, I believe the National Museum’s success depends on all resident and visitors; and as Minister I am committed to strengthening our tourism product through the infusion of authenticity and the increase in awareness of the National Museum in the development of heritage assets for sustainable tourism development.

Visit and explore the Grand Turk and Providenciales locations and experience our heritage and culture through interactive displays and exhibits. Special thanks is extended to the National Museum, a tangible product, a repository for artefacts and documents, providing a true island experience.".

Hon. Josephine Connnolly
Minister for Tourism, Heritage & Culture for inclusion on the museum website

President of Turks and Caicos Islands Community College

Dr. Hubert A. Fulford

"My interest in history and research goes back to my years as a student at the then Grand Turk Secondary School, where my teacher and later mentor, the late Helena Jones Robinson instilled a curiosity in me to appreciate context.  At that time, not fully appreciating the impact that curiosity would have on me, I sought only to please my teacher.

Pursuing tertiary education at various institutions, in various countries and at various levels, my initial foundation of inquiry was further stimulated.  Libraries and museums would form a very important part of my education, specifically during my studies in Jamaica, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Returning home after my studies abroad, my first visit to the Museum so captivated me that I began to tell all persons, visitors and islanders alike, that a visit to the museum was a MUST! The quaintness, yet thorough organization and presentation of artifacts of various kinds avowed me.

I found tremendous joy in taking my TCI Studies students to the Museum, standing back and listening to their expressions of excitement and curiosity as the curators and assistants would walk them through the various displays and presentations.

The Jamaican expression “likkle but tallawah” (small but strong) aptly fits our Museum.  The significance of this institution to our history and culture cannot be over stressed.

Welcome to The Museum.  A combination of history, culture and enchantment awaits you."

Dr. Hubert A. Fulford

President of Turks and Caicos Islands Community College

Historic Photo Gallery of the Turks and Caicos Islands

All images and the design of this Web site are protected under federal copyright laws. Any downloading, duplication or reproduction of any part of this Web site by any method whatsoever without the expressed written permission of the Turks & Caicos National Museum Foundation is strictly prohibited. Photos and/or usage rights are available for purchase please contact us for details.

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Locations

Guinep House, Front Street

Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands, British West Indies (BWI)
Tel (01 649) 247-2160
From the US (786) 220-1159
Hours Vary - See our schedule under Locations

The Village at Grace Bay

Development Office and Caicos Heritage House
Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands, British West Indies (BWI)
Tel (01 649) 247-2161
Grace Bay Hours: See Hours For This Location

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