CMAG and ACT Historic Places - Outreach Learning Resources - 2026 School Bookings

CMAG and ACT Historic Places OUTREACH LEARNING RESOURCES

All outreach resources are available for hire on a termly basis and are to be collect from and returned to Canberra Museum and Gallery, located here. After your order, the Programs Booking Officer will be in contact to organise collection. An invoice will also be sent to you in a separate email, there is a $25.00 hire fee for each resource. 

All resources will fit into the boot of a small hatchback with the back seat folded down, or the boot/back seat of a larger sedan.

Available resources can be selected on the ticket selection page.

Canberra Museum + Gallery

THE ART BOX (YEARS F-3)

The Art Box is a lower primary visual arts outreach learning resource available for schools in the Canberra region. This resource features paintings in the Nolan Collection and encourages students to make connections between these paintings and works by other artists in the CMAG Collection. Students will engage with works of art through play-based activities and use QR code technology to respond and make. The maximum booking period for each school is one term and the cost is $50 per class. There are two Art Boxes available for schools to borrow:

•   Animals+Plants

•   Landscapes+Figures

Professional Learning Workshop: Unpacking The Art Box

The Teacher Professional Learning Workshop Unpacking The Art Box is built into a school booking and is offered at the beginning of each school term. The workshop is only available to teachers from the Canberra region who borrow THE ART BOX. These workshops are designed to empower and support teachers by providing them with methods, techniques, strategies and resources to confidently and creatively implement THE ART BOX outreach learning resource in their own classroom. Workshops are free of charge. Participation in an Unpacking The Art Box workshop will allow teachers to:

•   Become familiar with the teacher notes

•   Preview resources designed to encourage reading, playing, looking and making

•   Use QR code technology to view online video tutorials

•   Discuss various activities and approaches with colleagues

•   Find answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Unpacking The Art Box workshop participants are asked to BYO device with a QR code scanner/reader installed. These are free from your App store.

THE BLUE SUITCASE: WHAT INSPIRES ARTISTS? (YEARS P-8)

This suitcase contains a series of quirky and exciting objects where the artists have used imaginative approaches to materials. Here you will find toast made from clay, Millennium Bug Teapots and other strange and inspiring objects made from plastic, timber and collected objects.
The suitcase has specially designed support materials when being loaned to preschools.
Developed in conjunction by Craft ACT in collaboration with Canberra Museum and Gallery

THE RED SUITCASE: WHAT IS DESIGN? (YEARS 5-8)

This suitcase contains a range of stunningly designed and made objects in glass, metal, ceramics, plastic and timber. Some of these use traditional techniques and others are made using hi-tech machines and materials.
Developed in conjunction by Craft ACT in collaboration with Canberra Museum and Gallery

ACT Historic Places Resources

Artefact Chat

The Artefact Chat box contains items representative of their time, and relate to life in the past in Australia. Unlike the collections at ACT Historic Places museums, these objects can be handled by your class. Find more information on our website here. 

There are 3 boxes available with different themes: 

1) Travelling, School and Cooking 

2) Shopping and Washing

3) Bath time and Toys 

Dawn's Suitcase 

A great hands-on addition to your classes visit to Calthorpes House. All objects in the suitcase can be handled and used by the class for investigations into family life/children in the past. Dawn's suitcase, similar to the Artefact Chat boxes, contain objects form the past, similar to the ones Dawn would have used.