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    Army bills: Funding the War of 1812

    In 1812, British North America had no banks and little currency. With the prospect of war drying up supplies of coins, the government of Lower Canada decided to issue legal tender notes called “army bills” to pay for troops and supplies.

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    Needs or wants? That is the question!

    Do you need it, or do you want it? That’s an important question to ask before buying anything. This activity is designed to teach kids how to prioritize their needs and wants, and how to make informed choices when shopping.

    Teaching the green economy

    From windmills and solar panels to electric cars, signs of the green economy are all around us. Check out our resources for how to teach about the green economy.

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The Adventure of Exhibit Planning VI

By: Graham Iddon


November 6, 2014

What will Voices from the Engraver look like?

The design of any exhibit is really where the tire hits the road. There could be beautiful artifacts and fascinating writing but if the exhibition looks like a grade 9 science fair booth, (unless it’s the one with the working volcano) nobody’s going to bother taking a look. In our case, we brought our designer in during an early conceptual phase when we were working out the subject zones of the storyline. Maps of this were created then we could begin to brainstorm the actual physical aspects of it.

Chart of circles and squares

This is not the time for ‘nay sayers’. Basically, we planned a luxury car knowing that when all was said and done, it was going to be a very nice family sedan (maybe with the big engine?). Grandiose ideas unfettered by the petty constraints of budgets (and to some degree, reality) were thrown about. Inexplicable diagrams sprawled across white boards and soon our designer had his starting point and he could go away and design the look of the exhibit.

Whiteboard sketch
Whiteboard sketch
Whiteboard sketch

And he did go away - to his basement where nobody was going to drop by his desk to chat about last night’s episode of True Blood or ask him to re-establish their network connection. From out of his basement he came up with the look of the exhibition in a few days and remarkably little has changed since (until the budget says we can no longer use those fur-trimmed, platinum frames on the stand-up panels). So what will it look like? Well, our designer took all of his cues from bank note and stamp design as well as the tools and plates of engraving. The typography and design details are bank note in style, the panel look is derived from engraved printing plates and the dark wood of a workbench and a well-used tool handle.

Bank note style lettering
Bank note style lettering
Bank note style lettering

There are two basic display units in this show. The vertical panels are planned as connected groups of three that can be displayed as a roughly curved group all facing one way or facing three directions in a triangle. The smaller exhibit sections, what our interpretive planner calls ‘exhiblets’, are built into low units resembling antique drafting tables. They will have not only 2D items and labels in them but a scattering of engraving tools and related props. As well as label information, the stand-up units will have 3D elements such as bank note or stamp frames and built-in acrylic cases in various sizes for a small variety of artifacts. Take a gander.

Illustration of exhibit
View of table top exhibit
Wood with stamps and notes

There are a number of touch-screen electronic interactive items in this show as well which we will cover in some detail in a following episode of ‘The Adventure of Exhibit Planning’.

We want to hear from you! Do you have an idea for a blog post you’d like to see?
Content type(s): Blog posts

The Museum Blog

June 16, 2022

Army bills: Funding the War of 1812

By: David Bergeron, Graham Iddon


In 1812, British North America had no banks and little currency. With the prospect of war drying up supplies of coins, the government of Lower Canada decided to issue legal tender notes called “army bills” to pay for troops and supplies.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Economy, History
May 5, 2022

Between tradition and technology

By: Graham Iddon


Collage, man at an easel, paintings of birds and a goose illustration with comments written on it.
What was proposed was a complete about-face from the philosophy behind recent security printing. If photocopiers could easily deal with the colours and designs of the current series, then the next series should be bold and simple.
Content type(s): Blog posts
April 21, 2022

Teaching the green economy

By: Adam Young


From windmills and solar panels to electric cars, signs of the green economy are all around us. Check out our resources for how to teach about the green economy.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Business and careers, Economy, Geography, Science, Social studies Grade level(s): Grade 07 / Secondary 1, Grade 08 / Secondary 2, Grade 09 / Secondary 3, Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5 and CEGEP
April 4, 2022

Talk to your kids about money

By: Heather Montgomery


Collage, ceramic pig on background of a bank book and a stamp folder with kids on it.
Introduce important financial skills to your children, and help them plan for their futures with free resources from the Bank of Canada Museum and others.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Financial literacy Grade level(s): Early childhood / Kindergarten, Grade 01, Grade 02, Grade 03, Grade 04, Grade 05, Grade 06, Grade 07 / Secondary 1, Grade 08 / Secondary 2, Grade 09 / Secondary 3, Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5 and CEGEP
March 3, 2022

Teaching inflation during the COVID-19 pandemic

By: Heather Montgomery


COVID-19 has had an unprecedented effect on the economy: closing businesses, driving down demand and interrupting supplies. With news stories and popular culture addressing inflation and supply chain issues, now is the perfect time to explain this key economic concept to your high school students.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Economy Grade level(s): Grade 09 / Secondary 3, Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5 and CEGEP

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