Notice of Temporary Closure

The Bank of Canada Museum remains closed due to COVID-19. Our museum experience is highly interactive, and our top priority is the safety of our staff and visitors. We look forward to welcoming you again once it is safe for us to reopen.

Learn

We make learning about the economy fun, with online resources available to suit your curriculum. Or let us do it for you! Pop into the Museum for one of our free school programs. While booking, don’t forget to leave time to visit our fun, interactive exhibitions.

Teachers: You can also subscribe to our newsletter.

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School programs

Inflation Busters

Grades 9 to 12: How do you plan for the future when you don’t know what things will cost? Join the fight against inflation in Inflation Busters, a game-based program for students. Who knew learning about monetary policy could be fun? We did!
Content type(s): School programs Subject(s): Education Grade level(s): Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grade 11 / Secondary 5, Grade 12, Grade 9 / Secondary 3

Surprise, It's Money!

Grades 3 to 8: See and touch an amazing array of objects that have served as money at one time or another. Then join us in the Museum—explore the games, multimedia, videos and even more surprising artifacts. It’s fun, engaging, and a great way to learn the role the Bank of Canada plays in the Canadian economy.
Content type(s): School programs Subject(s): Education Grade level(s): Grade 3 / Elementary Cycle 2, Grade 4 / Elementary Cycle 2, Grade 5 / Elementary Cycle 3, Grade 6 / Elementary Cycle 3, Grade 7 / Secondary 1, Grade 8 / Secondary 2

Trading Planets

Grades 4 to 8: Travel to planet Plutopia on a trade mission with your students. Once there, you will see that trading goods without a common currency poses some serious problems. Trading Planets uses interactive, game-based learning to teach about trade, currency, and supply and demand.
Content type(s): School programs Subject(s): Education Grade level(s): Grade 4 / Elementary Cycle 2, Grade 5 / Elementary Cycle 3, Grade 6 / Elementary Cycle 3, Grade 7 / Secondary 1, Grade 8 / Secondary 2

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Lesson plans

A Bank NOTE-able Canadian

Apply the concept of historical significance to nominate an iconic Canadian for a new bank note. Students will create a design for their proposal.
Content type(s): Lesson plans Grade level(s): Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grade 11 / Secondary 5, Grade 6 / Elementary Cycle 3, Grade 7 / Secondary 1, Grade 8 / Secondary 2, Grade 9 / Secondary 3

A Noteworthy Woman

Apply the concept of historical significance to examine the bank note featuring Viola Desmond.
Content type(s): Lesson plans Grade level(s): Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grade 11 / Secondary 5, Grade 12, Grade 8 / Secondary 2, Grade 9 / Secondary 3

Price Check: Inflation in Canada

All about inflation: what it is, what is means and how it's measured. Students will learn how the consumer price index is calculated and create their own student price index to measure the prices that matter most to them.
Content type(s): Lesson plans Grade level(s): Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grade 11 / Secondary 5, Grade 12

Trade Rules

Introduce three basic economic concepts: consumers and producers, goods and services, and trade. Students will play a game to understand the benefits of trade.
Content type(s): Lesson plans Grade level(s): Grade 3 / Elementary Cycle 2, Grade 4 / Elementary Cycle 2, Grade 5 / Elementary Cycle 3

Trading Planets

This lesson plan for elementary students will take them on a trade mission to planet Plutopia to discover that trading without a common currency is hard.
Content type(s): Lesson plans Grade level(s): Grade 4 / Elementary Cycle 2, Grade 5 / Elementary Cycle 3, Grade 6 / Elementary Cycle 3, Grade 7 / Secondary 1, Grade 8 / Secondary 2

Trading Up: How Countries Benefit from Freer Trade

Use hands- on activities to explore comparative advantage, opportunity cost and specialization. Students will learn how these key economic concepts help countries benefit from trade.
Content type(s): Lesson plans Grade level(s): Grade 6 / Elementary Cycle 3, Grade 7 / Secondary 1, Grade 8 / Secondary 2, Grade 9 / Secondary 3

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Activities

July 7, 2020

The Art of Guilloche

Explore the art of guilloche. This technique was used to make symmetrical patterns on Canadian bank notes.
Content type(s): Activities Grade level(s): Grade 2 / Elementary Cycle 1, Grade 3 / Elementary Cycle 2, Grade 4 / Elementary Cycle 2, Grade 5 / Elementary Cycle 3, Grade 6 / Elementary Cycle 3
June 24, 2020

Colouring Time!

Let your creativity shine with these colouring sheets.
Content type(s): Activities Grade level(s): Grade 1 / Elementary Cycle 1, Grade 2 / Elementary Cycle 1, Grade 3 / Elementary Cycle 2, Kindergarten
May 4, 2020

Thank You Coupons

Exchange goods and services by creating a special gift for a loved one.
Content type(s): Activities Grade level(s): Grade 1 / Elementary Cycle 1, Grade 2 / Elementary Cycle 1, Grade 3 / Elementary Cycle 2, Grade 4 / Elementary Cycle 2, Kindergarten
April 28, 2020

Piggy Bank

Practice saving money with this fun piggy bank craft.
Content type(s): Activities Grade level(s): Grade 1 / Elementary Cycle 1, Grade 2 / Elementary Cycle 1, Grade 3 / Elementary Cycle 2
April 14, 2020

Money Slime

Use slime to learn how to recognize and count coins.
Content type(s): Activities Grade level(s): Grade 1 / Elementary Cycle 1, Grade 2 / Elementary Cycle 1, Grade 3 / Elementary Cycle 2, Grade 4 / Elementary Cycle 2, Kindergarten
April 3, 2020

Avatar Market

Practice making financial decisions by buying clothing and accessories for avatar puppets.
Content type(s): Activities Grade level(s): Grade 1 / Elementary Cycle 1, Grade 2 / Elementary Cycle 1, Grade 3 / Elementary Cycle 2, Grade 4 / Elementary Cycle 2, Kindergarten

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Education blog

October 5, 2020

If I Had a Million Dollars…I’d Be Reasonably Well Off

By: Graham Iddon


When the Barenaked Ladies released “If I Had a $1,000,000,” they could have considered themselves reasonably rich. And today? Well, there’s this inflation thing…
Content type(s): Blog Subject(s): Education, History
June 11, 2020

Nominating an Icon for the Next $5 Bank Note

By: Graham Iddon


Using a Bank of Canada Museum lesson plan, nearly 200 students told us who they thought should be the bank NOTE-able Canadian on our new $5 bill.
Content type(s): Blog Subject(s): Education
September 16, 2019

For Teachers: National Teachers Survey

By: Heather Montgomery


The Bank of Canada Museum would like to hear from teachers across Canada to help design new online resources for economic literacy.
Content type(s): Blog Subject(s): Education

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Educational resources

Bank of Canada: Educational resources

The Bank of Canada also has some educational resources we think you may find helpful.
Content type(s): Educational resources

Bank of Canada: Glossary

The Bank of Canada Glossary contains definitions of terms from various fields, including economics, finance and currency.
Content type(s): Educational resources

Economy, Plain and Simple

It’s right there in the title—Economy, Plain and Simple: Plain language. Complex concepts made as simple as possible—thanks to the efforts of our economists and a supporting cast of communications professionals. The results are short, quick reads, with engaging visuals, all on a mobile-friendly platform—so you can read them on the go.
Content type(s): Educational resources

Money and Monetary Policy in Canada

Money and Monetary Policy in Canada is a web resource to help educate Canadians on the mechanics of their economy and the Bank of Canada’s role in it. It’s written in fun, clear language and supplemented with helpful illustrations, meeting the needs of multiple levels of high school curricula.
Content type(s): Educational resources

Teacher's Newsletter

Sign up to stay up-to-date on the Museum’s programs, activities and opportunities for you and your students.
Content type(s): Educational resources

School Bursary Program

Need some assistance getting your class to the Museum?

If you are a school in need and in the National Capital Region, let us help with our transportation bursary.

More Info

30 Bank Street
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0G9, CANADA
613-782-8914

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