Earlier this month, Junior and Intermediate Gifted students enjoyed a day at the Hamilton Public Library’s Valley Park branch. Located near the world-famous Bruce Trail, students learned about the history and geography of the Bruce Trail.
The HPL Local History and Archives staff taught students to read maps, to use archival materials to explore the function and future of the Bruce Trail, and how to follow the Bruce Park blazes. The HPL librarians also helped to instill an appreciation for the design qualities embedded in this LEED Gold Certified building. Finally, the students learned to integrate environmentally friendly architectural design with Makerspace technology for the library.
By the end of the day, students had created personalized patches and posters to address green issues, hand-cut and pressed recycled paper buttons, and located biodegradable 3D-printed tokens from their Bruce Trail exploration. Students and staff agreed that modern design can honour our landscape, preserve our spaces for future generations, and enable library users to access environmentally friendly technology.
