Eatons Support Activity Hub

Children explore wartime themes through hands-on activities at the John C. Eaton Activity Hub.
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Thanks to longstanding Museum donors John C. Eaton and Sally Horsfall Eaton, a new hands-on activity centre is attracting families to the Canadian War Museum.

The John C. Eaton Activity Hub — already in operation — complements temporary exhibitions in the Museum’s Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae Gallery. As Canada and the Museum arrive at important First World War centenaries over the next few years, the Eaton Hub will offer in-depth, informative and sometimes visceral examinations of Canada’s roles at home and overseas.

The Eatons’ donation ensures families, students and other visitors can access enriched public programming and educational opportunities over the next five years.

The Eaton Hub’s hands-on activities will change with each new exhibition and will be developed and presented by the Museum’s education staff and volunteers. Activities have included learning to knit as part of the World War Women exhibition and discovering iron with a metal detector in the recent Fighting in Flanders exhibition. The Eaton Hub promises to be a busy place during the upcoming Vimy Ridge centenary in 2017.

The Eatons know children learn best by doing, and wanted to support families learning together. “We were happy to make this donation in memory of the First World War and all the people who took part in it, both in the armed forces and on the home front. We hope it has been the kind of thing that will make people remember their forefathers and the sacrifices they made to help their country. Some paid the supreme sacrifice in the army and navy, and many people worked at home and did their part.”

The Canadian War Museum is proud and pleased that families have a dedicated place to explore powerful and sometimes challenging topics. Years from now, many of these young visitors will have a genuine sense of connection to their country’s past through activities first experienced at the Eaton Hub.