SOCIAL STUDIES, HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY
COSMIC JOURNEYS
Anishinaabe culture and storytelling is greatly influenced by the natural cycles of our solar system, and David Thompson, a fur trade cartographer, used the sun, stars and other celestial bodies to create maps that would shape the borders of North America. Join our astronomers as they demonstrate how the marvels of the Earth, solar system and the unknown influence our lives.
Curriculum Links: Science & Technology, Social Studies, History & Geography
Grade Suitability: 1+
Availability: September to June (day and night)
Length: 1 hour
Cost (+HST): $120 per class
DAVID THOMPSON’S SUN, MOON & STARS
David Thompson, a fur trade cartographer, used the sun, stars and other celestial bodies to create maps that would shape the borders of North America. Join our voyageur guides and fur trade astronomers as they demonstrate how the marvels of Earth, the solar system and the unknown influence our everyday lives.
Curriculum Links: Math, Science & Technology, Social Studies, History & Geography
Grade Suitability: 1+
Availability: September to June (day and night)
Length: 1.5 hours
Cost (+HST): $9 per student
DISCOVER EARLY SETTLERS
Discover how the inhabitants of Fort William worked together and the special skills they needed to survive. After tracing the routes colonists took to different settlements in Upper Canada, students will work in groups to build their own frontier communities.
Curriculum Links: Social Studies, History & Geography
Grade Suitability: 1-3
Availability: September to October, May to June
Length: 1.5 hours
Cost (+HST): $6 per student
FIRST NATIONS SKILLS & TECHNOLOGY
What did technology look like in the Fur Trade Era? Discover Indigenous innovations that made life easier 200 years ago. Examine various objects and tools used by Indigenous Peoples and Europeans, including a birch bark canoe, baskets, snowshoes, tools, and raw materials.
Curriculum Links: Science & Technology, Social Studies, History & Geography
Grade Suitability: 5+
Availability: September to June
Length: 1.5 hours
Cost (+HST): $6 per student
FIRST NATIONS TRADITIONAL TEACHINGS
A unique cultural experience! Students will be immersed into the traditional and cultural practices of the Anishinaabe. Select from a menu of learning experiences that meet your curriculum requirements, including paddling canoes on the Kaministiquia (May-June), making a traditional craft, learning about Anishinaabe material culture, exploring the forest for wild edibles and medicines, and preparing traditional foods.
Curriculum Links: Health & Physical Education, Indigenous Studies, Science & Technology, Social Studies, History & Geography
Grade Suitability: 6+
Availability: September to June
Length: 2 hours
Cost (+HST): $9 per student
FURS OF THE FUR TRADE
Discover the various animals that were important to the fur trade from the perspectives of the North West Company’s fur traders and the Anishinaabe hunters and trappers. Learn which furs were valued for fashion or winter survival, and why. Examine the skulls of these animals to learn about their anatomy, behaviours, diets, and habitats!
Curriculum Links: Science & Technology, Social Studies, History & Geography
Grade Suitability: Virtual – JK-3, in-person – 2+
Availability: Virtual – year-round, in-person – September to June
Length: 1 hour
Cost (+HST): $120 per class (virtual), $6 per student (in-person)
FUR TRADE DANCING
Dancing has been an important part of cultures for thousands of years. Learn Anishinaabe, French-Canadian and Scottish dances from the early 19th century, and the instruments and history of each type of dance.
Curriculum Links: Health & Physical Education, Social Studies, History & Geography, The Arts
Grade Suitability: 4+
Availability: September to June
Length: 45 minutes
Cost (+HST): $6 per student
FUR TRADE SURVIVAL
Learn survival skills inspired by Indigenous Peoples and the Europeans who worked and lived in the boreal forest during the Fur Trade Era. Discover how they used their natural surroundings to build shelter, harvest food, keep warm, and navigate the vast wilderness.
Curriculum Links: Indigenous Studies, Science & Technology, Social Studies, History & Geography
Grade Suitability: 4+
Availability: September to June
Length: 45 minutes
Cost (+HST): $120 per class
GPS SCAVENGER HUNT: HISTORY OR ECOLOGY THEME
Get introduced to Global Positioning System (GPS) and take on a field challenge. Using the provided GPS units, each team must locate waypoints, avoid decoys and correctly answer clues to complete the challenge.
Curriculum Links: Science & Technology
Grade Suitability: 3+
Availability: September to June
Length: 1.5 hours
Cost (+HST): $6 per student
GREAT VOYAGEUR CHALLENGE
The Fort’s proprietor has a challenge for you! Take part in historic games, races and a tour of Fort William. Activities vary by season.
Curriculum Links: Health & Physical Education, Social Studies, History & Geography
Grade Suitability: 3+
Availability: September to October, January to March, May to June
Length: 2 hours
Cost (+HST): $6 per student
HISTORY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Examine sewing tools used by Indigenous Peoples before European contact. Barter for craft supplies at Fort William and create traditional crafts to take home. Craft choices include bead work, a dream catcher, a voyageur’s fire bag, a leather ball, and a small medicine bag.
Curriculum Links: Health & Physical Education, Social Studies, History & Geography, The Arts
Grade Suitability: JK+
Availability: September to June
Length: 2 hours
Cost (+HST): $6 per student
INAADIZIWIN (A WAY OF LIFE)
Learn about Anishinaabe life, including daily and seasonal routines and the contributions of Indigenous Peoples to the fur trade. Discover building materials, technologies and foods. Learn about trading practices and how the knowledge and technologies shared by Indigenous Peoples with Europeans helped expand the fur trade across North America.
Curriculum Links: Science & Technology, Social Studies, History & Geography
Grade Suitability: 3-7
Availability: September to June
Length: 45 minutes
Cost (+HST): $120 per class
INDI-GENIUS
Discover some of the tools and technologies developed and used by Indigenous Peoples before European contact, and understand the science behind creating these items. Learn about the many regionally available resources, engage in experiments, including testing the tensile strength of natural cordage and manipulation of wood using heat and moisture, and learn about the uses of local sediments and minerals to create tools.
Curriculum Links: Science & Technology, Social Studies, History & Geography
Grade Suitability: 4-6
Availability: September to June
Length: 45 minutes
Cost (+HST): $120 per class
LIFE IN A WIGWAM
Learn about the daily and seasonal cycles in Anishinaabe life, including customs and rites of passage for adolescents. Examine domestic items, such as a tikinagan, tools and furs, before bartering for trade goods. As a parting gift, students will receive a sample of Labrador tea with brewing instructions.
Curriculum Links: Social Studies, History & Geography
Grade Suitability: 1+
Availability: September to June
Length: 1.5 hours
Cost (+HST): $6 per student
LITTLE FUR TRADERS: ANISHINAABE OR VOYAGEUR THEME
Put your imagination to work! Follow in the footsteps of French-Canadian voyageurs or Indigenous Peoples as they lived 200 years ago. Explore Fort William, join in the daily activities and leave with a small gift of either glass beads or hat feathers.
Curriculum Links: Social Studies, History & Geography, The Arts
Grade Suitability: JK-4
Availability: September to October, May to June
Length: 1.5 hours
Cost (+HST): $6 per student
MUSKETS & CANNONS
Students will learn about the role of black powder firearms in early Canada, learn how to collaboratively and safely discharge a cannon, and try firing a flintlock musket. Please note, participants must be 13 or older to fire a cannon or musket.
Curriculum Links: Science & Technology, Social Studies, History & Geography
Grade Suitability: 6+
Availability: September to October, May to June
Length: 1.5 hours
Cost (+HST): $6 per student
NIGHT SKY STORYTELLING
Anishinaabe traditions, stories and harvests are greatly influenced by the cycles of the Earth, moon and immediate solar system. Listen to Anishinaabe storytellers as they draw upon their culture to explain the mysterious cycles of creation, life and beyond, and the roles we all play in the universe. Following Anishinaabe cultural practices, this program is only available when snow is covering the ground.
Curriculum Links: Science & Technology, Social Studies, History & Geography, The Arts
Grade Suitability: 1-8
Availability: When snow covers the ground (Estimate December to February
Length: 2 hours
Cost (+HST): $9 per student
PADDLING THROUGH TIME
Embark on an unforgettable adventure on the historic Kaministiquia River in our replica birch bark canoes, guided by expert canoeists. Learn voyageur songs and paddling techniques while enjoying this highly physical activity.
Curriculum Links: Health & Physical Education, Indigenous Studies, Social Studies, History & Geography
Grade Suitability: 4+
Availability: September to October, May to June
Length: 1.5 hours
Cost (+HST): $6 per student
PLAYING WITH TIME
It was “work hard, play hard” during the fur trade. Learn about the history and importance of recreation and leisure activities by participating in various games from Anishinaabe, French-Canadian and Scottish cultures.
Curriculum Links: Health & Physical Education, Social Studies, History & Geography
Grade Suitability: 1+
Availability: September to June
Length: 1.5 hours
Cost (+HST): $6 per student
SNOWSHOEING
Examine different styles of snowshoes and their design features. Then strap on a pair and try out the most common form of winter transportation invented by Indigenous Peoples. Complimentary hot chocolate included.
Curriculum Links: Health & Physical Education, Indigenous Studies, Social Studies, History & Geography
Grade Suitability: 3+
Availability: December to March (dependant on snow accumulation)
Length: 1.5 hours
Cost (+HST): $6 per student
THE CIRCLE OF ANISHINAABE LIFE
This experience introduces students to the Anishinaabe, who they are, their importance in history, and their way of life. This experience will focus on the use of music and food to welcome students to the Anishinaabe encampment and their way of life.
Curriculum Links: Health & Physical Education, Indigenous Studies, Science & Technology, Social Studies, History & Geography, The Arts
Grade Suitability: 3+
Availability: September to June
Length: 2 hours
Cost (+HST): $9 per student
WALKING THROUGH TIME
Step back in time and explore Fort William in this interactive tour, led by one of the people who lived and worked around Fort William. Learn the business of the North West Company and visit some of the interesting places that made Fort William the hinge of a global empire! Customized tours highlighting specific themes can be requested at the time of booking.
Curriculum Links: Health & Physical Education, Indigenous Studies, Social Studies, History & Geography
Grade Suitability: Virtual – JK-3, in-person – 2+
Availability: Virtual – Year-round, In-person – September to June
Length: 45 minutes virtual, 1.5 hours in person
Cost (+HST): $120 per class (virtual), $6 per student (in-person)