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Browse Education Programs

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:

Virtual: 45 minutes

In-person: 1.5 hours

Cost (+HST):

Virtual: $120 per class

In-person: $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 (dependent on snow accumulation)

Length: 1.5 hours

Cost (+HST): $6 per student

Playing with Time

Life 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

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

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

Indi-Genius

The Anishinaabe used many elements from the land to create tools for their survival and culture. In this virtual program, participants will discover some of the tools and technologies developed and used by Indigenous Peoples before European contact and learn the science behind creating these items. Participants will discover 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: Virtual: September to June

Length: 1 hour

Cost (+HST): $135 per class

Inaadiziwin (A Way of Life)

Learn about Anishinaabe life, including daily and seasonal routines and the contributions of Indigenous Peoples to the fur trade in this virtual experience! Participants will discover items including building materials such as spruce root and birch bark, technologies such as the birch bark canoe and snowshoe, and foods such as berries, wild rice and maple sugar. Participants will learn about trading practices and how the knowledge and technologies shared by Indigenous Peoples with Europeans helped expand the fur trade across the North American Interior.

Curriculum Links:

  • Science and Technology
  • Social Studies, History & Geography

Grade Suitability: 3–7

Availability: Virtual: September to June

Length: 45 minutes

Cost (+HST): $135 per class

Fur Trade Survival in the Boreal Forest

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: 

Virtual: 45 minutes

In person: 1.5 hours

Cost (+HST): 

Virtual: $135 per class

In person: $6 per student

Cosmic Journeys

Our vast universe has been a guiding force for cultures and explorers for centuries. Anishinaabe culture and storytelling is greatly influenced by the natural cycles of our solar system, and fur trade navigators, such as David Thompson, used the sun, stars and celestial bodies to create maps that would shape the borders of North America. Participants will join the David Thompson Astronomical Observatory 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: 1–6

Availability: Virtual: September to June (day or night)

Length: 1 hour

Cost (+HST): $135 per class

Invisible Energy

Energy is everywhere! The Sun, wind and water all provide energy in different ways. Energy gives us everything our planet needs to grow and change. Join us for an energizing adventure as we generate different kinds of energy such as lightning bolts of electricity, and become energy detectives to uncover where energy is found and why.

Curriculum Links:

  • Health & Physical Education
  • Science & Technology
  • The Arts


Grade Suitability: 1–2

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

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

Ethnobotany: Wild Plants at Fort William

Explore the connections between Anishinaabe culture and the natural environment. Learn about the important roles of plants in medicine, religious ceremonies, food, and shelter. Discover Indigenous perspectives on nature, biodiversity and environmental sustainability.

Curriculum Links:

  • Indigenous Studies
  • Science & Technology

Grade Suitability: 9+

Availability: September, October, May, 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

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

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: 3+

Availability: September to June

Length: 2 hours

Cost (+HST): $6 per student

Simple Machines

Discover the machines that advanced life in the 1800s and how these devices have evolved over time. Investigate how simple machines and tools use force and reduced friction to move heavy objects. Have fun using wheels, levers, pulleys, and screws to move different objects.

Curriculum Links:

  • Science & Technology

 

Grade Suitability: 2+

Availability: September to October, May to June

Length: 1.5 hours

Cost (+HST): $6 per student

Sunlight: Making our World Bright

The Sun and the energy it radiates form the basis for all life on earth. Discover how the Sun affects life at Fort William, from effecting the change in seasons and food availability to telling time and navigating the continent!

Curriculum Links: 

  • Science & Technology

 

Grade Suitability: 1–6

Availability: September to June (Daytime)

Length: 1.5 hours

Cost (+HST): $9 per student

David Thompson's Sun, Moon and 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

Constellation Discovery

Join us for a deep dive into outer space. Participants will enjoy a hands-on experience learning how to use our 8” Dobsonian telescopes to navigate the night sky and observe images of constellations. Study our meteorite collection and discover how and why they landed on Earth, all while learning about the major components of the solar system.

Curriculum Links: 

  • Science & Technology

 

Grade Suitability: 5+

Availability: September to June (night)

Length: 1.5 hours

Cost (+HST): $9 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

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

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

Tracks, Skulls & Furs

Discover the 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: September to June

Length: 1 hour

Cost (+HST): 

Virtual: $135 per class

In-person: $6 per student

History on the Menu

This hands-on culinary workshop is fun and informative! Learn about the diets of the Anishinaabe, Europeans and French-Canadians during the fur trade. Roll-up your sleeves and cook period recipes over an open fire or in the historic bake oven. At the end of the session, enjoy a sampling of all prepared recipes!

Curriculum Links: 

  • Health & Physical Education

Grade Suitability: 6+

Availability: September, October, April, May June

Length: 2 hours

Cost (+HST): $9 per student

Cooking with Chemistry

Cooking in the fur trade was the very essence of chemistry. Learn how bake ovens function, the cooking temperature of various foods, different cooking methods, such as oil and heat, and various ingredients, such as leavening agents. All showcase chemistry in delicious ways!

Curriculum Links:

  • Math
  • Science & Technology

Grade Suitability: 4+

Availability: September, October, April, May, June

Length: 1.5 hours

Cost (+HST): $6 per student

Children's Farm Life

Have you ever wondered where your food comes from? Experience a day working on our farm, in our garden and with our farm animals, as the farmers share their knowledge about 19th century farming.

Curriculum Links:

  • Health & Physical Education
  • Science & Technology

 

Grade Suitability: 1+

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