Spring School Programs

Grade 1 - UNLOCK OUR HISTORY:
My World, My Community, My School and My Home

The grade one tours run in May each year (dates will be announced). The tour consists of a schoolhouse presentation with “Mrs. McTavish”, first school teacher in Fort McMurray, old-fashioned games, a craft, as well as a tour of the Hill Drugs building, Hill House, the Fur Trading Post, Aboriginal Exhibit, Trapper’s Cabin and the Tepee. Together they will demonstrate for the students what their community and school was like in the early to mid 1900s. The program is approx. 90 minutes long and is offered in both the morning and the afternoon. As a resource a manuals and interactive CD are available.

Grade 2 - UNLOCK OUR HISTORY:
Canada's Dynamic Communities & My Community in the Past.

The grade two tours run in May each year (dates will be announced). The grade two program consists of a schoolhouse presentation with “Mrs. McTavish” first school teacher in Fort McMurray, old-fashioned games a craft, as well as a tour of the Hill Drugs building, the Fur Trading Post, Aboriginal Exhibit, Trapper’s Cabin, Chateau Gai, Old Catholic Mission, the Wop May/Bush Pilot Exhibit and the Tepee. This tour demonstrates life in our community in the early to mid 1900s. The program is approx. 90 minutes long and is offered in both the morning and the afternoon. As a resource a manuals and interactive CD are available.

Grade 1 & 2 Unlock Our History Manuals and CD-$9.95

As an additional resource, we have created an interactive CD and a manual for teachers to use in the classrooms. This material will not only help prepare for the visit to Heritage Park but it can be used to fulfill learning outcomes. The resource manual includes pre-visit activities, instructions for the day and activities to use after participating in our program. Most schools have already purchased these materials, which can be found in the school library. This CD features a presentation called “Then and Now”, a virtual tour of Heritage Park, interactive games, a section for grade 1 and a section for grade 2.

Grade 3 - Pioneer Days

Students will experience a day in the life of a pioneer. They will make butter, wash clothes, garden, cut logs, go to school, and play old-fashioned games to learn about life in Fort McMurray in the early 1900s. Our activities can increase students’ understanding of how people in under-developed countries still live today. This tour is implemented in June each year. Pioneer Days runs from 10:00 am to 2:15 pm with a lunch break from 11:40- 12:25.

Grade 4 - Moving North

In this interactive tour, students role-play families who are “moving north” in the early 1900s. Students are divided into “families”, and each student is given a role to play within their family group. Each family will visit 6 different places in early Fort McMurray in order to establish their settlement. Moving North runs from 9:45 am to 2:15 pm with a lunch break of 40-45 minutes. A CD and a manual have been created as a resource for teachers and to prepare the students prior to, during and after the tour. Tours run in May and June of each year.

Moving North Manual and CD-$4.95

A CD and a manual have also been created to help teachers prepare their students prior to the program. These materials also include resources for use in the classroom after participating in the program.

Grade 5 - Fort of the Forks

Before Fort McMurray became a booming city, it was a tiny fur trade post known as “Fort of the Forks”. Students will participate in our fur trade game, where they will earn and collect furs to trade at our very own trading post. In doing so, students will learn about the people involved in the local fur trade right here in the fur-rich Athabasca region. This program is approx. 135 minutes and is run in the morning and the afternoon. This program is run in March and/or April of each year.