The Blacksmith's Apprentice Quest 

Join our Museum Interpreter to learn about the life of a blacksmith’s apprentice while solving puzzles, finding clues, earning tools for your toolkit, and becoming a full journeyman in a this quest-style education program.  This 90-minute program includes visits to a house, general store, and the newly opened Greenwood Blacksmith Shop exhibit as well as a quest booklet to complete.

Grade 3 Curriculum Connections:

Language: Oral Communication 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2,3, 2,4; Writing 3.1, 3.2

Social Studies: Heritage and Identity A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A2.1, A2.5, A2.6, A3.1, A3.2, A3.3, A3.4, A3.5, A3.6, A3.7; People and Environments: Living and Working in Ontario B1.1, B1.2, B2.1, B2.5, B3.1, B3.3, B3.5

Mathematics: A1, B1, B2, C1, C2, C3, E1, E2, F1

We’ll provide three scavenger hunt cards, and you’ll explore independently in groups lead by you and your chaperones.  Spend time in our Combination Barn exhibit: try milking our demonstration cow, Buttercup, comb the tail of Clyde (our demonstration Clydesdale foal), judge fair exhibits, and grind feed for cattle.

Curriculum Connections:

Language 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.6; 2.1, 2.2, 2,3, 2,4

Social Studies (Heritage and Identity) A1.1, A1.2, A1.3; A2.1, A2.5, A2.6; A3.1, A3.2, A3.3, A3.4, A3.5, A3.6, A3.7

Science and Technology (Understanding Life Systems) 1.1, 1.2; 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6; 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 3,7, 3.8  (Understanding Structures and Mechanisms) 1.1, 1.2; 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6; 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3,7, 3.8, 3.9

Mathematics B2.1, B2.3, B2.4, B2.5; E1.2, E1.4; E2.1, E2.5, E2.7; F1.1

School Days

The bell has rung and it’s time to step back in time to the early days of school and slates!  Role-play along with our Museum Interpreter through authentic lessons (and a few old-time school rules).  Then learn new games during recess play, and do some typical before-and after-school chores. This program takes place in our Chapel school room, outdoors for some recess play (recess will be indoors in poor weather), and our Combination Barn exhibit space.

Grade 3 Curriculum Connections:

Language: Oral Communication 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2,3, 2,4; Writing 3.1, 3.2

Social Studies: Heritage and Identity A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A2.1, A2.5, A2.6, A3.1, A3.2, A3.3, A3.4, A3.5, A3.6, A3.7; People and Environments: Living and Working in Ontario B1.1, B1.2, B2.1, B2.5, B3.1, B3.3, B3.5

Mathematics: Measurement E2.1, E2.5, E2.7

Playful Pursuits

Explore life for children 200 years ago through play. Try our toys (batteries are not included!), and learn a combination of quiet and active games. Finish up by making and learning a game to take home. Teachers may choose between a tradition early settler game, or a First Nations game to make and take. This program takes place outdoors; in poor weather, indoor games will be substituted in our hall.

Grade 3 Curriculum Connections:

Physical Education: Social-Emotional Learning Skills A1.5; Active Living B1.1, B1.2, B1.3, B2.1, B2.3, B3.1; Movement Competence: Skills, Concepts & Strategies C1.2, C1.3, C1.4, C2.1

Language: Listening to Understand A1.1, A1.2; Speaking to Communicate A2.1, A2.2, A2.3, A2.4

Music: Creating and Performing C1.1; Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing C2.2; Exploring Forms and Cultural Contexts C3.2

Grade 2 Curriculum Connections:

Physical Education: Social-Emotional Learning Skills A1.5; Active Living B1.1, B1.2, B1.3, B2.1, B2.3, B3.1; Movement Competence: Skills, Concepts & Strategies C1.2, C1.3, C1.4, C2.1

Language: Listening to Understand A1.1, A1.2; Speaking to Communicate A2.1, A2.2, A2.3, A2.4

Music: Creating and Performing C1.1; Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing C2.2; Exploring Forms and Cultural Contexts C3.2

Millie’s Day

Pickering’s early Black settlers faced many hardships in their first years in Upper Canada after finding freedom. Experience early settlement through the eyes of young Millie and share in the work needed for her family to clear their land and road allowances, build fences, and help around the home.  This program takes place in the new Log Barn and Log House exhibit spaces, and outdoors.

Roots to Rebellion!  

Pickering Township was a hotbed of political unrest in the 1830s. Through role-play and hands-on activities, we’ll help students use historical inquiry to explore physical, social and political challenges facing all Upper Canadians, and to understand the causes of the 1837 Rebellion. They will learn stories of local people and decide for themselves if they were Reform or Tory. Program reservations will include pre- and post-presentation activities for teachers to do with their students to prepare for and round out the experience.

Grade 7 Curriculum Connections:

The Arts: Drama B1.1, B1.2, B1.4, B2.1, B3.1;

Visual Language: Oral Communication 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1,7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7

History: New France and British North America: 1713-1800 A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A2.1, A2.5, A2.6, A2.7, A3.1, A3.3, A3.4, A3.5, A3.6, A3.7, A3.8

Traitors (available only as an add-on to the Roots to Rebellion! program)

Could you be loyal to the King, but also a traitor?  Through role-play and interactive lessons, students will understand how dangerous and corrupt early elections were and why the farmers moved from lawful reforms to armed rebellion in their quest for responsible government.  A tableau conclusion reveals the ultimate sacrifice paid by the men found guilty of treason but also how their actions brought Canada democracy.  This program takes place in the hotel, new Log House exhibit space, and grounds of Pickering Museum Village. This program explores government and the consequences of the Upper Canada Rebellion more deeply, as an add-on to the Roots to Rebellion program.  

Follow the Drinking Gourd

Early Black settler, George Chapman, had been enslaved in Virginia before settling in Pickering Township.  Students will explore how George may have followed the Drinking Gourd (north star) to find freedom in Canada and what that freedom looked like on a small plot of land in this hands-on, interactive program about the Underground Railroad and early settlement. This program takes place in the newly opened Log Barn and Log House exhibit spaces, as well as outdoors.

Follow the story of Teddy Bear as he journeys through the museum village discovering the many holiday traditions from around the world! Equipped with a storybook and activity sheets, teachers and chaperones will help students to explore customs, read maps, and identify where in the world the traditions began. They’ll even make a Victorian thaumatrope toy with a Diwali rangoli design to take home.

Explore the life of local Black settler, George Chapman, against the backdrop of changing enslavement laws and the Underground Railroad.  Through hands-on activities, students will analyze primary sources, learn about the UGRR’s secret codes, and apply those codes to plot a route for George from enslavement in Virginia to a free life in Pickering Township.

Program Length: 2 hrs.

Program cost: $300 for two 2 hrs. programs

Curriculum Connections:

Social Studies; History; Geography; Language; Mathematics; Art

Adaptable for students from Kindergarten to Grade 3 and adjusting COVID guidelines, our interpreter will lead students in games played by Indigenous and early European settler students 200 years ago.  Students will gain the building blocks of constructive play by learning how to manipulate old toys, and play games using vocabulary, rhythmic patterns, body percussion, movement, and cooperative interaction. 

Program length:  45 minutes 

Program cost: $210 for two 45-minute programs

Grade 1 Curriculum Connections:

Physical Education: Social-Emotional Learning Skills A1.5; Active Living B1.1, B1.2, B1.3, B2.1, B2.3, B3.1; Movement Competence: Skills, Concepts & Strategies C1.2, C1.3, C1.4, C2.1

Language: Listening to Understand A1.1, A1.2; Speaking to Communicate A2.1, A2.2, A2.3, A2.4

Music: Creating and Performing C1.1; Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing C2.2; Exploring Forms and Cultural Contexts C3.2

Grade 2 Curriculum Connections:

Physical Education: Social-Emotional Learning Skills A1.5; Active Living B1.1, B1.2, B1.3, B2.1, B2.3, B3.1; Movement Competence: Skills, Concepts & Strategies C1.2, C1.3, C1.4, C2.1

Language: Listening to Understand A1.1, A1.2; Speaking to Communicate A2.1, A2.2, A2.3, A2.4

Music: Creating and Performing C1.1; Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing C2.2; Exploring Forms and Cultural Contexts C3.2

School Is In! (Gr. 2/3)

We’ll send our Museum interpreter to you along with enough slates and slate pencils for some role-playing fun!  Lessons in spelling, elocution and arithmetic will include school room rules from 200 years ago!   At the end, we’ll wrap it up with a compare and contrast between school then and now. 

Program Length: 45 minutes

Program cost: $210 for two 45-minute programs

Grade 3 Curriculum Connections:

Language: Oral Communication 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2,3, 2,4; Writing 3.1, 3.2

Social Studies: Heritage and Identity A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A2.1, A2.5, A2.6, A3.1, A3.2, A3.3, A3.4, A3.5, A3.6, A3.7; People and Environments: Living and Working in Ontario B1.1, B1.2, B2.1, B2.5, B3.1, B3.3, B3.5

Mathematics: Measurement E2.1, E2.5, E2.7

1837!

Pickering Township was a hotbed of political unrest in the 1830s.  Through role-play and hands-on activities, we’ll help students use historical inquiry to explore physical, social and political challenges facing all Upper Canadians, and to understand the causes and consequences of the 1837 Rebellion.  They will learn stories of local people and decide for themselves where their sympathies would have rested.  Program reservations will include pre- and post-presentation activities for teachers to do with their students to prepare for and round out the experience.

Program Length: 2 hours

Program cost: $300 for 2 2-hr programs

Grade 7 Curriculum Connections:

The Arts: Drama B1.1, B1.2, B1.4, B2.1, B3.1;

Visual Language: Oral Communication 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1,7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7

History: New France and British North America: 1713-1800 A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A2.1, A2.5, A2.6, A2.7, A3.1, A3.3, A3.4, A3.5, A3.6, A3.7, A3.8

Simple Machines Videos (Gr. 2+)

We’ve used the backdrop of Pickering Museum Village, its buildings and artifacts to explain simple machines in a series of 7 videos. At the end of each is a challenge activity or two for students to do as a follow-up activity.

Force and Movement  |  Inclined Planes  
Levers  |  Screws  |  Wedges 
Wheels & Axels  |  Pulleys

Curriculum Connections:

Grade 2 Science and Technology – Understanding Structures and Mechanisms: Movement

Grade 3 Science and Technology - Understanding Matter and Energy: Forces Causing Movement

Grade 4 Science and Technology review - Understanding Structures and Mechanisms: Pulleys and Gears

Early Settlers Virtual Mini Tours (Gr. 3+)

Enjoy a brief introduction to some early settler information, and structures at Pickering Museum Village with these videos.

First Arrival

A quick lean-to or tent would have to do until the barn or shanty could be constructed.

Log House 

Life was tight - and busy - in the first home, but where did a family of 10 sleep?

Blacksmith Shop 

Early trades moved in as quickly as the settlers, and the blacksmith was a very important tradesman in the community.

Pickering and the Underground Railroad (Gr. 6+)

We’ve developed an independent learning lesson in Prezi, exploring the UGRR, key figures, and local settlers.  We’ve added in primary source material for students to explore and provided tips on how to analyze the information.  In the end, we encourage students to use the evidence and decide: Was Pickering a stop on the UGRR?  This lesson is recommended as a pre-presentation activity for students before the Underground Railroad Virtual Live presentation takes place.

Grade 6 Curriculum Connections:

Social Studies: Heritage and Identity: Communities in Canada, Past and Present A1.3, A1.4, A2.1, A2.2, A2.3, A2.4, A2.5, A2.6, A3.2, A3.3, A3.4, A3.6, A3.7, A3.10

Grade 7 Curriculum Connections:
History: New France and British North America, 1713–1800 A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A3.1, A3.3, A3.4, A3.6, A3.7, A3.8; Canada, 1800–1850: Conflict and Challenges B1.1, B1.2, B1.3, B2.1, B2.2, B2.3, B2.4, B2.5, B2.6, B2,7, B3.1, B3.2, B3.3, B3.4, B3.5, B3.6

Grade 8 Curriculum Connections:
History: Creating Canada, 1850-1890 A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A2.1, A2.2, A2.3, A2.4, A2.5, A2.6, A3.1, A3.2, A3.3, A3.4, A3.5

The Rebellion Interviews (Gr. 7-8)

Pickering Township was very involved in Wm. Lyon Mackenzie’s ill-fated attempt to overthrow the government in December 1837. With the help of our talented Backwoods Players volunteers, we’ve interviewed six key figures connected to the Rebellion of 1837, and Pickering in particular.  Learn details about the rebellion, straight from the lips of people who lived those times. These videos are recommended viewing as a pre-program activity prior to the 1837 Rebellion Live Virtual Program.

Wm. Lyon Mackenzie Interview Part One

Wm. Lyon Mackenzie Interview Part Two
Discover how Mackenzie’s growing disillusionment with the “Family Compact” lead him to ask farmers to take up arms against the government, and what happened over the days of the uprising. 

William Allan Interview
The Family Compact was an interconnected ruling elite in Upper Canada, that exploited their position and influence.  Meet this member of the Family Compact’s and learn about his career, and his link to Pickering. 

Asahel Scott Interview

Mrs. Mary Major Sleigh Interview
Not all Pickering settlers were rebels.  Some were sympathetic to reform, but were not in favour of an armed uprising.  The Major family were early settlers and remained loyal to the Tory government.  Mrs. Sleigh tells the story of her family’s position. 

Mrs. Hannah Smith Matthews
Mrs. Matthews was left to carry on the family farm and raise her children when her husband, Peter left Pickering to lead the Pickering rebels to the uprising.  Her story is one of perseverance and sadness.

Peter Matthews

Gr. 7 Curriculum Connections:
History: New France and British North America: 1713-1800 A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A2.1, A2.5, A2.6, A2.7, A3.1, A3.3, A3.4, A3.5, A3.6, A3.7, A3.8

Costumer Confidential (Gr. 7 +)

Join the Museum’s Costumer for a look at changing fashion and social history tidbits. This is a fun series for students Gr. 7+ with an interest in lifestyle, and fashion history. 

Sontags and Shawls

1830s Fashion

Wardrobe Extenders

Baby It's Cold Outside

A Craving for Corsets

Cap This!

Fancy Dresses

The Costumes of Bridgerton

Curriculum links:

The Arts (Drama, Visual Arts)
History
Theatre Arts
Fashion Design

What Was It Really Like? Virtual Field Trips (Gr. 8+)

In this series of short videos we explore topics that peek into what life was really like in Pickering in the mid- to late 19th Century.

Hygiene

Learn what good hygiene in the 1850s meant!  You will be surprised to hear how often bathing, hair washing and teeth-cleaning were done.

Barn Raising

It took a community to raise a barn. Learn the social and the practical aspects of working together.

Cleaning

A woman’s work was never done, so they say.  Some chores were seasonal - find out more!

Courtship

Discover the differences, and the surprising similarities between dating now and in the 19th Century!

Health and Medicine

Doctors were not always trusted, and for good reason!  Many housewives relied on herbal remedies and patent medicines to treat their families.

Female Itinerant Preachers

The Bible Christians were one of very few religious groups that allowed women to preach.  Join us for a look at this extraordinary group.

Canning

Early canning practices could be dangerous!  Explore a brief history of food preservation.

Curriculum Links: Social Studies/ History