Programs & Experiences

Make learning fun by booking a school program at Historic Dunvegan! All programs are based on the Alberta curriculum for Social Studies, but you do not have to be a school to book our programs. Programs can be customized to suit clubs, organizations, and groups that are looking for something fun, educational, and extraordinary.

Bookings for onsite programs in May and June 2024 will begin at 9am on Thursday, February 1, 2024.

Each program is interactive and allows participants to explore different elements of Alberta's history and culture while reinforcing social studies curriculum objectives.

Onsite education programs are available May through Labour Day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Please note that depending on group size and grade level, some programs may require adaptation - contact us for details and a program schedule that best meets your group's needs.

  • We can accommodate up to 100 students - contact us for details.
  • Onsite programs are approximately 1.5 hours in length.
  • Recommended supervisor to student ratio is 1:8.
  • If supervisor to student ratio exceeds 1:8, additional admission fees may apply.
  • Many schools choose to participate in 2 programs for a full-day visit and enjoy lunch in the day-use area.

Preparation

  • Please download the Onsite Teacher Package for information on preparation, payment, feedback, and more.
  • Consider watching Dunvegan: Where the Trails Cross with your class for an introduction to Dunvegan's history.

Kindergarten to Grade 3

Programs best suited for children in kindergarten to grade 3.

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Little Time Travelers

What brought Indigenous peoples together as a group? Why did European people come to Dunvegan? How was life both different and similar in the past?

Little Time Travelers takes Dunvegan's smallest visitors on an adventure through all of Dunvegan's historic buildings. Students can see, touch, and experience what life might have been like in a time before even their grandparents were born!

Grades: Kindergarten to grade 3

Total time: 1.5 hours

Cost: $3 per student

Curriculum Connections

  • K.2 - I Belong
  • 1.2 - Moving Forward with the Past: My Family, My History and My Community
  • 2.2 - A Community in the Past

Just for Fun: Voyageur Challenge

Do your students have what it takes to be a voyageur?

After learning some essentials of the voyageur lifestyle and fur trade, students will have the opportunity to try their hand at some "traditional" voyageur activities such as the Beaver Bean Bag Toss and Old-Fashioned Laundry relay. The activities will end with your students reciting the Voyageur Oath in order to become official Dunvegan Voyageurs!

Grades: Kindergarten to Grade 3

Total time: 1.5 hours

Cost: $3 per student

Curriculum Connections

  • K.2 - I Belong
  • 1.2 - Moving Forward with the Past: My Family, My History and My Community
  • 2.2 - A Community in the Past

Missionaries and the Beaver People

This dynamic program provides students with an in-depth look at the relationship between Indigenous people and European missionaries at Dunvegan. Discover aspects of traditional Beaver life, learn about the role of the Missionaries, and explore some of the communication and cultural challenges that faced both groups. 

Grades: 2-3

Total time: 1.5 hours

Cost: $3 per student

Curriculum Connections

  • 2.2 - A Community in the Past

Grades 4-7

Programs best suited for children in grades 4-7.

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Missionaries and the Beaver People

This dynamic program provides students with an in-depth look at the relationship between Indigenous people and European missionaries at Dunvegan. Discover aspects of traditional Beaver life, learn about the role of the Missionaries, and explore some of the communication and cultural challenges that faced both groups. 

Grades: 4-7

Total time: 1.5 hours

Cost: $3 per student

Curriculum Connections

  • 4.2 - The Stories, Histories and People of Alberta
  • 5.2 - Histories and Stories of Ways of Life in Canada
  • 7.1 - Toward Confederation

Trappers and Traders

The fur trade survived for over 100 years at Fort Dunvegan. Who traded and what for? What trading strategies were used? This program makes the lives of the Trappers and Traders come alive.

Students will run their fingers through real furs and see real trade goods in the setting of a restored historic fur trade store. After soaking up all the information on the fur trade, students will try their skills at trading in our role play game that re-enacts how the fur trade worked.

Grades: 4-7

Total time: 1.5 hours

Cost: $3 per student

Curriculum Connections

  • 4.2 - The Stories, Histories and People of Alberta
  • 5.2 - Histories and Stories of Ways of Life in Canada
  • 7.1 - Toward Confederation

General Tour

Tour Dunvegan’s 4 fully restored historic buildings: Revillon Frères trading post, St. Charles Mission Church and Rectory, and the Hudson’s Bay Company Factor’s House. The tour introduces the themes of missionary, Indigenous, and fur trade life at Dunvegan in the 1890s.

Grades: 4-7

Total time: 1.5 hours

Cost: $3 per student

Curriculum Connections

  • 2.2 - A Community in the Past