Fort Chambly National Historic Site
Learning Experiences
Sitting on the edge between past and present, on one of the most important waterways in Canadian history, the Fort is ready to meet your class' assault with a garrison of highly-trained interpreter-guides.
Discover our educational activities through this web page. For more information, contact us at 450 658-1585.
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A Fascinating Journey Through New France
Artefacts are Real Blabbermouths!
© Parks Canada
Clientele: 2nd and 3rd grade primary school
Four interactive activities tell students about archaeology, the seigneurial system, the uniforms and daily life of the soldiers and inhabitants of New France.
Archaeology at Chambly Fort:
Artefacts are Real Blabbermouths!
Plate fragments, pieces of utensils, wild and domestic animal bones; ask them the right questions, and they'll reveal the secrets of the fort's inhabitants.
Being a Soldier at the Fort Chambly in 1750
© Parks Canada
Being a Soldier at the Chambly Fort in 1750:
Miles Away from the Modern World
How did soldiers spend their days? What did they eat? What did they do with their spare time? Was a soldier's life hard? Find out for yourself.
Military Uniforms of the Past:
Soldiers from Head to Foot
With the help of a student model wearing the jacket, pants, shirt, vest, shoes and hat of a soldier, a guide presents and explains the various parts of a Compagnie franche de la Marine soldier's uniform.
Put on a Soldier’s Uniform
© Parks Canada
The Seigneurial System:
Keeping Hearth and Home in New France
If the King confided you with a seigneurie, would you know how to manage it? Using a giant map of the Chambly seigneurie, students can build a manor, a mill, a church and houses. A lively discussion on the rights and responsibilities of the Seigneur and the censitaire will follow.
Length: 2 hours
Number of students:
- 2 classes of 30 students (in March, April, September, October and November)
- 4 classes of 30 students (in May and June)
Availability: Offered from March to June and from September to November
Fee: Go to the Fees section (Basic).
To prepare your visit to our site, ask for our “Educational Toolkit” (Adobe PDF, 2.36 MB) or consult it online.
Discover the Museum
A Journey Through History
© Parks Canada
Complementary Activity
Clientele: 2nd and 3rd grades of primary school
With a questionnaire in hand, students explore the museum and discover various aspects of the history of New France’s history. Its modes of transportation, communication channels and fur trade, as well as life in the garrison and land occupation under the seigniorial system are the major themes explored in these expositions.
Length: 1 hour
Number of students: 2 classes of 30 students
Availability: Offered in March, April, September, October and November
Fee: Go to the Fees section (Enhanced).
Musket-firing demonstration
© Parks Canada
A French Fort to Discover
Clientele: Junior and senior high school students
Accompanied by a guide, students will discover the secrets of the French soldier uniform and receive an introduction to 18th-century military architecture.
A self-guided tour rounds out the program. As a complementary activity, a musket-firing demonstration, unique in Canada, can also be provided.
Length: 2 hours
Group capacity: 90 students
Availability: Offered in March, April, September, October and November. The musket-firing demonstration may be cancelled due to poor weather conditions.
Fees: Visit the Fees section (Basic).
There is an additional charge for the musket-firing demonstration.
Old-time Clothing
© Parks Canada
Other School Programs
We also offer special activities for preschool, daycare and day camp groups. Call us for more information.
Online Educational Resources
Parks Canada offers free on-line classroom-ready educational resources. Visit the “Teacher's Corner” section of our website for more information.
You may be particularly interested in the “Defending Quebec, Capital of New France” activity.
This is a pedagogical activity provided online and intended for second cycle elementary school students. A French soldier named Vadeboncoeur invites them to take part in a trip back in time to defend Quebec City at the time of New France.
Note: To read the PDF version you need Adobe Acrobat Reader on your system.
If the Adobe download site is not accessible to you, you can download Acrobat Reader from an accessible page.
If you choose not to use Acrobat Reader you can have the PDF file converted to HTML or ASCII text by using one of the conversion services offered by Adobe.