Fort Battleford National Historic Site of Canada

Kids Corner

The NWMP symbolized the great change that was sweeping the land. The Fort was the hub of their public relations with the surrounding people. Today five original buildings remain and are evidence of early life in the Northwest Territories. We also have a new interactive display in our Barracks building.

The history of Fort Battleford is directly linked to the Heritage Unit of the Grades Four & Five Social Studies curriculum. However, all grades can benefit from hands-on history.

Regular tours are 2 1/2 hours in length . To enhance your tour of the site you can also choose one or more of the workshops offered by Fort Battleford.

Costs: $2.90 per student (reg. Tour)
$3.90 per student (day program)
Prices subject to change

Day Program

The Day Program at Fort Battleford allows school groups to take a more in-depth look at the lives led by the inhabitants of this area in the late 1800s, including the First Nations people, the European settlers, the NWMP and Canadian Militia.

The Program begins at 10 am with orientation to the site and a private site tour. At noon, the children have a half-hour break for lunch, which can be provided by the Friends of Fort Battleford (please see attached) or supplied by the school. After lunch, the group can take part in a variety of workshops designed to give the children a more intensive look at specific aspects of life in the North West Territories with hands on activities incorporated into each workshop.

Day Program Workshops

The Drill Workshop is designed to teach the children the basic duties performed on a day-to-day basis by the NWMP at Fort Battleford. This is a fun, activity based workshop that is great for all elementary grades.

The Many Voices Workshop is designed to show the children that different people can have different viewpoints of the same situation and to show them how stories and history are told and remembered.
This workshop fits the social studies curriculum for grades 4 & 5, Unit 2: Heritage.

The First Nations Workshop is designed to teach children about the effect that the arrival of the Europeans had on the First Nations who inhabited this area with emphasis on the Fur Trade, decline of the buffalo and the signing of Treaties throughout Western Canada.
This workshop fits the social studies curriculum for grade 4, Unit 2: Heritage Modules 1&2.

The Communication/ Transportation Workshop is designed to teach the children the ways in which people communicated in a time when towns and forts were isolated from one another and technology was very different. This will also include a discussion on the impact of the railway.
This workshop fits the social studies curriculum for grade 4, Unit 2: Heritage Module 3.

The Archaeological Dig Workshop is designed to teach the children the important role that archaeology plays in furthering our understanding of the past. It is a hands on activity and depends on favourable weather conditions.
This workshop fits the social studies curriculum for Grade 5, Unit 2: Heritage Module 1, “learning about the past” .

A Games Time can also be selected for the group. This session will include a scavenger hunt for the children and several relay races. The discussion will also involve a look at the importance of games to the children of early settlers in Saskatchewan.

Climate Change and Renewable Energy is a workshop designed around the renewable energy components of Fort Battleford’s new visitor centre. Topics of discussion include wind, solar and geothermal energy production. The workshop will include a hands-on activity based on one of these forms of alternative energy.
This workshop corresponds with the curriculum for Science in grades 4-8, dealing with Saskatchewan’s renewable/non-renewable resources.

Family Life then and Now is a workshop for grades 1,2 & 3 social studies unit 2: Heritage illustrating the differences in communities, traditions and technology between 1885 and today. It involves different hands on activities depending on the teacher’s interest.

To book a tour or to get additional information please contact
Tami Conley-Blais
Interpretive Officer / Coordinator
Fort Battleford NHSC
Box 70
Battleford, SK S0M 0E0
Ph: (306) 937-4424
Fx: (306) 937-3370
Battleford.info@pc.gc.ca