Activities
Primary Level
Primary Level
Information and reservation:
reservation@mccord.mcgill.ca
(514) 398-7100, ext. 222
An area to eat lunch is available for $50; reservations required.
Three ways of satisfying your curiosity :
At the Museum | At School | Online
We offer specially designed activities to meet the expectations of every age group.
Our Five Keys to History approach is a fun and informative way to be introduced to history and the language of objects.
At the Museum:
- Our dynamic guides will open the doors to history for you and your group.
At School:
- Our educational collection provides students with direct access to objects.
- Our activities can be conducted in class with or without the help of a Museum interpreter.
Online:
- The McCord Museum Web site offers an important educational tool, EduWeb, whose content is based on the Five Keys to History approach.
- In order to encourage the exploration of Canadian history, you will find lesson plans, more than 135,000 images free to use for educational purposes, as well as tools, games and virtual exhibitions.
Download the Educational Activities Program 2010-2011 [pdf, 2Mb]
At the Museum
Winter Solstice
Offered only in November and December
The return of snowflakes and the first snowball fights announce the coming of Christmas. Decorating the tree, handmade gifts and simmering meals all combine to create a magical atmosphere. For centuries, Christmas traditions have been enriched by customs from the four corners of the world. Come share with us the extraordinary history of this celebration of daylight.
Duration :120 minutes
Fee: $5.50 / child
Number of children :80
Cycle(s) : Cycle 1
Theme(s) : Space, time, and society; Religious expression
- NEW -
Toy Stories
Starting mid-November
An exhibition that's just for kids! We'll take you on a trip back in time to discover the toys of yesteryear. In a workshop, students will build a toy out of recycled material.
Duration :120 minutes
Fee: $5.50 / child
Number of children :60
Cycle(s) : Cycle 1
Theme(s) : Space, time, and society
Back in Champlain's day: alliances, explorations and fur trade
The fur trade in New France takes shape thanks to the alliances created by Samuel de Champlain between the Europeans and the Aboriginal nations. Throughout the visit, students will explore artifacts, visual documents and maps in order to discover how the alliances were created. These alliances enabled Champlain to carry out his explorations and establish the fur trade -- a key component in the territorial expansion of New France. As apprentice silversmiths, students will create, from thin strips of metal, their own trade medallions, one of the symbols of the French-Aboriginal alliance.
Duration : 120 minutes
Fee : $5.50 / child
Number of children : 80
Cycle(s) : Cycle 2
Theme(s) : French society in New France
Prepare for your visit
Game : Cultural exchanges
Aboriginal Dance and Drumming
To understand the full vitality of Aboriginal culture, we need to take a closer look at the reality of their lives in the 19th and 20th centuries. Dive into history, follow the rhythm of the drum, and introduce yourself to traditional dance. Everyone will be able to see how Aboriginal cultural traditions have changed over time and how the culture has stayed alive.
This actvity is generously supported by the J.A. Bombardier Foundation.
Duration : 120 minutes
Fee : $6,50 / child
Number of children : 80
Cycle(s) : Cycles 1, 2 and 3
Theme(s) : Space, time and society (Cycle 1); The Iroquoians and Algonquians around 1500 (Cycle 2); Cultural diversity (Cycle 3)
Web @ctivity
Thematic tour : Continuing Negotiations: First Nations and the State
- NEW -
Demystifying the Museologist
This one-of-a-kind invitation will introduce children to what a museum is all about and the work we do. Drawing on our collections and our Simplement Montréal permanent exhibition, the activities will be divided into three phases: before, during and after the visit. Students will learn firsthand about the work done by museologists by handling antique items from our educational collection and preparing a fact sheet on each item. Once back in the classroom, you can have them build on their experience by asking them to create an exhibition using their own family treasures. We also invite you to display their creations on our Web site.
Duration : 120 minutes
Fee : $5,50 / child
Number of children : 80
Cycle(s) : Cycle 3
Theme(s) : Quebecois society aroud 1905
On the Back of the Turtle
Natural Resources and Aboriginal Nations
Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Iroquoians of the St. Lawrence River used every natural resource at their disposal and imaginatively created objects for daily use. Together, students discover how water, earth and the forest became allies in the Aboriginals' survival. This is followed by a workshop where, using traditional techniques, students create some of these objects in clay.
Duration : 120 minutes
Fee : $5.50 / child
Number of children : 80
Cycle(s) : Cycle 2
Theme(s) : The Iroquoians around 1500
Prepare for your visit
Educational objectives [pdf document]
Preparatory program [pdf document]
Game : Extraordinary Aboriginal Creations
-NEW-
Made by Mi'kmaqs
Starting mid-March
How did the Mi'kmaqs use their local resources to produce clothing and household and decorative objects? Come discover their rich artisan traditions in an exhibition on the people indigenous to the woodlands of eastern North America. In a workshop, students will craft a basket using the same methods as the Aboriginal women of the past, but using recycled materials of the present.
Duration : 120 minutes
Fee : $5.50 / child
Number of children : 80
Cycle(s) : Cycle 2
Theme(s) : Mi'kmaqs traditions around 1980
Web @ctivity
Thematic tour : Tradition, Change and Survival: Mi'kmaq Tourist Art
Once upon a time in 1905
Budding historians: ready, set, go ! Discover the past by way of countless fascinating detours through objects found at the McCord Museum. How did our ancestors live in the Montreal region ? Students will search the exhibition hall to find objects associated with real and fictitious characters, who they'll learn more about in the process. Then, in a workshop, the students will form teams to create a plan of Montreal in 1905, placing the same characters in the neighbourhoods where they lived or might have lived.
Duration: 120 minutes
Fee : $5.50 / child
Number of children : 80
Cycle(s) : Cycle 3
Theme(s): Quebec society around 1905
Web @ctivity
Virtual exhibition : Urban Life through Two Lenses (Montreal past and present)
Thematic folder : Montreal 1850-1896: The Industrial City
Thematic folder : Montreal 1896-1914: The Canadian Metropolis
At School
Educational Kit
Montreal during the Industrial Revolution, 1820-1905
An activity that brings countless examples to your classroom from the era when industrial development created a revolution! Students approach this historical period via a diverse range of activities where they explore the impact the Industrial Revolution had on Montreal. Through a selection of significant objects, students will be able to identify the major events that have irrevocably altered social customs, the economy and the world of industry. The Educational Kit can be used in the classroom independently or with the assistance of a Museum interpreter.
Duration : 10 days
Fee : $150 / Kit*
Half-day with interpreter : $175* extra
Full day with an interpreter : $325* extra
Number of childen : Unlimited
Cycle(s): Cycle 3
Theme(s): Canadian and Quebec society from 1820 to 1905
*transportation not included
Promotional brochure [pdf document]
Web @ctivity
Thematic folder : The splendour and misery of urban life
The Photographer's Workshop
This is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel back in time in the company of a 19th century photographer and discover the art of photography. This workshop transports students to the era of composite photographs, fake backdrops and the time of the interminable pose. Don't forget to say "cheese !"
Duration : 120 minutes
Fee : Half-day : $175*, Full day : $325*
Number of children: One class per facilitator
Cycle(s): Cycle 3
Theme(s): Canadian and Quebec society from 1820 to 1905; Science and technology
*transportation not included
Web @ctivity
Game : Watch the Birdie
Thematic folder : In the Eye of the Camera, 1840-1867
Online
A journey among the Inuit and Mi'kmaq around 1980
Learning and evaluation situation (LES)
This lesson plan invites students to explore the diversity of Inuit and Mi'kmaq societies and their territories, around 1980, by creating a Web folder of traditional artifacts produced by these communities using the image bank on the Museum site. As a teaser: the quiz " Extraordinary Aboriginal Creations. "
Cycle(s): Cycle 3
Theme(s): Inuit and Mi'kmaqs around 1980
Web @ctivity
A journey among the Inuit and Mi'kmaq around 1980
Canadian Societies and Trades around 1900
Learning and evaluation situation (LES)
This lesson plan invites students to compare Quebec, Prairie and West Coast societies around 1900 by creating a Web folder on the trades found in these societies using the database of images. As a teaser: observation games on past and present Montreal in the virtual exhibition "Urban Life through two Lenses."
Cycle(s): Cycle 3
Theme(s): Quebec, Canadian societies in the Prairie and on the West Coast around 1900
Web @ctivity
Canadian Societies and Trades around 1900
The 2010-2011 programme of activities was made possible with the financial support of the Fondation J. Armand Bombardier and Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life.
