Programs for Schools and other Groups
Model of the convent
Groups of up to 50 people can be accommodated on a tour. All programs include a guided tour of the Museum itself. Reservations are required a week in advance so that enough guides are available. You will receive a confirmation by fax; it must be signed and returned to complete the reservation. In case of a cancellation, please give the Museum 24 hours’ advance notice, to avoid being billed.
Medicinal Remedies Game
Level: grades 5 to 12; adults
Length; 1½ hours
Cost: $5.00 per student or senior; $6.00 per adult
What illness can be warded off with the skin of a “chicoque”? – that’s a French word for skunk derived from the Ojibway language. This entertaining game was prompted by some of the recollections of French-Canadian and Métis elders who recorded their oral history. In it, you have to connect the medicine with the illness it is supposed to treat. The aim is to make us aware of how self-sufficient past generations had to be in taking care of their own health, and in finding and developing cures. The activity also shows how important it is to record oral history.
Bilboquet – a Métis Ring-and-Pin Game
Level: grades 3 to 12; suitable for other groups
Length; 1¼ hours
Cost: $5.00 per student or senior; $6.00 per adult
Some form of this game is found all over the world, and it was very popular among Natives and Métis. Their ring-and-pin game is made of a disk with holes pierced in it; a stick is attached to the disk on a leather cord. The object of the game is to score points by throwing the disk in the air and catching it on the stick. Participants will make their very own bilboquet as they learn more about the history of the game, and then they can play! Perhaps a champion will emerge.
The Little Schoolhouse
Level: grades 5 to 9
Length; 1½ hours
Cost: $5.00 per student
Come in, sit down on one of the school benches, and be good. A Grey Nun will give you a calligraphy lesson.
