FOR TEACHERS
Welcome to the Kawartha Lakes Spirit Walks
Teacher's Curriculum Linkages
The educational content of the Kawartha Lakes Spirit Walks complements the First Nation component of the Ontario school curriculum.
You are invited to learn about the First Nation People that live in the Kawartha Lakes area. They arrived thousands of years before the Europeans and today we have the opportunity to experience and learn the culture. The Kawartha Lakes Spirit Walks provides teachers and students with a meaningful and fun learning experience. We invite you to visit the different partners of the Kawartha Lakes Spirit Walks to discover the rich heritage of the aboriginal people who lived here over 10,000 years ago and continue to live here today.
We can help you plan your class trip as well as assist you in coordinating your visits to the different sites to ensure that your curriculum and scheduling needs are met. Educational kits are also available for several of the Spirit Walk sites. These kits include current and historical information about each site, with relevant games and activities for students. They can be completed in the classroom or at the site.
The knowledge and experience gained from the Kawartha Lakes Spirit Walks will not be forgotten by students. This interactive approach to aboriginal culture will have a lasting impact. The Spirit Walks looks at the current social, political and economic conditions of aboriginal people still living in the Kawartha Lakes area, and it celebrates the many contributions that aboriginal people have made to the region.
Imagine...
The Trent-Severn Waterway is a 10,000 year old canoe trip, with meeting places along the way. People know about these places but directions were not written down. They hunted ducks in the marshes, gathered clams along the edge of the lakes and picked berries. The waterway provided a way of life.
Rice Lake
Near Rice Lake, you will see the high rolling ridges, lakes, rivers and marshes created by receding glaciers. You will see the islands, called drumlins, in Rice Lake that all point the same way. Do you know there drumlins on dry land as well as in the water?
Imagine...
Certain areas of the waterway were so thick with wild rice, making it impossible for people to canoe through.
Trent-Severn Waterway
The 240 mile route of the Trent-Severn Waterway winds north past the pastoral farmlands above the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario, through the granite outcroppings and pine-clad islands of the Kawartha Lakes to Georgian Bay. It is part of north-eastern inland waterways that were used centuries ago by native people and settlers in the discovery of North America.
Imagine...
Wherever you see a lock along the Trent-Severn Waterway, there used to be rapids that people would have to portage.
The Petroglyphs Provincial Park
The Petroglyphs (petro=rock; glyphs=carving) were carved by Algonkian-speaking Aboriginal people between 600 and 110 years ago. The shapes and figures had deep spiritual meaning to the carvers and people.
Imagine...
A special place where people came to talk to the spirits.
Program Notes:
Programs are 40-60 minutes in length and can be adapted to the level and special needs of the group. The maximum number of people per group is 45. June, September and October are the busiest months for tours, so reserve as early as possible. by calling 705-877-2552.
Entrance fees
into the park are $8.50 per vehicle ($6.75 seniors) and $60 per bus.
There is an educational manual which can be used by educators. It is targeted to grades 3-8 and is available for $10.00. It also includes pre and post visit information and activities." The Teaching Rocks" video is also available for sale for $15.00 per copy.
Serpent Mounds Park
Discover Aboriginal culture and traditions of the past and present. The park's educational program features a 2000 year old summer camp of the Point Peninsula people and explores the culture of the Aboriginal people who live here today.
Imagine...
An Aboriginal burial mound that has a serpentine, or zig-zap appearance. It is the only one of its kind in Canada.
Program Notes:
Serpent Mounds Park can develop a special program to suit your specific interests. For example, a program could include Aboriginal craft workshops, story telling and canoe tours along the scenic north shore of Rice Lake. We can also offer native awareness workshops that include a traditional Aboriginal lunch cooked over an open fire and a talk with a community elder about Aboriginal spirituality and culture. Please inquire about the fees for these special programs and activities.
The Canadian Canoe Museum
The museum's new education programs are student-centred and experientially-based. They will promote the canoe as a legacy, a symbol linking all Canadians to our history and our landscape.
Imagine...
Learning traditional skills through working with tools to make history come alive in your own hands!
Program Notes:
The Canadian Canoe Museum offers a variety of inclusive and experiential, curriculum-linked education programs for students from kindergarten to post-secondary level, as well as professional development for teachers. Primary students are invited to partake in our Paddle to the Sea experience, which engages young minds on the themes of Environment and Geography. We welcome junior and intermediate students to join us for Traditional Knowledge and Skills (an integrated Native Studies unit focusing on northern, western, central and eastern Aboriginal cultures as presented in our Origins Gallery) or Trappers and Traders (which puts students into the heart of the fur trade through costuming, role-playing and much more).
Secondary students are invited to come and explore The Evolution of an Idea (namely 'the canoe'), focusing on the technical aspect of the canoe, its development, and its many forms. Core experiences are 90 minutes in length, at a cost of $4 per student. Student groups range in size from 12-15 students per museum educator. In addition to our core experiences (outlined above) we offer a variety of optional extension of each core experience (including paddling, craft options, food-making, etc) at a rate of approximately $4 per 90-minute extension. For information on teacher PD and overnight programs, please contact the museum directly.
Alderville First Nation
Learn about the First Nation Community and how they are working to save their Ojibwa language.
Imagine...
Native people hunted caribou along the Oak Ridges Moraine 5000 years ago.
Program Notes:
Heritage walks in the First Nation Community of Alderville and through the Black Oak Savannah can be arranged. Cost per student: $10.00
Curve Lake First Nation
This is a community where Native people live and local artists flourish and display their work.
Imagine...
Years ago, Native people from Curve Lake would act as guides for the hunters and fishermen.
Program Notes:
A tour package can be customized for your classroom needs to encompass historical, cultural or political subjects pertaining to the Curve Lake First Nation community. Also included is a tour of the community that will provide your students the real concept of a modern day First Nation Community, and view our many advances of infrastructure and services. A tour and learning seminar is offered at a flat rate of $125.
