Please discuss with your students as a minimum preparation:
- a definition of the term museum.
- the special consideration visitors to museums should show, for example, why not to touch objects unless asked to, and then how to handle them carefully.
Information to share with students and parents:
Appropriate Clothing |
Please ensure that students are dressed for the weather and for a variety of outdoor activities. Portions of many of our programs may take place in the museum galleries or the heritage village. Most village buildings are heated but are often still quite cool early or late in the year. |
Personal Protection |
Doon Heritage Village is located on 60 acres of land, including environmentally sensitive forest and marsh land. We advise that on all outdoor school trips, you and your students take precautions against West Nile Virus. |
Washrooms |
Washrooms are located at the museum entrance and in the village. |
Lunch |
Please inform us if you will be eating lunch at the site as a lunch room is available for students. Group lunch catering is also available for an additional fee, and advance reservations are required. No food is allowed in the galleries or the heritage village. |
Admissions and Payment |
Admission cost is $5.50 per student for 1/2 day programs and $10 per student for full day programs. One teacher/adult per six students is admitted free of charge. Additional adults are $5.50 per person for half day programs and $10 per person for full day programs.
Admissions should be paid upon arrival - VISA, MasterCard, Interac, cash or cheque - payable to the Waterloo Region Museum. Receipts will be issued. Schools can also be invoiced at the time of your visit.
Note student admission is higher for some educational programs such as the Groundwater Festival.
Please inquire about admission costs prior to making your booking. |
Times |
Program times may vary. Please discuss timing of your program at the time of booking. We strive to be as flexible as possible to accommodate bus schedules.
At the End of Your Program/Day Feel free to use the picnic areas for class activities or picnics but please do not re-enter the galleries or heritage village as you may interfere with other programs.
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1. Upon arrival at the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum, the class will be met by one of our staff and given a general introduction to the site and their program. At this time, the teacher will be directed to pay admission or arrange for invoicing.
2. Following the introduction, each of the teacher/adult supervisors will be given a site guide and itinerary for their program. With most programs, there is not sufficient time to visit all buildings or exhibits at the museum.
3. Groups then leave the orientation area for the galleries or heritage village, escorted by one of our Guest Services Staff.
4. At each scheduled location, one of our historical interpreters will present the program and conduct student activities. Staff will also keep time for the program. Please stay on schedule where possible by going directly to your next program location. Do not visit locations other than those designated for your program as you may interfere with other programs in progress
5. Following your program, the groups may reassemble in the museum foyer prior to departure.
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We recommend the following activities for the classroom before you visit Waterloo Region Museum with your students.
Classroom Suggestions for Once Upon a Time |
1. Have a dress-up day based on the pictures of children in 1914, provided on another page on this website.
2. If the weather allows, have children dress in costumes for their visit to Doon Heritage Village. 3. Learn songs popular in 1914. Examples are:
- Bicycle Built For Two
- I've Been Working On The Railroad
- Take Me Out To The Ball Game
- Row, Row, Row Your Boat
- While Strolling Through The Park One Day
- Let Me Call You Sweetheart
- I Want A Girl, Just Like The Girl That Married Dear Old Dad
- The Maple Leaf Forever
Other examples of strictly children's songs would be:
- A Hunting We Will Go
- Pop Goes The Weasel
- The Farmer in the Dell (plus the game that goes with it)
4. Play some games from the turn of the century. Examples follow. Animal, Vegetable, Mineral (also Beast, Bird or Fish) Students sit in a circle. A ball is thrown by one player to any one of the others. The thrower calls out at the same time either mineral, animal or vegetable, and counts from one to ten rather quickly. If the player who is touched by the ball does not name something belonging to that kingdom called before the number ten is reached, the student leaves the game until the game restarts. Minister's Cat The first player begins by saying, "The Minister's cat is an ambitious cat", the next player "an artful cat" and so on until they have all named an adjective beginning with A. The next time of going around, the adjectives must begin with B and the next time C and so on until the whole of the alphabet has been used. Grandmother's Trunk This is one of the oldest word games on record. Each player has to repeat an ever-increasing list of objects. The first player starts by saying "My grandmother keeps an anchor in her trunk" (or any article beginning with A). The player on his left must think of an article beginning with B and say "My grandmother keeps an anchor and b... in her trunk." The game continues, with each player having to remember all the things kept in the trunk and each time trying to add one more thing according to the alphabet. Forgetting the list of things entails disqualification. Feather A small fluffy feather is required. All players sit in a circle as close together as possible. One throws up the feather as high as possible and then blows it up to keep it floating. The player to whom it then floats nearest does the same. The object of the game is to keep the feather aloft as long as possible. It cannot touch anyone or land on the floor. 5. Do some work with time lines so that students know how long ago Doon Heritage Village and the pioneer era are. Include some important dates such as:
- the year the students were born
- the year the teacher was born
- the year(s) student's parents/grandparents were born
6. Do your own museum display of pioneer or 19th century items for the classroom. Use caution with students' family items. 7. If studying the turn of the century, collect some of the new products that were available in 1914 for a display.
Year Introduced
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Product
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1877
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Quaker Oats
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1879
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Sunlight Soap
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1885
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French's Mustard
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1890
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Mackintosh's Toffee
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1892
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Maxwell House Coffee
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1890
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Fig Newtons
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1893
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Shredded Wheat
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1893
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Hires Root Beer
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1897
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Cadbury Milk Chocolate
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1897
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Jello-O
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1897
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Grape Nuts Cereal
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1898
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Pepsi Cola
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1898
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Graham Crackers
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1904
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Canada Dry Ginger Ale
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1913
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Quaker Puffed Rice
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1913
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Pepermint Life Saver
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8. View silent movies from 1914 such as The Keystone Cops or something starring Charlie Chaplin. Be sure to preview these as they will take some explanation and some are not appropriate for younger children. Many are now available on video and are quite short.
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Classroom Suggestions for Every Day Structures and Strong and Stable Structures |
- If studying Structures and Stability, build a variety of models with the students, using concepts learned in the program. Use a variety of materials - Popsicle sticks, tinker toys, sticks and plasticine for chinking.
- Tour the school neighbourhood and note the types of modern homes: apartments, townhouses, detached, two storey, bungalows, etc. Have students draw diagrams and label the parts.
- Have students draw pictures of their own houses (or floor plans) and label the parts.
- Make arrangements for someone from the skilled trades to visit the classroom and explain what they do. Examples could include plumbers, electricians or dry wallers.
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Classroom Suggestions for A Village Christmas 1914 |
1. Your classroom study should focus on holiday and festive celebrations of all kinds and not just Christmas. Christmas is just one example, and in North America the most common example of a large cultural festival filled with elaborate traditions.
Many of your students may not celebrate Christmas but may celebrate other ethnic and religious festivals such as Hanukah, Ramadan, Kwanza, and many others. Have these students or their families/communities do presentations or talk about what their festivals are all about. 2. Investigate the history of various Christmas traditions in addition to the ones observed at Doon Heritage Village. The list of ethnic variations is endless. Each student will have their own family traditions to share and discuss. Present or have students research Christmas traditions from places such as Spain, Italy, Mexico, Ukraine or other countries. 3. Create a class song book of both Christmas songs and songs from other ethnic groups and festivals. 4. Create a class cookbook of favourite Christmas foods, as well as, ethnic and holiday foods from other festivals. Have students bring in examples of special holiday foods to share from their own background and festivals. 5. Decorate your classroom. Have one corner for Christmas and then several other areas with decorations or displays of holiday items from other ethnic groups and festivals. Create a very multicultural event. 6. Have a dress-up day based on the pictures of children in 1914. 7. If the weather allows, have children dress in costumes for their visit to Doon Heritage Village. 8. Learn Christmas songs popular in 1914. Examples include:
- Silent Night
- O Christmas Tree ( O Tannenbaum in German)
- Away in a Manger
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
- Jingle Bells
9. Play some games from the turn of the century. Examples follow:
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral (also Beast, Bird or Fish) Players sit in a circle. A ball is thrown by one player to any one of the others. The thrower calls out at the same time either mineral, animal or vegetable, and counts from one to ten rather quickly. If the player who is touched by the ball does not name something belonging to that kingdom called before the number ten is reached, the student must leave the circle until the game restarts. Play continues until only one player remains. Minister's Cat The first player begins by saying, "The Ministers cat is an ambitious cat" the next player "an artful cat" and so on until they have all named an adjective beginning with A. The next time of going around, the adjectives must begin with B and the next time C and so on until the whole of the alphabet has been used. Grandmother's Trunk This is one of the oldest word games on record. Each player has to repeat an ever-increasing list of objects. The first player starts by saying "My grandmother keeps an anchor in her trunk" (or any article beginning with A). The player on his left must think of an article beginning with B and say "My grandmother keeps an anchor and b..... in her trunk". The game continues, with each player having to remember all the things kept in the trunk and each time trying to add one more thing according to the alphabet. Forgetting the list of things entails disqualification. Feather A small fluffy feather is required. All players sit in a circle as close together as possible. One throws up the feather as high as possible and then blows it up to keep it floating. The player to whom it then floats nearest does the same. The object of the game is to keep the feather aloft as long as possible. It can't touch anyone or land on the floor.
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Classroom Suggestions for Amazing Machines |
1. All machines, whether historical or modern, do the same things. They make work easier. They do this in three ways:
- by increasing the force.
- by increasing the speed.
- by changing the direction of force
2. There are basically seven types of simple machines. They are:
- the lever
- the pulley
- the wheel and axle
- the inclined plane
- the wedge
- the screw
- the gear
3. Complex machines are merely combinations of several simple machines. Have students make a list of, or bring in a large number of household tools. These may include scissors, pliers, various openers, a screwdriver, a chisel. a scraper. a knife, a door knob, nail clippers. Find examples in this list or collection of the seven simple machines.
4. Bring a more complex machine into the class room such as a bicycle or a mechanical clock. Have students see how many simple machines they can identify.
- Friction - The force that makes two surfaces stick when they are rubbed against each other.
- Work - What happens when a force moves through a distance.
- Machine - A device used to make work easier
- Pulley - A wheel that turns on an axle and has a rope over its rim to pull on in order to lift a load.
- Lever - A bar for raising or moving a load at one end by pushing down on the other end.
- Fulcrum - The turning point, or pivot point , of a lever.
- First Class Lever - A lever with the fulcrum between the effort and the resistance.
- Second Class Lever - A lever with the resistance between the effort and the fulcrum.
- Third Class Lever - A lever with the effort between the fulcrum and the resistance.
- Effort - The force exerted by a machine when it is used.
- Resistance - The force that a machine works against when it is used.
- Wedge - A simple machine with two straight sides that come to a point.
- Inclined Plane - A ramp or sloping surface.
- Wheel and Axle - A wheel fixed to an axle, like the steering wheel of a car.
- Fixed Pulley - A pulley whose axle stays in one place when it is used.
- Movable Pulley - A pulley that moves up or down when it is used.
- Block and Tackle - A combination of two fixed pulleys and two movable pulleys, used to increase the advantage of force by four times.
- Thread - The winding, sloping ridge of a bolt or screw.
- Gear - A wheel with teeth that imparts or transmits motion by acting on another wheel or chain. For our program there are five types - spur, crown, bevel, rack and worm.
Historical Information
Discuss time lines so that students know how long ago Doon Heritage Village and the pioneer era are. Include some important dates such as:
- the year the students were born
- the year the teacher was born
- the year(s) students parents/grandparents were born
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Waterloo Region County Timeline |
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