About the Education Programs
The Museum’s education programs are geared towards Grades JK-12 and are available for schools, youth groups, or groups of any other kind. Our interactive and informative programs connect heritage and cultural life in Huron County to the Ontario curriculum.
See program descriptions below. Programs are 40-60 minutes in length for virtual and 1-1.5 hours for in-person. They are available Monday to Friday, morning or afternoon (times flexible).
Please contact us for more details about available in-person programs.
Education Programs
The Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol is pleased to partner with Compass Minerals to bring Huron County history to your students!
Thanks to the support of Compass Minerals, the Huron County Museum is offering free virtual field trips OR free transportation for in-person programming to local school groups in Huron County or to classes from the Avon Maitland District and Huron Perth Catholic District school boards.
COMPASS BUS
- Funding covers bus costs to and from the Museum from your school
- Museum program fees not included
COMPASS VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS
- Funding covers free access to 1 virtual program (2 classes in a school can attend the same session)
Whether your school group is more comfortable taking a virtual field trip or is ready for an in-person learning experience, we can ensure a safe, fascinating and engaging learning experience for your students.
This offer is available on a first come, first serve basis as funds permit. Contact us today to book your group’s education program! Please let us know if you are interested in an in-person field trip or a virtual option, and preferred dates with your request. Quotation amounts from bus companies will be required as part of the booking process for in-person field trips to accurately anticipate costs and allocate funds.
In-Person and Virtual Education Programs
Minor Crimes at the Huron Historic Gaol
- Recommended for Grades JK-4
- In-person or Virtual
See life in Gaol through the eyes of a child. This program introduces the stories of two real children who stayed at the Gaol in the early 20th century: a nine-year-old boy committed for ‘mischief’ and the gaoler’s nine-year-old daughter. Investigate where these children would have slept, ate, worked and played, and discuss changing community rules and punishments past and present.
If These Walls Could Talk
- Recommended for Grades K-12
- In-person or Virtual
Discover life behind the stone walls at the Huron Historic Gaol. Follow early inmates from courtroom to cell and compare the life of prisoners with the life of their governor. Use critical thinking and strategy to investigate historical jailbreaks and try to solve a 140-year-old escape.
Investigate an Escape!
- Recommended for Grades 5-8
- In-person
Two prisoners are missing from their cells! Follow the clues and gather witness testimony from Gaol staff and prisoners to investigate a real jailbreak from 1879. Use critical thinking and strategy to plot how you would break out of the Huron Gaol, and make conclusions based on evidence to solve a real historical mystery.
A Grain of Salt: Sensory Adventure
- Recommended for Grades JK-2
- Virtual
Huron County is home to the largest underground salt mine in the world! Using their senses, students will explore the properties salt, what it is used for, and what it is like to work underground in the salt mine. Program includes a live presentation featuring real salt artifacts, a video on mining, and fun interactive activities.
Salt of the Earth: Salt Mining in Huron County
- Recommended for Grades 3-9
- In-person or Virtual
Explore the history of salt mining in Huron County and why the geography of the region is so unique. Investigate the many uses of salt, how it is produced, and what it is like to work underground in the salt mine! Program includes a live presentation featuring artifacts and photos from our collection, videos on mining, and a Question and Answer period.
Huron County and the World Wars
- Recommended for Grades 5-10
- In-person or Virtual
Learn about life in the trenches and on the home front for the men, women, and children of Huron County. Examine the causes of the World Wars and how they changed Huron’s industrial, agricultural, social, and everyday life. Includes investigative spotlight on soldiers and nursing sisters, and an exploration of artifacts from the Museum’s Military Gallery.
Home in Huron
- Recommended for Grades 1-4
- In-person
What was life like for some of Huron County’s early settlers? Why did they move to Huron County, and why do families continue to immigrate here to this day? Prepare for the journey to a new home, investigate life in a new place and discover the hardships of many early settlers’ first years in a new country. Includes hands on activities.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
- Recommended for Grades JK-3
- In-person
Explore past and present vehicles on land, air and the Great Lakes, and make a paper propeller to drop from the Museum’s mezzanine.
Celebrate!
- Recommended for Grades 1-3
- In-person
Experience the customs of different celebrations throughout the world, and learn the cultural significance of different decorations, clothing, food and activities. Compare your family’s holiday celebrations to the sights, sounds and smells of multicultural holidays around the world and in the past. Holidays featured change seasonally.
Virtual Program Fees:
| Elementary Schools | Minimum fee: $50/single site or $75/both sites | Compass Virtual Field Trips – FREE (up to two classes per school at one time) |
| Secondary Schools and Adult Education | Minimum fee: $50+HST/single site or $75+HST/both sites | Compass Virtual Field Trips – FREE (up to two classes per school at one time) |
In-Person Program Fees:
| Transportation on the Compass Bus | FREE – Quotation amounts from bus companies will be required as part of the booking process for in-person field trips to accurately anticipate costs and allocate funds. |
| One program at either Museum or Gaol | $3.50/student (+HST for students 14+) |
| Two programs at both Museum or Gaol (or at a single site) | $5/student (+HST for students 14+) |
| Teaching staff/facilitators | FREE |
| Minimum 15 participants | Minimum fee: $50/single site or $75/both sites (+HST for students 14+) |
Booking:
To book your school program, contact the Museum by calling 519-524-2686, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
At the time of booking be prepared to provide:
- Whether you are booking an in-person field trip or a virtual option
- Title of virtual program. Please contact us for more information about current in-person offerings.
- Preferred date(s) and time(s)
- Grade, number of students and staff, and any accessibility requirements or special requests.
Book your Museum visit early to ensure the date and time you prefer! Please contact us at any time with questions about our programs, or to make changes to your booking.
Cancellations:
Should there be any changes in the time or date of your booking or the number of students attending, please contact the Museum at 519-524-2686 as soon as possible. Cancellations must be provided 48 hours before booked date(s), failure to do so will result in a cancellation fee.
Accessibility:
Huron County Museum is committed to accessibility for all visitors. To request communication supports and/or accommodations for your virtual education program, please include this with your booking.