Communities in Canada: Past and Present History of Maple Syrup Making Through the Centuries
birch bark mokuks used for maple sugar storage
School Visit Opportunities The Middleville and District Museum is happy to welcome school visits to the Museum. Visits can be booked for the months of September, October, May and June.
Museum volunteers, dressed in period clothes, are happy to provide a full program of activities for students to give them a taste of local history. In the Schoolroom, they learn what lessons were like in the 1800's. A visit to the 1830’s cabin reveals how settlers lived their lives without indoor plumbing or electricity. Other activities include the opportunity to do some weaving and learn about the settlers’ journey from the old country. A guided tour gives the students a chance to see and learn about the Museum’s many, many artifacts. Of course, no visit to an 1860’s Schoolhouse would be complete without some traditional outdoor games on the schoolyard where children have played for over a century. Games like 'The Graces', sack races and musical stumps show today’s students how children got exercise and had fun with simple, everyday items at hand. A beautiful spring day in the countryside provides a perfect chance for a picnic lunch under the shade trees in the ideal setting. The Museum volunteers are eager to welcome more visitors to take a step back in time.
Previous School Visits
Caldwell Street Public School Visited the Middleville and District Museum
On June 12th, 2023, students from Caldwell Street Public School in Carleton Place visited the Middleville and District Museum for a day of fun going back in time. Volunteers dressed in pioneer attire, had lots of activities prepared for the eager learners. The students learned about what it was like to go to a one room school, live in a cabin, visit a general store and play old fashioned games. They discovered what items settlers would have brought in a travel trunk and enjoyed a picnic lunch under the shade trees on the school yard.
School mistress, Miss Mary, taught cursive writing and arithmetic
Miss Marina shows a student the old general store ledger from the 1800's
just before boarding the bus, students were able to use a paper 'shilling' to 'purchase' a pioneer toy like a handkerchief doll
it was hard to decide what to pack in a travel trunk and students enjoyed guessing what the pioneers may have chosen and then were able to explore the artifacts
Miss Jo explained life in a cabin to some very eager listeners
deep concentration is required when learning to master the warp and weft of weaving
Stewart School from Perth Visits the Middleville & District Museum
Stewart School from Perth visited the Middleville and District School in September of 2023. Students enjoyed a fun filled day of activities provided by Museum volunteers. They enjoyed outdoor games, a school lesson, a craft, learning about artifacts and how settlers made the journey to Canada two hundred years ago. A picnic lunch under the shade trees was a nice treat.
Maple Grove School from Lanark Village visits the Museum
The Museum was pleased to welcome the Grade Two/Three classes from Maple Grove Public School in Lanark Village on Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024. The students participated in many leaning activities during their visit.
Museum in a Suitcase Program
The Middleville and District Museum has an exciting new project to help make connections between the Museum and local schools located in Lanark County. After receiving a grant of $4200.00 from the Perth and District CommunityFoundation in early 2022, the Museum was able to hire two part time students to work on the project.
The Project includes vintage suitcases stocked with materials that can be reserved and borrowed by local classrooms. Each case will offer a different theme. Local teachers from schools in Lanark County, are able to bring some fun activities based on Museum content to their students right in their own classrooms.
Emily and Madeleine packing materials into the vintage suitcase for the History in a Suitcase Project
The Middleville and District Museum is eager to connect with classrooms located in Lanark County. Vintage suitcases are packed with information and activities that reflect different themes that connect to the Museum Collection.
The Postal Suitcase The history of postal services in Lanark County at the turn of the century will be included along with letter writing activities and custom made Middleville and District Museum postage ‘stamps’ featuring vintage automobiles from the Museum. Students will learn about how mail delivery has changed over time and the way people communicated before e-mail. When students and teachers open the suitcase, they will discover the materials for writing and sending postcards. The postcards are made using the Museum’s photo collections inspired by the common practice of turning personal photos into postcards in the past. Lesson plan ideas include letter writing templates and materials.
postcards made with vintage pictures in the Museum's Collection
The Weaving Suitcase The weaving suitcase features a class set of specially designed wooden looms that can be used for weaving a bookmark. A supply of yarn is included to get these projects started. Students will learn weaving terms like warp and weft. This activity will lend itself well to teaching patterning while learning about how textiles were made in the early days of the County. The story of the Museum’s travelling barn loom will add some historical knowledge. Teacher information will provide instructions for the weaving project. Materials are provided for a small take home weaving project as a follow up activity for families to complete at home.
individual weaving looms
The Postal Suitcase and the Weaving Suitcase are available for borrowing during the school year in 2025.