Fort Saskatchewan Museum

This really is a case of "a picture is worth a thousand words", as the children's faces as they went through the interactive activities on this field trip, tell us what an amazing day we had!  

It's the simple things they all wanted to do, like swing!  Sad that swings aren't part of playgrounds anymore.

This volunteer blacksmith taught the children about forges, making horseshoes and nails, and how branding doesn't hurt the cattle!

This one room school house had children from Grades One through Eight.  They learned about who was King 102 years ago, the flag that was honored each morning, and how the pot bellied stove kept the students warm.

At the Kulak house, the students were able to see the logs that were hewn to make the house, along with the chinking that kept out the elements and the bugs!

Can you find the stove and fridge in this photo?

 They were so excited to go into Dr. Henry's house, because this family was very well off!

A new attraction at this wonderful little museum is the reconstructed fort,  complete with gate to keep the attackers out.

It was full of interactive opportunities.  They washed these clothes over and over again!

                                Remember walking on tin cans when you were little?

                                       Milking isn't as easy as it looks!

Pumping water seemed like a game....

                                    but the real game was 'Tug of War'

The children learned how to salute and march and ride horses, just like the NorthWest Mounted Police did more than 140 years ago on this site.

          What is he lying on?  I got it wrong because I said buffalo hide.  What should I have said?

Grinding the coffee beans to make the officer's coffee.

The students ate a picnic lunch.  Thanks for sending it in a basket, like they would have had to used long ago!

 It was a treat to get up close and personal with the famous sheep who graze on Fort Saskatchewan town land for three months of the year.  The children got a chance to watch the sheepdogs work and follow the commands of the shepherd.

See the shepherd in the background?

I LOVE that when I take pictures, some child always asks "Will this be on the blog?"

We ended the field trip learning how ice cream is made...

...and then trying it out!  YUM!

If you are looking for a wonderful place to spend a day with your family, please consider a visit to this museum.  There were so many places that we didn't even get to see because we ran out of time.