Canadian History & Geography

Extras

Here are some more activities, printables, and ideas you can add to the Canadian History & Geography units for even more learning opportunities. You can also go to the Canadian History & Geography boards on Pinterest for even more ideas.

First Nations

• Inuit themed crafts
• Several lesson plans about the lifestyle of the Mi’kmaq people
• Read Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back by Joseph Bruschac to learn about the First Nation’s calendar year.  Each year has 13 moons and each moon has 28 days.  Color a turtle printable to show this calendar.

 

• Read about some of the games played by the Dene people and try some out in your own competition.
• Look at some examples of beautiful birch bark baskets made by Dene people.  Then make your own baskets out of paper, but leave the handles off.

Explorers

• Enchanted Learning has an extensive list of Canadian Explorers.  Learn about one you’ve never heard of before and make an illustrated fact sheet for him.

• Draw a sailing ship.  Write a caption about one of the explorers you read about during this unit.

New France

• Check out a few books about beavers from your local library and make a beaver puppet.  Why were beavers important enough to fight wars over?
• After you have read about the fur trade pretend you are a Wyandot tribe and the French have approached you about trading for beaver pelts.  Hold a tribal council meeting where you debate on whether you should trade with them or not.  Use a “talking stick” during your discussion. Only the person holding the talking stick can talk.  Make sure you consider how a decision to trade will change your lifestyle and your relationship with neighboring tribes.
• Learn about Les filles du roi, or the King’s daughter’s.  Make a brochure convincing French women to immigrate to the Canadian wilderness.

Colonial Wars

• Jeffery Amherst was the British commander during the Seven Years War in North America.  Louis-Joseph de Montcalm was the French commander during the war.  Learn about each man.  Write a puppet show where the two men meet.  What would they say to each other?  Make puppets and put on your show.
• Print paper soldiers from the colonial war era and use them in reenacting a battle or a raid.

British Canada

•  Read an article and watch a video about the Canadian perspective on the war of 1812. Choose a Canadian of the day: a former American Loyalist, a French Canadian, a recent immigrant from Great Britain, a First Nations person, or a recent immigrant from the United States.  Draw a portrait of your person and write their opinion on the war and which side they are on.  You can put your person on either side of the conflict, but they should have a logical and/or compelling emotional reason for their decision.  The writing can be several paragraphs down to a single sentence depending on the ages of the children.
• Learn about John Macdonell, a hero of the Battle of Queenston Heights in the War of 1812.  Listen to the song “MacDonnell on the Heights” by Stan Rogers”.  Then write a diamante poem about Isaac Brock and John Macdonnell.

• Learn about one of your ancestors, either someone from this time period or the first ancestor to come to Canada.  Fill out a worksheet with some details of you ancestor’s life.

Canadian Government

• Print the Monarchs of Canada cards to learn about and memorize the kings and queens of Canada from Francis I of France to Elizabeth II.

• Make a poster that shows and explains the three levels of Canadian government: federal, provincial, municipal
• Play a Charter of Rights and Freedoms bingo game

Early Canada

• Make a Mountie craft from DLTK

• Read this pdf book about the Canadian Pacific Railway.
• Read or listen to Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.  Use this study guide for the novel with all of your kids, if you like.
• Use the linked photographs to create a lapbook about Canada in WWI.  Hint: Let your kids do the writing and the work instead of creating a pre-made set of lapbook printables for them.

Modern Canada

• The Hawker Hurricane was one of the most famous British planes of WWII.  They were built in Canada and designed by a woman named Elsie MacGill, the world’s first female aeronautical engineer. Read about her. Then, on paper, design a museum display about her life.
• Watch Building the Alaska Highway for  view of how rugged the terrain is and difficult the job was.

• Use this lesson plan with printables to learn about the important Battle of Kapyong during the Korean War.

Canada Geography

• Fill out a Canadian Province Fact Sheet for your province.

• Print a paper quiz of the provinces and territories to label
• Coloring page of eastern Canada
• Free Canada lapbook
• Buy maple leaf cookie cutters, or a set of Canadian cookie cutters and make patriotic sugar cookies