School Groups

The Muskoka Lakes Museum is a great destination for school groups looking to add an educational, fun and historical experience that meets many expectations of the Ontario curriculum. 

Mapping Muskoka

The Museum has redesigned programs to offer fun and educational experiences for all ages. Programs can be linked to a focus of Science, Technology and Orienteering or a combination of topics.

Programs focus on exploring the original mapping of the District of Muskoka, navigation on the lakes and the development of tourism and resorts. For older students this can also focus on various aspects of the environment and how industry has impacted the area, efforts to reduce and recover from the negative effects and planning for a sustainable future. 

Depending on the age of kids participating, they will learn how to make maps, create legends and use symbols to identify key points, participate in scavenger hunts, and other games. We may be able to alter our programming based on curriculum needs. Please mention this information in “Special Requests”.

Programs can be booked for a half-day (2.5 hours) or full day (5 hours) with a half hour lunch break.

Cost:

$5 per child for half day; $10 per child for full day

Facilities

There are large, sturdy picnic tables on the island and washrooms on the island, as well as inside the museum. The large and small Port Carling locks are close by and operate throughout the day. There are a number of scavenger hunt activities designed to allow children to independently tour the museum. In the case of inclement weather, the museum can accommodate up to 30 people inside for lunch.

For more information contact the museum at 705-765-5367 or info@mlmuseum.com

Curriculum Specifics

Primary Grades:

Using elements of maps (e.g., a title, symbols in a legend, direction, scale [non-standard], and colour) to help them extract information from or when constructing maps for specific purposes

  • How and why do people’s roles and responsibilities change as they encounter new situations and develop relationships with different people?
  • How do people’s various roles and responsibilities help shape who they are?
  • Why is it important to respect others? How do we show respect for others?
  • Pictographs and tallies
  • identify some of the natural and built features of their community (e.g., rivers, lakes, parks, roads, stores, houses, apartment buildings, libraries, schools, arenas, recreation centres, places of worship)
  • analyse maps, and construct simple maps using appropriate elements, as part of their investigations into the interrelationship between people and significant natural and built features in their community (e.g., show the location of parks, bodies of water, or shopping districts, using symbols or photographs, a legend, directions, and colour)

Program can be delivered with more depth, or simplicity to be introduced for kindergartens or grade 2 and 3. For Grade 3 and up, Land Use and Environment can be included to discuss and describe some major connections between features of the natural environment of a region and the type of land use and/or the type of community that is established in that region (e.g., ports on lakes or major rivers; farming on flat land with fertile soil; resource towns in areas with ore, trees, or other natural resources)

Junior Grades:

  • Understanding Life Systems: Habitats and Communities:
  • analyze the positive and negative impacts of human interactions with natural habitats and communities, and evaluate ways of minimizing the negative impacts
  • identify reasons for the depletion or extinction of a plant or animal species (e.g., hunting, disease, invasive species, changes in or destruction of its habitat)
  • evaluate the impacts on the rest of the natural community, and propose possible actions for preventing such depletions or extinctions from happening

Program can be developed with more simple concepts as an introduction for Grade 3, or more in depth understanding for Grades 5 and up

Intermediate Grades

  • Energy Conservation: evaluate, some of the advantages or disadvantages of technological innovations that contribute to the production of renewable energy and/or aid in conservation
  • Human Impact on the Environment: analyze the risks and benefits to the environment of human recreational activities and the leisure industry

The program can focus on specific topics decided by the teacher and can accomodate a larger project based learning for the students with some pre-trip work and post-trip assignments.

Cost:

$5 per child for half day; $10 per child for full day

Facilities

There are large, sturdy picnic tables on the island and washrooms on the island, as well as inside the museum. The large and small Port Carling locks are close by and operate throughout the day. There are a number of scavenger hunt activities designed to allow children to independently tour the museum. In the case of inclement weather, the museum can accommodate up to 30 people inside for lunch.

For more information contact the museum at 705-765-5367 or info@mlmuseum.com

Book Your School Visit

  • Dates available in May, June, September and October.
  • Please note that you are responsible for transportation arrangements and costs.
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