Educational Tours at the Bell Barn
Plan your next school field trip with us.
We want the Bell Barn to be a place where the community can foster their appreciation and natural curiosity. That is why we’ve cultivated a learner-friendly environment for people of all ages and share the stories of our past for future generations to learn from and enjoy.
Once the Bell Barn structure was completed, the Bell Barn Society saw an opportunity to focus on educational programming to share the history of the Bell Barn with students and foster an appreciation for the innovations in Western Canadian Agriculture.
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Bell Barn Educational Tours
The following themes apply to Divisions One and Two curriculum content. We have chosen themes for each grade, but they can be adapted to your classroom needs. Each teacher-led visit will include a walk outside the Barn and a tour of the interior.
Kindergarten
Educational focus: The Farm
Using the story of Farmer Duck, we will tell the story of a day in the life of a Saskatchewan farmer. Children engage in the learning through hands-on activities and the use of the dress-up box.
Grade 1
Educational focus: Plants
Following a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, students discover the importance of plants and why the Bell Farm was important to Saskatchewan's agriculture. Through engaging activities, students will learn how plants grow, what they need to grow and the diversity of plants and seeds in the region.
Grade 2
Educational focus: Our Local Community, Then and Now
To illustrate how the community has changed, students share photographs and maps of the local community and discuss changes over time. As part of the mapping activity, they will then construct a 3D structure of the barn.
Grade 3
Educational focus: Structures and Materials
Engage students in activities that promote problem-solving and critical thinking related to the function of barns, why they are constructed from certain materials and why some barns in Saskatchewan are circular.
Grade 4
Educational focus: The Development of Communication
Students discover how one of Alexander Graham Bell’s inventions was used at the Bell Farm in everyday communications. They will then be challenged to investigate which instrument can make the clearest call.
Grade 5
Educational focus: History Through Photographs and Objects
Reviewing photographs, maps and other documents, students will compare the present day to the past. Their main goal will be to identify the name and function of local artifacts.
Grade 6
Educational focus: Location and Grid
Students will take part in “The Amazing Race”. After reviewing a variety of old maps, students will treasure hunt for clues to obtain the necessary coordinates to plot and complete their final task.
For Teachers
Educators will have access to our Loan Box to help support lesson plans when visiting the barn is included. The box provides photographs, background information about the Bell Barn, relevant website links and documents available for replication.