Education Programs 2012

Download the 2012 Education Program flyer (PDF).

Located 90 minutes south of Calgary, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was used by Native people for close to 6,000 years. Native guides describe a way of life at the very place where hunters drove buffalo over the cliff. In our imagination, the cliff still echoes with the voices of the hunters and the thunder of buffalo hooves.

Guided Tour - included with all education programs
A tour of the Interpretive Centre will include an introduction to Native culture and the history and mechanics of a buffalo jump. It will also include the cliff top trail, buffalo culture display, artifact exhibits and theatre presentations.
Allow additional 1.5 hours.

Program Fees

$3 per student, per program
$25 Guide fee (maximum group size of 40 students per guide)

Program Duration

1 hour unless otherwise specified
All education programs are designed to complement the latest revisions to the Alberta Education Social Studies Curriculum, K-12
Chaperone ratio is 1:8

For more facts and information on educational and scientific studies regarding Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, download Buffalo Tracks (PDF).

Programs

LIVING OFF THE LAND - All Grades

Our most popular program! Learn how First Nations people lived in harmony with nature and our Mother Earth. Learn about the tools and technologies that evolved with the buffalo culture. Explore camp life during a buffalo hunt.

"TIPI - TEPEE - TEEPEE?" - All Grades

All 3 are correct! Learn about the perfect home from the inside out. Tipis were made with brain-tanned buffalo hides and long, straight lodge poles from what came to be known as lodgepole pines. Symbols painted on a tipi tell us legends of the earth and sky.

HIKE INTO THE PAST - Grades 6-12

Explore the lower trail and learn about native plant uses. Visit the kill site to learn how geology, sun and wind all helped to create the perfect buffalo jump. Walk through the processing site and camp area atop thousands of years of buffalo bones.

STONES AND BONES - Grades 4-12

Be a bone and stone detective! Learn about point styles, materials and methods for stone ﬂaking.
When is a bone just a bone and not a scraper? Learn what archaeology is and what an archaeologist does.

VIDEO CONFERENCE PROGRAMS - Grades 1-12

Video conference with a Blackfoot guide in our Lodge. Each program explores Native culture, adapted to suit each grade and age group. The programs complement our Travelling Edukit. We use Tandberg Edge 95 HD.

Cost: Flat rate of $100 is charged

Available from October through April

TRAVELLING EDUKIT - All Grades

Two Worlds Two Eras i s a travelling edukit featuring buffalo culture tools and a teacher s guide to explain each reproduction artifact. DVDs and a photo collection document earlier eras of the Blackfoot people.

Edukit fee: $25 plus shipping

SPRING FIELD TRIPS - May 15 to June 30

Spring is a great time for a field trip! Wildflowers are blooming. The air is fragrant with new spring growth. Hawks are flying and the ground squirrels are chirping. If the weather is good we can present some of our best education programs in Blackfoot style tipis. "Living Off The Land" and "Tipi-Tepee-Teepee!" are always popular with any grade. If the weather is bad we can still continue your program, with the indoor version, in the Visitor Centre.

All spring field trips include a full building tour. Call us to plan a custom, day-long field trip that fits your school's arrival and departure times. Please note that tipi-based programs accommodate a maximum of 30 students.