School Programs 2012-13

Curriculum-based programs:
Rutherford House offers several different educational programs available for each grade, tailored to the Alberta Education curriculum. Use this quick guide to find which programs are appropriate for your class.

• Preschool: Rutherford House Mouse
• Kindergarten: Young Ones and Yesterdays, All Seasonal Programs
• Grades 1 - 3: Edmonton in the Past, All Seasonal Programs
• Grades 4: Edmonton in the Past, All Seasonal Programs, Upstairs Downstairs, Hot off the Press
• Grades 5 - 6: Edmonton in the Past, Upstairs Downstairs, Hot off the Press
• Grade 7: Upstairs Downstairs, Hot off the Press

Download PDF of Education Program

Download PDF of Junior and Senior High School Programs

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Role-Played Programs

Our role-played programs bring young guests face to face with the past as they meet costumed characters acting as if it is really 1916. Students are invited to act along with us to dramatize the past. Role-played programs are available for morning bookings only.

• cost of $4.50 per student
• minimum 15 students, maximum 35 students.

Upstairs, Downstairs

Grades 4 to 7 - 1 1/4 hour

The Rutherfords welcome you into their home. Your students arrive as guests for one of Mrs. Rutherford's "At Home" tea parties, and settle in to discuss the war, the latest fashions, or the new movie at the Princess Theatre with a member of the Rutherford household. A mix-up brings the guests into the kitchen with the maid, and before Mrs. Rutherford comes home they will see parts of the house that the public is never supposed to see. Explore life in 1916, upstairs and downstairs.

CURRICULUM MATCH Alberta: The Land, Histories and Stories; Canada: The Land, Histories and Stories; Democracy: Action and Participation; Canada: Origins, Histories and Movement of People

Hot off the Press!

Grades 4 to 7 - 1 1/4 hour

Students become "reporters" and get the inside scoop on Alberta's news of the day as they meet members of the Rutherford household. Your class will learn about war-time issues and how Alberta became a province, and have the opportunity to ask their own questions in a press conference. The reporters will leave with all the facts they need to write a newspaper article about what they've seen and heard. "Hot off the Press" requires some advance classroom preparation. We will provide you with materials to aid in this process.

CURRICULUM MATCH Alberta: The Land, Histories and Stories; Canada: The Land, Histories and Stories; Democracy: Action and Participation; Canada: Origins, Histories and Movement of People

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Seasonal Programs

Download the School Programs PDF

• Seasonal programs cost $3.50 per student. Minimun 10 students, maximum 35 students.

Seasonal programs match the following Social Studies, Language Arts and Health and Life Skills Curriculum Units: Being Together; Citizenship: Belonging and Connecting; Communities in Canada; Alberta: The Land, Histories and Stories; Canada: The Land, Histories and Stories; Relationship Choices; Life Learning Choices; Respect Others and Strengthen Community; Work within a Group

Halloween Howl

October 23 to October 31 - K - Grade 3 - 1 1/4 hour

Don't be scared! This Halloween we are offering very special tricks and treats for your young ghosts and goblins. Your little pumpkins will bake a ghostly treat on our woodburning stove, hear a spooky story and enjoy Halloween surprises, as they explore this magnificent historic home. Learn more about the Rutherford family, their community and the Halloween customs of their time.

Christmas Past

November 20 to December 21 - K - Grade 4 - 1 1/4 hour

Discover the Christmas traditions of the Rutherford family and a bygone era. Your class will learn why the Rutherfords did not have a Christmas tree, and what toys Cecil and Hazel played with. Learn about the Christmas Day tradition of a community hockey match. Children will make a traditional recipe in the kitchen, create a craft to take home, and discover what customs have lasted a century and more.

Note: Christmas programs are fully booked. Spaces are still available for spring programs.

Call Me Sweetheart

February 4 to 14 - K - Grade 4 - 1 1/4 hour

Valentine's Day isn't just about candy and hearts. It's a time to reflect on being kind to others, in your home, your school, and your community. Children will learn about old-fashioned manners, make cookies to share and create a craft that is made to be given way to someone you care about.

Spring into Easter

March 11 to 22- K - Grade 4 - 1 1/4 hour

The Rutherfords loved to garden, so springtime was a time of renewal and growth. It was also a time to reconnect with the community and to share garden space. Learn how the Rutherford family said goodbye to winter and got ready for spring. Bake an Easter treat in the kitchen, take home an Easter craft and tour Rutherford House while on an old-fashioned egg hunt.

In the Good Ole' Summer Time

May and June - K - Grade 6 - 1 1/4 hour

Celebrate the end of the school year and say goodbye to your school community, the old-fashioned way. Join the crew at Rutherford House for a game of croquet and explore this magnificent home. Learn about summers long ago filled with fun activities and historic pastimes. Enjoy the pleasures of a bygone era by making lemonade the traditional way.

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Interpreter-Guided Programs

Available year round (except during seasonal program times).
Interpreter-guided programs cost $3.50 per student. Minimun 10 students, maximum 35 students.

Rutherford House Mouse

Preschool - 1 hour - Maximum 25 students

Explore this historic home of the Rutherford family... from the perspective of the Rutherford House Mouse. Rutherford Mouse is shy and he is hiding. Where could he be? While looking for our furry friend, children play games, listen to a story, make a craft and learn about long ago.

Young Ones and Yesterdays

Kindergarten - 1 1/4 hour

Visit the home of the Rutherford family and discover what they did for family fun. Explore this magnificent house to see what is different from your own. Discuss how the Rutherfords opened their home to the community. During this multi-sensory adventure, the children bake cookies on the wood-burning stove, make a craft, and learn about families, communities and traditions of long ago.

CURRICULUM MATCH Being Together: I Belong

Edmonton in the Past

Grades 1 to 5 - 1 1/4 hour

Communities are a very important part of who we are. Discover how the community of Edmonton has changed over the last century? How has it stayed the same? How did the Rutherford family influence their community. As the students tour Rutherford House, they will make history come alive by following an old-fashioned recipe in the historic kitchen, by creating a traditional craft and imagining the sights, sounds, and people of Edmonton in the past.

CURRICULUM MATCH Citizenship: Belonging and Connecting; Communities of Canada; Alberta: The Land, Histories and Stories; Canada: The Land, Histories and Stories

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Junior & Senior High School Programs

Download PDF of Junior and Senior High School Programs

Historical Programs

Rutherford House Tour

Grades 7-12 - 1 1/4 hour

Our basic tours include information about the Rutherford family and their political and domestic lives, a discussion of issues like WWI and the role of women, and an exploration of how the city and province grew and changed through the beginning of the 20th Century. Examine how the Rutherfords influenced the social, economic and political environments of this new province. Set against the backdrop of this beautiful Edwardian-era mansion, this program can be adapted to include additional activities, such as baking cookies or playing croquet.

CURRICULUM MATCH Canada: Origins, Histories and Movement of People; Canada: Opportunities and Challenges

Dramatic Programs

Our dramatic programs bring students face to face with costumed characters acting as though it is really 1916. Students may bring along their own characters and improvise with us in our journey through the past. These programs are available for morning bookings, they are not offered in the afternoon.

Upstairs, Downstairs

Grades 7-12 - 1 1/4 hour

The Rutherfords welcome you into their home. Your students arrive as guests for one of Mrs. Rutherford's "At Home" tea parties, and settle in to discuss the war, the latest fashions, or the new movie at the Princess Theatre with a member of the Rutherford household. But a mix-up brings the guests into the kitchen with the maid, and before Mrs. Rutherford comes home they will see parts of the house that the public is never supposed to see. Explore life in 1916, upstairs and downstairs.

A Mind to Murder

Grades 7-12 - 1 1/4 hour

Murder is in the air at the Edwardian-era estate of Beulah Mae Briggs, and students become detectives in this creative drama project. The investigators will interrogate members of our fictional household, explore the scene of the crime, and attempt to unravel a mystery of love, jealousy, money, and murder. Once the investigations are complete the detectives will come together to share their conclusions and make their accusations.

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Special Needs Programs

Rutherford House is open to small Special Needs group programming on Mondays to accommodate longer program times if necessary. All Rutherford House programs and tours are available and can be modified to meet your group's requirements.

Please give us a call to discuss what we can do for you!

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