Historic Hat Creek Ranch

2010 Educational Program Activities
 

Half Hour Activities

Arrowhead Hunt

A scavenger hunt through the rolling hillsides for arrowheads – everybody gets to take one home.

Old-Fashioned Games

Everything from tug-o’-war to sack races, egg and spoon, apple in the barrel, to the three-legged race. Lots of exercise for excited students!

Panning for River Rubies

Students can try their luck - panning for river Rubies on the banks of the Hat Creek.

Hunting & Fishing Demonstration

Learn what the First Nations People used to hunt and fish with - some examples are traps, nets and spears.

Drum Making

Here students get crafty and construct their own mini drum using hide, beads and sinew. A keepsake worth writing home about.

Pillow Making

Learn to make small pillows that were used by the First Nations People for centuries, with natural materials and a modern day twist, or make an early settler pillow with straw.

Feather Quills

Make a feather quill as used by Sophia McLean, when she signed away her rights to the ranch. Then sign your own name and keep the quill.

Beading

One of the art forms used by the Shuswap First Nations People. Make an item using traditional beading techniques.

Lahal

Traditional Native stick game used for trading purposes (played for clothing, canoes, horses, etc.) and to bring people together. During the game, people sang songs and told stories, thus preserving not only their culture but also their Native languages.

Blacksmithing

Tour our Blacksmith Shop and make a nail like those that were used by the BX Company in the 1860’s.

Firestarting

Learn how a fire was started in the 1800’s, using flint and a bit of cloth. Make your own starter kit to keep.
 

One Hour Activities

Bannock Making

Choose between tantalizing your taste buds with homemade Native Bread roasted over a campfire, or with “European Bannock” baked on the woodstove in the Roadhouse kitchen and served with beans, just like the miners ate it.

Trails to Gold Game

A race through the site to see which team will first gather all their clues and overcome obstacles in their quest for gold during the Cariboo Gold Rush.

Archery

A traditional technique used by both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal hunters. Students learn how to use bow and arrow under the supervision of a certified archery instructor. There’s a small prize for the first student to hit a balloon!

Story Telling (new)

Learn about the First Nations Peoples Culture, Traditions and Life Style through interactive theatre. The students will partake in re-enactments of the Legends of “Creation” such as Bear, Eagle, Salmon and many more to choose from.
 

Two and a Half Hour Activities

Basic Wilderness Survival

The group will learn the fundamentals of wilderness survival through hands-on demonstrations and activities, such as constructing an emergency shelter and identifying plant life for survival.

Pine Needle Basket Weaving

Basket weaving has been practiced for centuries by First Nations People. Learn how to weave a basket using Ponderosa Pine needles and sinew.

Mat Weaving

Using natural materials such as bullrush, cattail or red willow, students learn traditional Aboriginal weaving techniques.

Sweat Lodge

The “Indian Sauna” allows us to enjoy the exhilarating feeling of Nature’s own steam bath through a sweat lodge using all natural materials. Feel the heat released by the lava rocks washing all the sweat and dirt from your pores, while being surrounded by energizing smells from sagebrush and other herbs.

Old-Fashioned Needlework

Learn to use needle, thread and a thimble as you sew your name on a sampler to take home.

Roadhouse Sketching

Students get to sketch the Roadhouse, the orchard and some of the rooms and artifacts inside.

Slate Writing

Learn to write with a slate and slate pencil like the little girls who slept in the bedroom upstairs.

Old-Fashioned Toy

Make an old-fashioned toy – tin stilts, rag dolls, cloth balls – and take it home to show your friends how easy it is.