Warning:
there is absolutely no open fires and no smoking allowed.
If you plan to hike for any length of time please encourage your group
to dress properly!! You may encounter cactus, wood ticks,
mosquitoes, mud etc. Water is for sale in the Giftshop.
Goal:
to facilitate the retention of knowledge about brick making we offer the
comparison of two similar production methods that result in two very
different products. The program participants will always remember the
similarities of the two processes: 'Brick Making' and ‘baking from
scratch’. This program also incorporates a tour of the Claybank Brick
Plant.
History: Room and board was available for many years in the historic Bunk House (Visitor Centre) for up to 40 men. The 2 cooks that fed the men prepared most meals from scratch. Pies were on the menu for dessert every day, all day, there was rarely any deviation - only all kinds of pie.
During this program each participant will experience what it was like to
work in the 'bunk house kitchen' by taking them through the process of
baking a 4” Saskatoon Berry pie from scratch.
We want to show the participants the old ways and the interesting
connection between baking foods and baking bricks. In both processes we
mix ingredients, make sure everything is added in proper proportions,
knead, shape, and bake.
The
baked goods that the participants have prepared with their own hands
will be packaged for take home.
Program Cost: $7
per child and adequate teacher/parent supervision must accompany the
groups (please ask for details).
Timelines:
approximately 2 hours, pies are 4+" diameter with prepared Saskatoon
Berry filling.
Special
requests:
will be entertained and every effort will be made to accommodate your
needs or preferences.
Contact: If you need more info or wish to
book a program please call Pat (306) 868-4474 or email email
claybanktours@gmail.com
Goal:
This thought provoking program allows children to look at their heritage
and the environment in a different way and encourages them to think
about their own accountability in those areas. The program strives to
facilitate a greater appreciation of nature, help the children to
improve their observation skills, and give them the opportunity to learn
from the natural world. By using this program the teacher can supplement
and reinforce lessons in ecology, social studies, science, geology,
technology, eco-systems, land use, mining, birding, native history, and
local history.
Activity: Upon arrival at the Claybank Brick Plant Site the children are
briefed on safety, program orientation, and divided into groups of 5 to
10 persons. Each group will take a back pack containing a digital
camera, a walkie-talkie, a Massold Clay Canyons map featuring points of
interest.
Groups
can
use their maps to decide on a plan of action and communicate with each
other using the walkie-talkies provided. Setting out on foot, with the
discreet supervision of teachers or parents, the children's classroom of
the day will be the beautiful 250 acre Massold Clay Canyons and Clay
Pits area adjacent to the Brick Plant Site. With an objective to
experience as much of the Massold Clay Canyons as possible; be it flora,
fauna, geology, historic features etc. or to just get out there and have
fun.
After the adventure the digital photos taken on the program’s cameras
will be organized and uploaded to an online album for participants use,
show, and share.
Note:
all
copyright of photos remain with the Claybank Brick Plant Historical
Society and may be used in promotion of the site and/or its programming.
Included with this program is the option of taking a 45 minute Brick
Plant tour, either upon arrival or if time allows prior to departure.
The tour of this National Historic Site and brick making process gives
the children an insight into what it was like to live and work in the
early 1900's and gives them interaction with our province's industrial
heritage.
Program Cost: $7
per child with adequate teacher/parent supervision (please ask for
details).
Timelines:
approximately
2 -3 hours+
Special
requests: will
be entertained and every effort will be made to accommodate your needs
or preferences.
Contact: If you need more
info or wish to book a program please call Pat (306) 868-4474 or email
claybanktours@gmail.com
Goal: The Clay deposits located in the Massold Clay Canyons adjacent to the Brick Plant have a long history. The Clay deposits were used far before the Brick Plant ever was thought of. This program facilitates the appreciation and better understanding of two differing cultures and their methods in utilizing the same resource. By comparing the modern clay uses and the legends of the native people that lived on the prairies we show the progress of time and industry.
History: First Nations people that had access to the clay used it for many purposes; medicinally for casting sprains or as mud packs for sore muscles after hunting. They also used it in rituals - they brought mineral water from the Moose Jaw area and mixed it with the clay, this mixture held great healing and special powers. They allowed their children to play in the rain puddles that formed in the clay deposits area, it is said that while the children played the clay captured their laughter and this empowered the clay even more. Legend has it that you can and still can hear the children's laughter echoing in the hills. They also used the clay to make small toys such as marbles or figures and to make crude clay pots by molding the clay around stones or doing coil works.
During
this mainly indoor program the participants will make their own item,
the old way, using round rocks as tools to grind the clay to a powder.
The clay will be mixed with water to the proper consistence. Finally,
they create their piece be it a crude pot, a figure or a toy. The item
will be packaged and taken back to the school/home for display and
discussion. This program also includes a tour of the Brick Plant and the
brick making process in order for the children to find similarities in
use and process and appreciate both methods of production.
Program Cost:
$7 per child and adequate teacher/parent supervision must accompany
the groups (please ask for details).
Timelines:
approximately 2 hours
Special
requests:
will be entertained and every effort will be made to accommodate your
needs or preferences.
Contact: If
you need more info or wish to book a program please call Pat (306)
868-4474 or email claybanktours@gmail.com
Goal: The Claybank Brick Plant relied on intense physical labour in
order to produce the high quality brick that it became known for. In
addition to a tour of the brick making process we offer an activity stop
for a hands-on heritage experience. In our world of digital automation
the Hand Mold shop experience reinforces the reality of the intense
physical labour and quality workmanship required of the men at the
Plant. The activities offered in this program will test the children's
brick making abilities.
History: The men that worked in the Hand Mold shop worked for pennies a
brick. They were paid in relationship to the amount of brick they
produced. There was a quota of 8 units (a certain number of bricks) per
day from each man but the men had the opportunity to make an additional
3 unit if they were quick enough. The added income realized by the
production of these extra units was welcomed by the hand molders and
their families.
The participant group sets out to retrace the brick making process
from Clay to Kiln, arriving at the historic Hand Mold shop children will
divide into groups. By utilizing ¼ size replicas of original hand molds
the participants will produce bricks. They will follow the same brick
making techniques used by the Hand molders for decades.
History: They put themselves
in the Hand molders 'shoes' - they are now the bread winner for a family
in the early 1900's. Theyare warned that the brick must be perfect or it
will be rejected by management via the 'broom stick test' and they may
not be paid for that brick. This activity, although very enjoyable,
fosters a greater appreciation of the hardships our ancestors were faced
with.
Program
Cost: $7
per child and adequate teacher/parent supervision must accompany the
groups (please ask for details).
Timelines:
approximately 2 hours
Special
requests: will
be entertained and every effort will be made to accommodate your needs
or preferences
Theme:
The men that worked in this area worked for pennies a brick. They were
strong, fast and precise.
Contact: If you need more
info or wish to book a program please call Pat (306) 868-4474 or email
email claybanktours@gmail.com