Kayak’s Happy Birthday Canada Educational Package

In this issue of Kayak: Canada’s History Magazine for Kids, Happy Birthday Canada! will provide you with 150+ people, places, events and things to talk about with your class. Scroll down for lesson plans, classroom activities, and much more.

Includes an interview with Martha McClew, Terry Fox Foundation Provincial Director for Ontario.

In this special extra issue of Kayak, Celebrate Canada describes how our country came to be — the silly, the serious and the surprising stories of our past. You’ll meet some of the people who helped bring democracy to our country, the people who made it a country, and the people who watched along the way.

Thank you

We are grateful to the Department of Canadian Heritage for their support of this educational Initiative.

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Lesson Plans

What Might Canada Be Like If...?

Students develop an understanding of the importance of the process in which unique and historically significant national sites, people and events in Canada are determined and the potential consequences of not recognizing and preserving them.

Confederation: The Unfinished Project

This lesson examines the various viewpoints and perspectives of the participants in the Confederation debates, including the voices of women, Indigenous peoples and other groups left out of the process.

The Will of the People

This lesson introduces students to the principles of responsible government for which LaFontaine and Baldwin fought. 

Classroom Activities and Resources

Join the Marathon of Hope

Inspire your students to join the Marathon of Hope using this graphic novel-style story and a lesson plan from the Terry Fox Foundation.

Exploring the Past

Bring this map of Canada and these specially made tokens into your classroom to mark each Canadian historic site, person and event your students learn about.

Guiding Lights Quiz

Can you answer these ten questions about Canada’s lighthouses?

Canadian Firsts Word Search

Use this word search to familiarize your students with some great Canadian firsts! 

If Confederation Happened Today

Use this activity and the 2017 Summer issue of Kayak ​to engage your students with the concept of Confederation by asking them to think about it happening today! 

10 Places with Indigenous Names

Use the Summer 2017 issue of Kayak to help your students match these Indigenous place names with their meanings!

Weird Canadian Laws

Use the Summer 2017 issue of Kayak to help your students match these laws to the places that have/made them!

Match founders to their foods!

Use the Summer 2017 issue of Kayak to help your students match famous Canadian food companies to their founders.