Book a School Program

Inspiring the next generation of heritage tradespeople and professionals with hands-on, discovery-based school programs that tie together History, Geography, Science & Technology.

Learn @ the Homestead

The Brown Homestead’s school programs aim to inspire curiosity in the heritage trades and an appreciation of the stories and history that exist within historic buildings.

Take a field trip to The Brown Homestead, or invite us to your classroom.

  • Heritage conservation activities with safe, hands-on experiences using heritage building materials, tools, and practices.

  • Hear from skilled heritage tradespeople and professionals about their careers.

  • Place-based learning at the site of the oldest home in St. Catharines while we undergo adaptive reuse projects.

Now booking for the 2025/2026 school year!

Get in touch. Submit a form.

A member of our team will respond to your request within two (2) business days. Or, contact Director of Community Engagement Sara Nixon directly at snixon@thebrownhomestead.ca with your inquiries.

School group and adult chaperones watch a TBH staff member speak in front of the John Brown House on a sunny day.

Booking Information

  • Program Type: Field trip, indoor & outdoor

  • Duration: Approximately 3 hours plus meal break

  • Capacity: Maximum 30 students

  • Cost: $6 per student

  • Grades: Designed for Grades 7 & 8, but can accommodate other grades

  • Availability: September - October & April - June

  • Let your students step into the past to investigate how Loyalist settlement, geography, and early Canadian building practices shaped the region we live in today.

    This hands-on, inquiry-based program invites students to explore the site of the oldest home in St. Catharines, through the lenses of the Ontario curriculums for History, Geography, and Science & Technology.

    Program Overview:

    • Guided Discovery Tour

    • Historic Building Miniature Model Activities

    • Skilled Heritage Trades Career Videos

    • Pre- & Post- Visit Activities Available

A close-up shot of people working with carpentry hand tools and a wood plank. They are using a mallet and chisel to split the planks along their grains.

  • With the aid of a custom-designed video game, students will work together to construct a miniature lath and plaster wall and learn about traditional building materials and techniques of the early 1800s in Niagara.

    Program Overview:

    • Video Game Tutorial

    • Historic Building Material & Tool Samples

    • Lath & Plaster Wall Building Activity

    • Pre- & Post- Visit Activities Available

Booking Information

  • Program Type: In-classroom visit

  • Duration: Approximately 80 minutes

  • Capacity: Maximum 30 students

  • Cost: $6 per student

  • Grades: Designed for Grades 7 & 8, can accommodate other grades

  • Availability: Starting in March 2026