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Any field trip can be amazing whether you sleep over or just visit for the day. Last winter, for the first time, I had the opportunity to stay for a night at Fort York. I went with my Girl Guide unit (the 144th Toronto Guides). Fourteen of us, along with a Pathfinder unit, a couple of Brownies and six leaders made for a total of thirty-four people in our group. It was a fantastic experience filled with workshops and lots of interactive events. We lived the life as soldiers did in the 19th century garrison to understand the lifestyle of that time period. The Fort York staff dressed in period costumes and taught us about the tools, skills, and communication signals that were used during the early days of our city. They also provided us with breakfast and dinner in the dining hall. The menu was based on what the soldiers ate during the War of 1812, such as beef stew, curried rice, and carrots. In the 1813 Blockhouse dorms, there were bunk beds and hanging lanterns lit by candles. We felt like actual soldiers. For example, we made delicious cookies in the officers’ kitchen and then learned how to load cannons later that day. We were divided into groups and everyone was given a role. When we made cookies, I was responsible for mashing the ingredients in a bowl. They didn’t have mixers then! Loading the cannons was fun and took a team effort. We went through the steps and my role was to load the cannon using a large rod. There were many Kyrra (l.) and Tijana (r.) find that standard issue uniforms don’t fit everyone perfectly. highlights, but my Credit: Connie Miller.
favourite part of the stay was after dinner. One of the soldiers shared a spooky story about the lighthouse at Centre Island and haunted events that happened during the war. Some of the girls were scared but I really enjoyed the stories and could listen to them all night long. And, with everything we learned and with some additional work, the Girl Guides earned their Heritage badge to add to our uniform sashes. On our final day, we packed up, had breakfast, said our goodbyes then enjoyed the gift shop on site. It was a great opportunity to learn for all children who want to know about our history. I love the subject and spending time at Fort York felt like the pages of Canadian history jumped out of a schoolbook. I would not hesitate to go back. For those of you who are thinking about visiting Fort York, you have to go! For each of the past six years Bella Black, now aged ten, has organized a bake sale to build a school in places like Haiti and Kenya. An outstanding example of what Free the Children is about, Bella won the Guides’ Girl Greatness Award in the Making a Difference category in 2015.
Bella, Taylor, and Kailyn (r. to l.) make sure the touch hole is clear, while Kyrra looks on. Credit: Connie Miller.
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