A major resource is the Special Places Project for the town or region.
1. Have a class adopt a cairn, abandoned school yard, or other outdoor site. Mow it – clean it up. Erect signage. Plant shrubs, flowers or trees. Make a garden, park or picnic spot. Write an article for the paper about it. Petition local government for funding.
2 Walking Tour Through Time
Have student prepare signs and a map for a Heritage Walking Tour or Tours. It could include existing sites and “former” sites. The signs could be colour coded and could include a site history. Local Histories are a good resource.
3. Make connections – which buildings have connections to students in the class?
4. Classify a selection of buildings as to their “Claim to Fame”.
Is it the architecture or appearance, the person who lived there, the business that operated there, something that happened there?
5. Find a building that was moved from its original site. Why? How? When?
6. Visit the site
7. Interview someone about the site.
8. Make a movie about the site.
9. Make a “Before and After” display, pamplet, or poster promoting the site.
10. Collect and display photos, newspaper ads, stories about a commercial site.