Activities for Elementary School Students

Good Morning Mother! or, School in the Olden Days with the Good Shepherd Sisters, circa 1950s

Levels 1, 2 and 3

Situation Scenario

Until the late 1960s, children respectfully greeted their teachers at Good Shepherd schools with the title "Mother" They were required to show much respect for those in positions of authority.

Like students today, youngsters back then studied reading, writing and mathematics, and also took courses on such subjects as politeness, decorum, agriculture and home economics. And let's not forget catechism! To facilitate learning and promote school life, schools were equipped with many tools and instruments that have long since been forgotten: writing slates, stylus pens and nibs, transparencies, pious images, clappers, graduates' crowns, etc.

Activity

In a classroom reminiscent of the olden days, students are invited to become Good Shepherd pupils. They learn about rules of conduct and politeness, subjects taught, school supplies and textbooks, as well as rewards and punishments.

Means

Situation scenario; accessories and costumes; period photographs; handling objects; testimonial of a Good Shepherd Sister.

Length45 to 60 minutes
Cost 3 $ per student ; free admission for 3 group leaders

Caring for Baby and Adoptions, or A Day at the Crèche

Levels 2 and 3

Situation Scenario

Between 1901 and 1972, many unwed mothers gave birth at the Crèche Saint-Vincent-de-Paul in Quebec City, an institution founded by the Good Shepherd Sisters of Quebec. This nursery was home, on average, to 600 babies who were cared for by a team of professionals, including physicians, lay and religious nurses, nursery attendants, social workers and priests.

Activity

This activity gives students a taste of a day at the Crèche Saint-Vincent-de-Paul circa 1950. They'll become members of a "multidisciplinary team" and learn about the loving care given to babies at the Crèche. The program: baptism, baby bottles, swaddling clothes, bathing, pampering, medical examination, play... Children are encouraged to compare care given to babies at the Crèche with care given in today's daycare centres.

Getting Started: A step back in time to the 1850s helps students to better understand what led the Good Shepherd Sisters to take care of these babies.

Means

Situation scenario; accessories and costumes; testimonial of a Good Shepherd Sister.

Length45 to 60 minutes
Cost 3 $ per student ; free admission for 3 group leaders

Meeting Other Cultures the Good Shepherd Way

Levels 2 and 3

Situation Scenario

The Good Shepherd Sisters, missionaries since 1935, help women and children in Lesotho, South Africa, Haiti, Brazil and Rwanda in many different ways in order to lessen their hardships.

Activity

Taking inspiration from the Sisters' work, a guide presents the five developing countries where the Good Shepherd Sisters are active and encourages students to compare the life of a child in Quebec with that of a child in these countries (geography, access to education and healthcare, conflicts, etc.).

Means

Photographs, maps, illustrations, mystery items game, meeting a sister or humanitarian volunteer who worked in one of the five countries.

Length45 to 60 minutes
Cost 3 $ per student ; free admission for 3 group leaders