Hands-On Canadian History: Fathers of Confederation


Confederation marks the official start of our country – Canada. But in order to get to that official day, it took several leaders of a variety of provinces to have conferences to discuss it all. We call these men the Fathers of Confederation. There were 36 men in total who participated from Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Prince Edward Island who participated in at least one of the three main discussions that took place in Quebec, Charlottetown, and London, England.

Hands-On Canadian History: Fathers of Confederation

Fathers of Confederation – 3 Part Cards

Want to know who these men were? These cards feature the photos and names of each of the fathers of confederation, along with what province they represented. Done in the style of 3 part cards from the Montessori method – there is a large card that has both the image and text and the 2 separate cards – one with just the image and one with the text so you can practice matching then checking against the full card.

Here is a short video that explains how to use 3 part cards in an early years setting – but it can be easily adapted to any age and topic.

Some ways to play:

  • matching game like the video
  • see if you can put the right name with the right picture and then check against the main card
  • sort cards by province
  • checking out the awesomeness of beards and facial hair in the 1860s….

Interesting fact: There were two men with the name John Hamilton Gray, from different provinces, who are both considered Fathers of Confederation! 

See all 31 Days of  Hands-on Canadian History.

Lisa Marie Fletcher
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