Schools, community groups, and individuals can book programs and walking tours at Toronto's First Post Office!
Please note: We ask that organizers book one month prior to their visit to ensure availability for their selected date and time. We will do our best to accommodate your first choice.
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Click on a title below to learn more about our education programs and walking tours. Every program can be adapted to your group's learning needs.
This full day program invites young learners to hear a story written and illustrated for Toronto's First Post Office. In it, Rebecca and her father travel to the new City of Toronto from their farm and find a surprise waiting for them at the Post Office! Students will learn about the role Post Offices played and the importance of writing and sending letters as the only means of communication and how that differs from today.
This comprehensive program includes a presentation, our hands on "With a Quill & Ink" workshop, and a walking tour through Old Town filled with its own interactive activities.
On-Site Museum Visit:
3.5 - 4 hours (Typically 10am-2pm)
$12 per participant (includes all materials)
Maximum capacity of 40 participants
Ontario Curriculum Expectations:
Kindergarten: 1.2; 1.4; 1.5; 6.1; 9.1; 10.1;10.3; 11.7 23.2; 23.4; 24.4;28.2; 31.3
Grade 1: Social Studies: A3.1; A3.2; B1.1; B1.2; The Arts: D1.3; D1.4; Language: B1.1; B1.2; B2.8; B3.3; C2.5; C2.6; D1.1; D1.2; D2.1
Grade 2: Social Studies: A3.1; A3.2; A3.5; A3.6; B2.3; The Arts: D1.4; Language: A3.1; A3.2; B1.1; B1.2; B3.3; D2.1; D2.2; D2.3; D2.4
This full day program will introduce students to the history of Toronto's First Post Office during the 19th century. Participants will learn about the importance of the early postal service and Toronto's transformation from the small Town of York into one of Canada's largest cities.
This comprehensive program includes a presentation, our hands on "With a Quill & Ink" workshop, and a walking tour through Old Town filled with its own interactive activities.
On-Site Museum Visit:
3.5 - 4 hours (Typically 10am-2pm)
$12 per participant (includes all materials)
Maximum capacity of 40 participants
Ontario Curriculum Expectations:
Grade 3: Social Studies: A1.1; A1.3; A2.3; A2.4; A2.5; A2.6; A3.1; A3.2; A3.3; B1.1; B1.2; B1.3; B3.5; The Arts: A3.1; A3.2; D1.2; D1.4; D2.2; D2.3; D3.1; Language: B1.1; B1.4; B1.5; B3.1; B3.2; B3.3; C1.6; C2.1; C2.2; C2.3; C2.5; C3.2; C3.4; C3.5; C3.6; D1.2; D2.2; D2.3
Grade 4: Social Studies: A1.1; A2.2; A2.6; A1.3; A3.1; A3.2; A3.6; A3.7; B1.1; B2.2; The Arts: A3.1; A3.2; D1.2; D1.4; D2.2; D2.3; D3.1; Language: B1.1; B1.4; B1.5; B2.2; B3.1; B3.2; B3.3; C1.1; C1.6; C2.1; C2.2; C2.3; C2.5; D1.1; D1.2; D2.2
Grade 5: Social Studies: A1.1; A1.2; A1.3; A2.2; A2.3; A3.1; A3.2; A3.3; A3.4; B2.3; B2.4; The Arts: A3.1; D1.2; D1.4; D2.2; D2.3; D3.1; D3.2; Language: B1.1; B1.4; B1.5; B2.2; B3.1; B3.2; B3.3; C2.1; C2.2; C2.3; C2.5; C3.2; D2.2
Grade 6: Social Studies: A1.2; A2.2; A2.4; A2.5; A2.6; A3.3; A3.4; A3.9; The Arts: A3.1; D1.2; D1.4; D2.1; D2.2; D2.3; D3.1; Language: B1.1; B1.5; B2.1.; B2.2; B3.1; B3.2; B3.3; C2.1; C2.3; C2.5; C3.2; D2.2
This full day program will introduce students to the changes and conflicts that affected the City of Toronto after its incorporation with a focus on immigration and the Rebellion of 1837. Participants will also learn about the effects these changes had on Toronto's First Post Office and the fate of the City's first Postmaster.
This comprehensive program includes a presentation, our hands on "With a Quill & Ink" workshop, and a walking tour through Old Town filled with its own interactive activities.
On-Site Museum Visit:
3.5 - 4 hours (Typically 10am-2pm)
$12 per participant (includes all materials)
Maximum capacity of 40 participants
Ontario Curriculum Expectations:
Grade 7: History: A1.2; A1.3; A2.3; A3.1; A3.2; A3.8; B1.1; B1.2; B1.3; B2.3; B2.4; The Arts: A2.1; A3.2; D1.1; D1.4; D2.1; D2.2; D2.3; D3.2; Language: B1.1; B1.2; B1.5; B2.1; B2.2; B3.1; B3.2; B3.3; C2.1; C2.2; C2.3; C2.5; C3.2; D2.2
Grade 8: History: A1.2; A1.4; A2.2; A2.3; A2.4; A2.6; A2.7; A3.2; A3.3; A3.7; The Arts: A3.1; A3.2; D1.1; D1.4; D2.1; D2.2; D2.3; D3.1; D3.2; Language: B1.1; B1.5; B2.2; B3.1; B3.2; B3.3; C2.1; C2.3; C2.5; C3.2; C3.5; C3.6; D2.2
This half day program will introduce participants to the history of Toronto's First Post Office and the early Town of York, noting the changes that occurred before and after its incorporation as the City of Toronto. Attendees will also learn about the Rebellion of 1837 and how it changed the course of the building's history.
This comprehensive program includes a presentation and finishes with a hands-on experience where participants will have the opportunity to hand write a letter with a quill and ink, complete with a wax seal, as was common practice in the 1830s. They will then get to mail their letter using the postal counter at Toronto's First Post Office.
On-Site Museum Visit:
1.5 - 2 hours
$8/ student participant; $10/ adult participant (includes all materials)
Maximum capacity of 15 participants or less
Off-Site Option: Postmistress in the Classroom:
If visiting the museum is too far for your class or group to travel to, we can come and deliver this program to you! We can also tailor the presentation to the age group specified with the associated curriculum expectations listed above.
Please Note: An additional travel charge may be applied based on the distance from the museum.
Explore the Old Town neighborhood on foot with one of our expert historians and gain a perspective of how the area has changed as history unfolded. Most tours begin at St. James Cathedral and end at Toronto's First Post Office.
Choose one of themes below for your tour:
On the Edge of a City: This introductory tour focuses on the main buildings that used to exist in the early Town and what daily life was like for its citizens.
1813 Terror in the Town: This tour provides a look at the establishment of the early Town and its participation in the War of 1812.
Death, Violence, and Scandal in York: This tour focuses on the harsh realities of life in the Town of York and the social norms that citizens were expected to abide by.
Uprisings & Upsets: This tour explores the early riots that shaped the Town of York and the City of Toronto.
Ghostly Walk through Old Town: This tour focuses on the spookier side of history.
On-Site Museum Visit:
1.5 - 2 hours
$8/ student participant; $10/ adult participant (includes all materials)
Maximum capacity of 30 participants
Toronto's First Post Office has partnered with nearby Enoch Turner Schoolhouse to offer a full day of programming at two historic sites. Booking needs to be completed separately for each site.
Purchase or rent an education kit and deliver the "With a Quill & Ink" program in your classroom at your own pace! Teachers now have the option of renting a Portable Teaching Kit or purchasing a Digital Teaching Kit, with each offering hands-on components that is memorable, engaging and fun!
Digital Teaching Kit: $40
Our digital teaching kit offers students a unique learning experience and provides teachers with curriculum-based lesson material with pre and post lesson activities.
Portable Teaching Kit: $55 (one week rental)
Borrow our portable teaching kit and bring the museum to you! The kits are sturdily packed with education artifacts and activities that are curriculum based.