Education
Explore the Tower’s history on site, in the classroom or in the comfort of your own home. We offer a range of educational programs led by an enthusiastic team of educators and interpreters which bring Kingston’s military and cultural history to life. Explore our educational programs below and discover what our museum has to offer!
Field Trips
We offer special visits and guided tours for school groups of different grades and ages. Our field trips include a guided tour of the Murney Tower, a discussion of the history of Kingston and an engaging activity, and last approximately 45-60 minutes.
Contact us here to schedule a visit.
Accessible Field Trips
At the Murney Tower Museum, we recognize the diversity of students’ abilities and needs and therefore offer a variety of services to provide an accessible and enjoyable visit for all. An accessible field trip option is available to help all students engage with the history of Murney Tower and the broader cultural heritage of Kingston. Our accessible field trips include descriptive audio tours in English and French, an iPad station which features an immersive and 3D virtual tour of the site, and an educational game about the Murney Tower Museum. Integrated into our field trips, these multi-sensory experiences are offered free of charge and do not require personal devices.
If you require more information about our accessible field trips, the layout of the Murney Tower Museum, and how to access our assistive services, please click here.
Contact us here for more information about accessible tours and to schedule a visit.
Classroom Visits and Collection Workshops
Would you like us to visit your classroom and engage your students with the history of Kingston and museum collections?
Since December 2022, we have been visiting classrooms and delivering special collection workshops in collaboration with the Kingston Regional Heritage Fair. Our class visits take up to one hour and include an in-depth discussion about the history of Kingston and the Kingston Fortification Network, followed by a special collection handling workshop.
Contact us here to schedule a visit.
Community Programs
We love going out into our community and sharing the stories of Kingston. You can find us at the Kingston Regional Heritage Fair every May delivering programming to hundreds of local elementary school students from Grades 4-8. Every March Break, we partner with other local museums to offer a week of fun and educational activities called the March of the Museums. As an active member of the Kingston Association of Museums, Art Galleries and Historic Sites, we love collaborating with other museums. We participated in the “pop up museum” program Bring Your Thing in 2017 and its virtual counterpart called Bring Your Thing Online in 2020. We have also joined other Kingston museums in increasing access to our site through Museums At Night and Doors Open Ontario. We look forward to new off-site programming opportunities and can’t wait to see you out in our community.
Murney Tower Museum History Podcast
Murney Tower Museum History Podcast is a new podcast by the Murney Tower Museum. In the first season, host Cassandra Giarrusso delves into the unique history of the iconic landmark of Kingston, the Murney Tower. She explores everything from the tower's origins, its function as a military fortification, and its transformation into a museum. Through this engaging conversation, the podcast reveals unknowns of Kingston's only and only Murney Tower.
Season 1
Listen to Episode 1: Road to Murney here.
Listen to Episode 2: Building and Manning the Tower here.
Listen to Episode 3: The People of Murney here.
Listen to Episode 4: Disease in the Barracks: A Special Conversation with the Museum of Health Care at Kingston here.
Season 2
Listen to Episode 1: Torra di Mortella in Corsica here.
Listen to Episode 2: The Threat of Napoleon, Martellos of British Isles here.
“Cooking with Murney” Cooking Series
Did you ever wonder what cooking habits were like in the 19th-century? In our cooking series, we are answering this question by delving into various 19th-century recipes and adapting them to the modern kitchen. All videos are available on the museum’s Youtube Channel. Grab your ingredients, put your apron on, and come and join our Historical Interpreter, Annabeth Deakin for these delicious recipes.
Watch Episode 1: 19th-century bread here.
Watch Episode 2: Soldier’s Stew here.
Watch Episode 3: Afternoon Tea here.
Watch Episode 4: Thanksgiving Cake here.
Watch Episode 5: Murney Cupcakes here.
Historical Interpretation
Discover what life in the Tower was like in the Victorian period. We offer guided tours through all three unique levels of this fortification: the gun platform, the barracks and the caponiers. Our enthusiastic historical interpreters are committed to bringing Murney’s stories to life. Cross our dry ditch, take a picture in uniform or peep through a rifle port. There are lots to see under our little red roof, and our team of knowledgeable staff will ensure your visit is memorable.
Online Arts and Crafts Tutorials
We bring Murney to your home through online arts and crafts activities. Our workshops are free and accessible for all. They are available on the museum’s YouTube channel at Murney Tower and are great for ages 5-12.
RCRR Military Hat
This fun activity recreates the uniform hats worn by the men of the Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment – the men who not only guarded and manned the Tower, but also lived in Murney Tower itself. Watch the video to find out more about the people who inhabited the Tower some 150 years ago.
You can find our craft instructions here and download our craft bugle here.
High Tea with Murney Tower
Would you like to join us for a cup of tea? This activity takes inspiration from our Gardiner Collection and delves into the relationship between Queen Victoria and Canada. Using porcelain paint markers, we are exploring the history of Canada’s relationship with the British royalty and creating our own Royal teaware! You can find our instructional video here.
Murney Tower Rocks!
This activity brings the Tower’s limestone heritage to life by exploring the importance of the construction and structure of Murney Tower Museum in Kingston’s cultural and geographical landscape. In this craft, we use acrylic paint and limestone to artistically display Murney Tower.
You can find informational and instructional video on YouTube at Murney Tower and our instruction sheet here.
Shoot Blomefield Shoot!
Taking inspiration from Murney Tower’s iconic 32-pounder Blomefield Cannon, our Historical Interpreter, Annie recreates her own cannon at home using an empty plastic bottle, tape, a balloon, black paint, scissors, aluminum foil, and tissue paper.
You can find our video here.
Tower Construction
Can you think of a better way to explore the structure of Murney Tower than constructing it yourself? Murney Tower is one of the most iconic buildings of the city of Kingston. It is a National Historic Heritage Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it houses Kingston’s oldest operating Museum. In this video, we are using cardstock and construction paper and popsicle sticks to construct our own Murney Towers!
Martello Cups
This fun activity explores Martello Towers, small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century. Murney Tower is one of four Martello Towers in Kingston, Ontario, and one of nine that still exist in Canada today. In this craft, we are designing our own little Martello. Check your kitchen for some supplies and follow our lively YouTube instructional video for this free, educational craft here.