ARCHAEOLOGY DAY    If you are a teacher or educator, Archaeology Day is a great way to get your kids, from any age group, involved in the archaeology, research, museum, and curation processes. Follow the outline provided below and change it to suit your needs. This outline can be used for any age or size group and is very inexpensive. If you do not have an area to dig at, you can prepare a "mock dig" a few weeks ahead of time and use collected objects instead. Prior to your dig, send each child home a packet with the following: Site Rules and Permission Slips. For any questions, please contact me or your local museum or state/ national fort for more help! Happy Digging!    To set up, either find a place to dig (such as the back of a school, a yard, or other open area). If you have an area that you know you will find artifacts, you need to have an archaeologist or trained professional on hand to help you. If your area doesn't contain artifacts already, plan out an area to use. Before doing anything, please call 1800DIGAHOLE or the number in your area. These people will come and mark the ground so you know it is safe to dig. FOR MOCK DIGS:    A few weeks before your dig, collect any or all of the following: soda cans, chicken bones, old ceramic plates (thrift stores are great sources of "artifacts"), buttons, pennies, spoons, bricks, fake arrowhead points, odd shaped rocks, beads, marbles, terracotta pots, or other objects. The plates and pots should be broken into smaller pieces. If you like, you can have the kids in your group create artifacts like pottery or jewelry beads, etc before hand so they can experience what it's like to have found something made by real people. String out a good size area (4 meters by 4 meters should be sufficient for a medium sized group). Place a large amount of black plastic near the are you plan to "dig". Dig about two feet into the ground and put all the dirt unto the black plastic. When you have reached the bottom, you can either place plastic on the bottom if you like. Refill the hole and place artifacts throughout the soil as you go. You can recreate areas like a kitchen hearth, brick wall, or living space if you like. When you're finished, cover the area. When you come back, the soil should be settled and resemble a real dig. FOR ACTUAL DIGS:    Contact a local professional or someone trained in archaeology. They will be able to supervise your dig and help you with questions you have about procedures etc. When you have done so, set up your area and obtain the appropriate permission from local or governmental agencies. Check the status of burial laws in your area. Dig a few small (30 centimeter wide) holes in the area you're looking at. Space them apart at least 10 meters. Dig the hole until you cannot dig any farther, or until you are 75 centimeters deep. These "tests" will help determine where you should place your larger hole. Remember to make maps and label (use electrician's tape or other markers) anything you do for later. On to the dig!    The dig schedule I set up consisted of three weekends to organize and prepare the children for the dig, the actual dig, and follow-up. It is essential that the children understand rules and reasons behind what they're doing beforehand and get some information on what happens afterwards in order to grasp the whole process and conduct themselves in a manner befitting archaeologists and scientists. There are national laws governing what we do as well as moral rules we follow. See the Site Rules page for a good list of rules to establish beforehand. We also want kids to know that archaeology is not the only part of history, and so much more goes into it, making history rather interesting and exciting! WEEK ONE    We first created handouts about professions involved in archaeology. These professions are the basis of groups the kids will be divided into for the first and third week. Grant Writer: Aquire Funding Historian: Talk to people, Research Private Archaeologist: Excavation, Research, Lab Research Cultural Resource Management/ Archaeology Company(example contract and how a project is run. "We decided to do this because...") Contract Bidding, Organize, Hire, Dig College/University professor Organize Field School, Educate, Research, Role Model, Advise, Acquire Funding    When the kids arrive, split them into small groups (by interest if preferred) and give each child a name tag with their group on it. Separating into groups at first will help keep everything organized. Gather the groups into one room and discuss what a research design is, why we plan, and conservation above all. Tell them how history is a "non-renewable resource"; after it is gone, there is no replacing it. We try to conserve as much as possible, and to destroy as little as possible when we obtain our information, even when digging. We try not to dig anywhere that is unnecessary to our project and leave as much behind as possible. A nice quote I heard a few years ago was "Archaeology is an inherently destructive science."    This talk can be short and simple. Have your group leaders (adult volunteer) gather their group and bring them to a quiet area to work. Each group will have a handout on the duties of their group profession (historian, private archaeologist, CRM company/ educational institute, grant writer, historian). They should also have a packet containing pertinent information such as maps, oral histories, deeds, photos, historical documents, blueprints, contracts, budgets, site maps, etc. These can be made up or actual photocopies (besides photographs, it's advisable to not use originals) of real documents.    Each group will have the same project in mind when they are working. If you are doing a "mock dig", think of a history for your area. Any good story or history will do. Have fun with it and make up exciting names and people for your area. The groups will discuss what their profession does, look at the packets they were given, and decide what they are going to do with this information. For example, the Historian can put together a short history of the area by looking at the packet of maps, photos, oral histories, etc. The CRM company can decide how many people they need to work, how long the project might take, what they expect to find, what they plan on doing with the history and artifacts they find (create educational program for a school, create a display in a museum, etc). They will create a short presentation with what they find. If they want they can create a poster or some type of visual to show. For the private archaeologist, they can write a hort history of the area and a general guess about what they might find and why. They can also come up with a list of research questions, like what types of tools were people making here or if there was a certain type of food that people ate in particular. Anything creative will be good. (You might want to help them and give them hints as to what they will find, since this will influence what their questions will be). Break for LUNCH    Each group gives their presentation. Ask them to discuss what they were supposed to do as a ___ and if how they came up with their information. Provide time for a short Q&A.    Before the kids leave, give each a slip with one word to define in one paragraph and ask them to bring it back the next week. These will be combined into a packet for the last week and given to each child to take home. The words or terms should be related to your area or the project you are working on. For a list of words check here. WEEK TWO    Prepare the site before the kids arrive. Make a map of the area. You will need most of the following:    Collect definitions. Give a short introduction to the dig. Explain Dig Rules. Discuss site conservation and the day's schedule. Separate the children into small groups. Each group again has a leader or adult volunteer. Each group will have a section of the excavation. These First have each adult explain tool safety. Explain how half the group will dig while the other "screens" or sifts the dirt through a large screen to look for artifacts. After lunch they will switch to give each chile a chance at both jobs. Then explain how to fill out the forms (level forms, bag labels) and how to map artifacts.    To excavate, have each group dig in levels. This means they should dig the first ten centimeters of their section, or unit, screen the dirt for artifacts, and fill out their forms. All artifacts from that level go in a bag labeled for that level. Munsell charts are used to record soil colors. On each level form there is an area for Munsell colors. You can use the Munsell charts I have listed or find your own. Kids can use a tiny bit of water and smudge their colors on their form or just write the corresponding numbers. Make sure they do not start the next level until all paperwork is done and bags are turned into the adult supervisor. Continue until you reach the bottom of the hole, or until no more artifacts are found. Some areas may be shallow and hit subsoil (clay etc) early. You should make sure they know to stop at this type of soil. Break for LUNCH    Rotate the children's chores. At the end of the day, collect all paperwork and bags. Make sure the area is clean and safe before anyone leaves the area.    In between this week and the next, clean some of the artifacts (warm water and soft toothbrushes works very well) and let them dry. Type up the definitions the children handed in and prepare them in a packet to present the next week. Third Week    When the children arrive, show them the artifacts washed and dryed from before, and let each of them wash and lay out an artifact. You can do this with large cafeteria or restaurant style basins and warm water, laying them on trays with paper towels underneath. Make sure each artifact is placed on a tray with the information about that artifact. Don't put artifacts from different bags on the same trays as they may get mixed up. This activity should be short to make room for the rest of the day. Divide the kids back into groups. State Park Ranger/Manager: Educate, Run Park, Create Education Programs Architectural Historian/ Restorer: Build, Restore. Writer: Research, Write Books, Aquire Information Governmental Office (SEAC, NRHP, COAE): Site Eligibility, Supervise Gov't Digs, Uphold State/Fed'l Laws Museum Curator: (Prepare quick example of how to setup the display or exhibit) Organize, Plan Educator: Create Short Example Program for Class Visits, Museum Displays, or Field School. Also Talk about Personal Research) Non-Profit: Museum, Group, Conference Educate, Provide Field for Master/PhD Students, Papers, Digs, Community Involvement, Prof/Non-Prof Work Together   Each of these groups will go through a packet corresponding to their duties with the adult supervisor. The Professor can create a short program for class visits, museum displays, or a field school. The Architectural Historian will have blueprints of the area (if a structure is found or nearby). They can write a description of things that need to be fixed or restored, or how the structure was used and changed over the years. The curator should be given a list of the artifacts found and a floor plan of a musuem. They should prepare an example, including drawings if needed, of how to set up the display of the artifacts and a short intro to this exhibit. artifact rosters, museum layout, lab findings. For the curator group, have a list of museum visitor's ages, needs, town suggestions, and artifact list. At end of day, have each group a give presentation. Handout form on program benefits, anything they learned, what to change, suggestions, etc. Have the kids write up: impact, enjoyment, overall effectiveness, education, etc. Fill out and collect. Give certificate of completion: Official rank Archaeological Field Technician I Lunch/Barbeque, fun activity! Congratulations. You've just completed an archaeological dig!