We have a dig activity in our Mound Builder program that won the state's
award in Education from the Kentucky Historical Society. This program
studies the indigenous people of our regions. Our dig (for 4th and 5th
grade students) uses scientific method and the dig boxes are divided into
grids. This is important as the students are learning about grids in those
grades. They use the same type tools and process used during real
excavations. They learn that what is found in the box can tell the story
about what happened back during the Mississippian era. (example: if they
find charcoal, that is evidence that there was a fire in that location) They
record their findings explaining how the artifact may have been used. They
label all artifacts found. Prior to the dig, they learn about everything
from the types of Mounds, to various types of arrowheads and their different
uses, mica, a mineral used by those people and still used today and much
more. The dig allows them to learn the process of identifying artifacts,
and learning how their uses played an important role in the sustainability
of their communities. Our digs are much more than a treasure hunt.
Teachers appreciate us using project based learning and say our content is
very tied to the curriculum with some questions on testing related to their
visit here.
Original Message------
Thank you Paul.
What does digging stuff out of a sandbox really teach people about archaeology except to suggest that anybody with a shovel can dig stuff up? There's never any corresponding mapping or recording exercise. Just a treasure hunt. For every hour in the filed, archaeologists spend three hours in the lab sorting, identifying, analyzing, and interpreting what they found. They do this in reference to the careful records created during excavation. They don't just randomly dig in a hole, collect what they find, throw it in a box, and move to the next hole.
If the intent is to understand what archaeologists do, you'd be better off creating a station where visitors try to identify fragments of brick, concrete, stone, bone, glass, etc in relation to complete examples, or figure out what certain lithics are by comparing them with exhibited pieces or pictures, or providing a microscope though which they can look at objects that do and do not show use wear, or identify features in a simulated profile wall, or look at a collection of objects and come up with ideas about what they are and why they were all found in one area. You'd have activities that better simulate archaeology with far less mess.
I'm not sure Paul's dig simulation would work as an unmoderated, unstructured gallery activity, but at my last museum we used it extensively with people from middle school through college to teach excavation. It is an excellent model. I would check out his links and excavate them for ideas to create a better archaeology activity than a sandbox. And you won't have to worry about shredded rubber versus, walnut hulls, versus real sand, and how to contain the mess.
db
Dan Bartlett
Curator of Exhibits
Elmhurst History Museum
(630) 833-1457 ext 6450