Dana,

First, thanks for getting kids involved. I have done this and used 
broken pots (even plant pots work), other 'fake' historic artifacts 
(nearly anything can work for this) and some lithic artifacts that I 
made. No one got to keep their artifacts and the event was riot-free. 
The inability to keep the artifacts did create some excellent situations 
where I could discuss collecting with both parents and kids. While they 
may not have been happy to walk away with a sticker/ coloring book and 
no artifacts, I think they learned an important lesson.

Cheers,
Ben
Muhlenberg College


On 3/4/2013 4:08 PM, Alegria, Crystal wrote:
> Hi Dana,
> I agree with Hannah and Barb, it's important to model the behavior we want instead of modeling the behavior we are trying to discourage. Here is a great article on this topic by Joelle Clark called, "Should Kids Dig?" http://www.saa.org/Portals/0/SAA/publications/SAAbulletin/16-5/SAA9.html. This is the first in a series of thematic articles that focus on issues related to archaeology education programs and the use of simulated or actual excavation experiences. The articles were selected from the SAA Public Education Committee-sponsored symposium, "Should Kids Dig? The Ethics of Children Digging in Real or Sand Box Sites," organized by Megg Heath for the 61st Annual Meeting in New Orleans.
>
> Best,
> Crystal Alegria
>
> Crystal Alegria
> Project Archaeology
> 2-128 Wilson Hall
> Montana State University
> Bozeman, MT 59717
> [log in to unmask]
> (406) 994-6925
> www.projectarchaeology.org
>
> Find us on Facebook!
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>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Barbara Voss
> Sent: Monday, March 04, 2013 1:53 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: sherds needed for Children's Day
>
> Dana, what a great outreach event. What we do in our public archaeology program is purchase "analog" ceramics and other items at antique stores - especially chipped or cracked ones that are low priced - and then break the ceramics to use in our activities.
>
> I'd encourage you to think about alternatives to giving the kid a ceramic to take home. We want to educate the public to NOT collect artifacts that they find, and encourage people to think of the information potential of artifacts.
>
> We have the kids earn stickers in an archaeology "passport" that they can take home as a record of their activities. We also have them complete "artifact analysis" sheets (measuring, drawing, etc.) that they can take home as a record of the information they have collected.
>
> Hope this helps -
>
> --Barb
>
> -----------------------------------------------
> Barbara L. Voss, Associate Professor
> Department of Anthropology
> 450 Serra Mall, Bldg. 50, Main Quad
> Stanford University
> Stanford CA 94305-2034
> 650 723-3421 (dept office)
> 650 725-0605 (fax)
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dana L Pertermann
> Sent: Monday, March 04, 2013 12:41 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: sherds needed for Children's Day
>
> Hi all,
>
> We're holding a children's archaeological "dig" at my college, where kids will be able to learn basic archaeological methods. I will be "seeding" an area with artifacts, in which the kids will learn how to properly excavate and record finds, depending on their age level.
>
> I would like to include items that they can take home with them (imagine a kid finding something after digging and then not getting to take anything home. I'd have a riot on my hands). I'm looking for ceramic sherds that have no archaeological value. Any ideas? Feel free to email me directly at [log in to unmask] Thanks!
>
> -Dana Pertermann
> Western Wyoming Community College
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "HISTARCH automatic digest system" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Monday, March 4, 2013 12:00:13 AM
> Subject: HISTARCH Digest - 2 Mar 2013 to 3 Mar 2013 (#2013-55)
>
> There is 1 message totaling 27 lines in this issue.
>
> Topics of the day:
>
>    1. Archaeology of Edgefield, South Carolina Pottery Communities
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date:    Sun, 3 Mar 2013 18:07:28 -0700
> From:    Christopher Fennell <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Archaeology of Edgefield, South Carolina Pottery Communities
>
> This six-week field school (May 26 to July 8, 2013) will focus on investigations at the Pottersville site (also called Landrumsville) and nearby John Landrum and B. F. Landrum kiln sites within the area of the Old Edgefield Pottery District, and will provide training in the techniques of excavation, mapping, artifact classification and contextual interpretation. Students will work in supervised teams, learning to function as members of a field crew, with all of the skills necessary for becoming professional archaeologists. Many students from past University of Illinois field schools have gone on to graduate study and professional field-archaeology positions. Laboratory processing and analysis will be ongoing during the field season. Evening lectures by project staff, visiting archaeologists, and historians will focus on providing background on how field data are used to answer archaeological and historical research questions.
>
> The first innovation and development of alkaline-glazed stoneware pottery in America occurred in the Edgefield District of South Carolina in the early 1800s. Our 2011 field school also discovered that the earliest of these production sites also utilized industrial-scale "dragon" kilns never seen before in the Americas. It remains an enduring mystery as to how these new ceramic methods were developed in that place and time, and how the techniques of kiln design and choices of clay, temper, and glaze ingredients developed over the following century. These potteries employed enslaved and free African-American laborers in the 19th century, and the stoneware forms also show evidence of likely African cultural influence on stylistic designs. Edgefield potteries thus present fascinating research questions of understanding technological innovations and investigating the impacts of African cultural knowledge and racial ideologies on a craft specialization during the historic period in
>   
>   
>    America. This project entails an interdisciplinary, collaborative, and archaeological study of the first development in America of alkaline-glazed stoneware pottery forms, the development of that South Carolina industry over time, and the impacts of racism and African cultural influences on those processes.
>
> For additional information about this field school opportunity, please contact Chris Fennell by email at [log in to unmask] To apply for participation in this field school, please download and complete a short application form and submit it by March 25, 2013. Students will be notified of acceptance no later than April 10, 2013. Accepted students should register for six credits in the University of Illinois summer session. Students from colleges other than the University of Illinois can register through our exchange program and receive transfer credits. Additional information and application forms are available at http://www.histarch.uiuc.edu/Edgefield/
>
> Watch a documentary about our 2011 field school at Pottersville by StoryLine Media at http://vimeopro.com/storylinemedia/thcsc-pottersvile
>
> Best wishes,
> Chris
>
> Christopher C. Fennell
> Editor, Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage (JADAH) Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Studies, and Associate Head Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois
> 109 Davenport Hall, MC-148, 607 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801
> JADAH: lcoastpress.com/journal.php?id=15
>         and maneypublishing.com/index.php/journals/jaf
> UI Profile: http://www.anthro.illinois.edu/faculty/cfennell/
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of HISTARCH Digest - 2 Mar 2013 to 3 Mar 2013 (#2013-55)
> ************************************************************
>
> --
> Dana L Pertermann, PhD
> Associate Professor, Anthropology/Geology Western Wyoming College
>
> 979.450.8692
> [log in to unmask]