I am coming in late on this thread (was off on vacation).
 
The San Diego Presidio Archaeological Project runs several public
archaeology programs. One of our big successes is having an entire grade
(usually 4th graders) come out for several hours to dig and experience
living history. For the younger kids (kindergarten and 1-3rd graders) we let
them dig Strata 1, since there is no architecture to be hurt, and they still
find a lot of material. We have had 8th graders out as well, but often they
are not very interested.
 
A mock dig is good for the younger children, but they need a lot of time to
do a project like this. I agree that a specific ratio of students to
supervisors is critical.
 
While I was at the Arizona Historical Society as a volunteer, the Education
Department was running a program to educate kids in how to do documentary
research. Since this is a  necessary skill for historical archaeology, it
might be a good exercise for older kids. Basically, the person in charge
visits the local cemetery, and finds headstones (an older cemetery is best,
since the headstones are still above ground) with specific names on them.
The names are checked ahead of time to make sure that information/documents
exist for them in the historical society's records. Each student is assigned
a choice of names and visits the grave of the person they pick. They then go
to the historical society and research that particular person, and write a
short paper on them (including a bibliography).
 
This program seemed to make the person the kids were researching more real
and alive to them. It stimulated interest in archival work, and documents.
 
 
 
 
 
 
At 05:52 PM 9/8/97 -0700, you wrote:
>At the Kentucky Archaeological Survey, we have had great success with students
>of all ages working on real archaeological sites.  Everything we do is public
>orieneted, but it is real research with research goals.  We have proven that
>quality research can be produced from public digs and information can be
>distributed via a variety of methods outside of reports.  All of our projects
>are research focused with an equal public involvement focus.  The key, as
>someone has mentioned is to have a managable archaeologist to student ratio and
>archaeologist who have some sense of social skills.
>
>I think that it is important that we not gloss over what archaeology is.
>Archaeology is digging, screening, washing, analyzing, and writing.  If the
>public thinks it is boring then they should not become archaeologists.  I
>understand that some people who visit our sites will not like the work and that
>some will.  The point is not to make everyone want to be archaeologists (It is
>hard enought to find a job!) but it is to expose everyone to archaeology
and try
>
>to give a positive experience as much as possible.  Those people who do not
like
>
>archaeology will leave the site with respect for what we do and why we do
>archaeology.
>
>Also, students, particularly young ones know when something is fake and it has
>much less of an impact on them.
>
>M. Jay Stotttman
>Kentucky Archaeological Survey
>
>
 
Anita Cohen-Williams
Listowner of HISTARCH, SUB-ARCH, and SPANBORD
Contributing Editor, Anthropology, Suite101 <http://www.suite101.com>
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