End of semester wrap-up for Dig the Past
Dig the Past had its final session of the semester on November 16, and WOW did we get a lot of participants – nearly 50 youth visitors, and somewhere around 30 adults as well. Normally we try and make a note of how many adults are accompanying the children on the sign-in sheet, but we were actually too busy this time to do so as attendance increased. Our setup for this session included not only the regular activities of digging, screening, and sorting, but a coloring table for our youngest visitors (although actually that proved quite popular with folks of all ages) as well as a seasonal-themed activity: faunal identification and comparison of wild and domestic turkey bones!
Although I haven’t had the chance yet to sort through every feedback form we asked our visitors to fill out, I feel fairly confident in saying that adults and kids alike who attended Dig the Past left with an improved sense of what archaeology is all about and why we do it. ‘What is an artifact?’; ‘What do we learn from artifacts and their context?’; and ‘Why don’t archaeologists dig up dinosaur bones?’ were key concepts that we found ourselves hitting on over and over again. That ‘lightbulb’ moment when we asked kids to make their own interpretations or tell us the answers were what made this project all worth it.
I want to take the opportunity here to thank everyone who participated as volunteers and facilitators throughout the semester. Getting a project like this off the ground for the first time has not been easy, and their involvement was essential in so many ways, from helping with the original set-up and trial run, to providing feedback and new ideas, to being the ones to jump in and get their hands dirty with the kids. Working with me on the project, I’ve had four undergraduate volunteers: Allison Apland, Max Forton, Jacci Hoffman, and Tyler Smart, as well as one graduate student, Anneliese Bruegel. Allison showed tireless enthusiasm for explaining archaeological concepts to kids in understandable ways, and handled an interview with the State News with great aplomb besides. Max was my go-to guy for identifying the stone tools that the MSU Museum education collection was kind enough to loan us, and for walking visitors through the use and functions of the artifacts we had on display. Jacci was a master of the digital microscope – I can’t count how many times I saw kids’ faces light up when she showed them what the microscope could do and let them have a go at it. Tyler put together a number of hand-out fliers on the history and archaeology of MSU’s campus which have proved to be a great product not just for Dig the Past but for CAP as a whole. Finally, Anneliese did an exceptional job jumping in to all the activities, but especially the turkey bones! The kids loved handling real bones and learning about them from a real scientist.
Dig the Past starts back up for the spring semester on January 18. We are planning some new activities and hope to continue with seasonal-themed ones as well, so come check it out!
Author: Adrianne Daggett