I'm not an historian but I can get interested - obsessively interested - with any aspect of the past, whether it's palaeontology or archaeology or the very recent past.
And so can we!
We have just enjoyed a fabulous day with our friends of
HENCAST (Home Education Network Canberra and Southern Tablelands)
It was a day of tremendous organisation by one of our members with assistance from only one other. All her organisation and planning, resource sourcing and creativity is to be applauded.
The children had a fabulous time learning about what archaeology is by viewing a mockup scenario (a cow skeleton in a box of dirt) displaying what an archaeologist would do by stringing off the area of 'the dig' to form a grid pattern which they would then work through square by square. The spine of the cow contained therein was then plastered by the children in order to have it keep its shape when removed. They were given a demo on how to sift through portions of soil by scraping across the top of the soil and sifting it while observing and looking for their "finds". This was then put into practice by sifting through sand and clay, exploring and discovering. Ess is carrying out this technique below.
I just loved these sieves and trowels which were made for the occasion and each child had one each. No fussing or fighting or waiting. Each could busily sort through their own box of dirt.
The sifting and sorting and "digging" provided no end of discoveries for each and every one of the children from the youngest to the eldest.
There seemed no end to their "archaeological finds".
Here Ess proudly displays her quartz find.
Her turtle fossil.
A bone.
Teeth and coins as well!
