Table of Contents
COOL KITS AND GAMES
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Use the Archaeology Adventure Dig Activity Kit from Nature Watch to set up a complete (simulated) native American dig site, equipped with pottery shards, arrowheads, beads, and animal bones. The kit includes a good-sized screen for sifting and sorting findings and a detailed instructor’s guide. (Extra dig components can be ordered for larger group digs.) About $70. Can be used for a wide range of ages. |
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Archaeology: The New Expedition (Z-Man Games) is a card game in which players, as archeologists, compete to collect (and sell) ancient artifacts. For ages 12 and up. |
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From LEGO, archaeology-themed games – which players first build with Lego blocks, then play – include Ramses Pyramid, Ramses Return, and Minotaurus. Each comes with blocks and instructions, microfigures, and a buildable Lego die. For ages 8 and up. |
REAL DIGS AND CITIZEN SCIENCE
| Finally, for those eager to get out in the field, armed with trowel, teaspoon, and paintbrush, and dig, the Archaeological Institute of America publishes the Archaeological Fieldwork Opportunities Bulletin (AFOB), a detailed list of digs, field schools, and programs with positions for volunteers or students. (The bad part: You don’t get to keep anything you find. The good part: It’s the finding that’s the most fun.) | |
| From the USDA Forest Service, Passport in Time is a long list of volunteer archaeological fieldwork and historical preservation opportunities at Forest Service-sponsored sites around the United States. (Cool family vacation.) | |
| Ancient Lives is a citizen science project in which participants help decode ancient Greek papyri. An online tutorial shows you what to do. |