Children will be digging into archaeology this summer at McClung Museum.
McClung Museum is offering week long summer camps to rising fourth, fifth and sixth grade students during the month of June. The camps are split up into two sections: fossils and cultures.
For the past week, children have spent their time learning about extinct animals through the fossils they left behind.
“During fossil camp, we talk about paleontology, which is the study of fossils,” said Debbie Woodiel, museum educator. “We have a permanent exhibit of fossil history in Tennessee at the museum, so a lot of our activities take place in that gallery. We learn about how to study fossils and what studying them can tell us about plants and animals of the past.”
Since children are usually fascinated by dinosaurs, the educators spend a little more time with that topic.
“We learn about how dinosaur footprints tell you about the size and type of animal and whether they were walking or running,” Woodiel said.
The children are also teaching their instructors.
“Little kids are enthusiastic and want to know everything about dinosaurs,” said Stephanie Drumheller, an instructor. “They know some stuff that most archeologists don’t, like random dinosaur names.”
Through various activities, the children have fun while their learning about the past.
“We have activities that go along with fossils,” Woodiel said. “The children make molds and casts of animals shells and do a demonstration of rock layers with Jell-O which they can eat later.”
A dig activity caps off the week. The children search for the fossils in a big sand box and then must write a report on their findings.
“We made a dig site for them to search for fossils,” Drumheller said. “We tried to make it as realistic as possible. The setting up involved sand and plaster, so it got a messy.”
The second camp studies Egyptian and Native American cultures.
“The focus is on people and how archeologists study them,” Woodiel said.
Instead of doing a dig, the students in this camp take a field trip out to the John Sevier place.
“The children will visit a real excavation (in) Marble Springs,” Woodiel said. “They’ll get to see what really goes on as the archeologists are in action.”
Brooke Hamby, an anthropology student, will be assisting in the instruction and has several activities planned for the camp.
“They will be making pottery, using a spear thrower, doing hieroglyphics writing, sorting and identifying Native American artifacts, and learning how to make string and jewelry the Native American way,” Woodiel said.
At the end of camp, both the children and the instructors take home their own artifacts.
“I do everything with them to show them,” Drumheller said. “I end up going home with fossils and eggs that I’ve made.”
Although fossil camp ends today, parents can still sign their children up for cultures camp. Call 974-2144 for more information.
