The most effective way to learn is to do, especially if what is done is enjoyed and becomes important in our experiences. This, which is already considered unquestionable, is essential to apply to pedagogical practice.
So today, linking the end of the summer that has recently arrived and the need to continue offering children recreational educational activities now that classes have begun, we propose this Archeology workshop for small researchers.
Our last article of the Summer Special with Children, although, we are sure, that this workshop can be done at any time of the year if we shelter the children well.
Ice age
Surely your children know Diego, Manny and Sid. Here we have them and the rest of their friends surprised by the great glaciation. Our proposal is that you help them to go outside again because you would not like to see Ice age 4 soon?
Of course, the activity can be done with any object or doll, but these, if you have them, cause a sensation.
It is very simple. We will place the figurines in a large plastic mold, a lunchbox for example, and cover them with water. We can leave it transparent or add a few drops of food coloring to make it more cloudy if we want. Then, to the freezer for a few hours.
When the water is freezing, it is time to start working. We will unmold the ice block under the tap stream and our little archaeologists can start working breaking the ice until the supposed remains of beings that lived in the glaciation were extracted.
We advise you, of course, to provide you with glasses to protect your eyes from some ice chips that can jump. They are going to have a great time.
Archaeologists in the garden
Another idea is to make some archeology in our garden or in the park. We have, previously, to bury some objects: colored stones, some little doll that represents prehistoric animals, bones of those with which dogs play, carved stones that look like instruments of primitive men, pieces of broken pottery, in fact, anything that we can play that is an archaeological remain that we are going to dig up
Once the land is chosen, we will bury the remains and cover them again. Then, with the children, who surely love to prepare for the occasion, we will enclose the land with markers and ropes, and, carefully, we will begin to dig gently, so as not to break our treasures.
Every sure discovery that raises expectation and also, if we can, we will be photographing them and pointing their characteristics in a field notebook that, finished, will serve as a reminder of the fun workshop.
Children of the forest
We will finish the workshop playing. We will set a scenario: we are part of a group of prehistoric men and we will reproduce their way of life.
We will propose to children to paint their faces as "the children of the forest" with colored lines, symbols or whatever we invent that would be the sign by which the members of our tribe are recognized and also used to camouflage themselves.
Then we can propose different activities: find stones that could help us, collect wood for a campfire (the campfire, please, imaginary), make a hut with sticks or blankets, go exploring, find a spring (or source), get food and Prepare them
We will finish our Archeology workshop, of course, with a tribal dance in a circle. And notice, adults will also have to dance.
