The Independent Center for Integrative Education: Learning without Limits
An archaeological excavation camp
for homeschooled children aged 11 and up
September 26-29, 2011
An archaeological excavation camp for homeschooled children aged 11 and up will be held at The Church of the Mediator, W 235th St in Kingsbridge, the Bronx, from Tuesday, Sept 26 to Friday the 29th. The theme will be Northeastern Native American history and prehistory. The object of the camp is to teach children to find artifacts and archaeological sites in the well-developed ways of professional archaeology, with the goal in mind of helping them see the connection(s) between artifacts and the places in which they are found (their contexts). Attaining this skill is meant to help children overcome the "finders keepers" mind-set in favor of an experience which favors understanding over finding. But the finding will be tempting! Objects of bone, stone and pottery may seem like a meager legacy of the tumultuous Native American past but what stories they tell when properly excavated and perceived! The children will use the same tools professionals use, and the concepts that have been mobilized to crack the code(s) of meaning latent in things which time and circumstance have buried.
Course description: The geography, culture, prehistory and history of the First Nations in the Northeast USA is filled with significance for those who can appreciate it. Archaeology offers a unique perspective on the successive phases of Native American life and it is the goal of the camp to make this persective manifest to children in a safe, exciting, fun project where the toil of labor are rewarded by the fruits of understanding. A site from Mount Desert Island, off the Acadian coast of Maine, provides the material for our exploration of the past. At this site, the convergence of Native American lore, mythology, culture with history, data and objects will occupy the diggers through three days of excavation. Maps will be made, photographs taken, and notes written in an attempt to discover what meaning can be teased out of the objects in their respective contexts. On the final day, a pot-luck feast on a Native American theme will vie for your attention with an exhibit of the children's finds, in which they will explain what they have found, what they think it means, and why they think so.
Details: The camp is non-religious; the Church is its venue. There will be a full day camp (9am-3pm, $190/week). Students will be oriented to excavation objectives each morning with stories and photographs, and will attempt to uncover the mysteries in the site. Students will learn to understand their artifacts and contexts using logic, common sense, history, games, stories and artifact processing. The entire program will take place at the Church. The dig site will be protected form the elements and children should be dressed for the weather, bring a snack, lunch and labelled drink, and be prepared to ask any questions they have about Native Americans in particular and archaeology in general. The afternoon portion of the program takes place indoors.
The teacher of the camp is Geof Purcell, who has taught camps of this kind for nearly twenty years. He is a professional achaeologist with worldwide experience. His specialty is teaching the discipline he learned about "the hard way" to children with an interest in the past. He installs the site the children will excavate, but the object of their attention should be the connections between the artifacts they find, rather than the artifacts themselves. It is from this kind of attention that the value of the camp is best realized.
For more information contact Geoffrey Purcell at
geofpurcell@gmail.com