Children are offered many opportunities to participate in activities at the
excavation. They learn various methods and procedures. Some of the activities
that were offered at past field schools are:
Excavating techniques-
Children learned how to properly layout excavation units and also how to
dig properly with a trowel.
Documentation- Children
Learned how to properly record artifacts and findings.
Youngsters also learned how
to collect artifacts in a manner that preserves the provenience of the
find. (Provenience being the original location in which the artifact was
found and any important information concerning the artifact)
Children were also taught the
various techniques that Native American’s used to start fires and also the
use of boiling stones.
The 2003 and 2004 field
schools taught children how Spanish Colonial soldiers lived and worked at
the Presidio San Saba site.
Some of the children learned
how Archeologists use tree ring dating at an excavation.
Along with learning
procedures and methods, children were also able to participate in a play
which was a reenactment of the history of the Presidio San Saba.
The 2003 and 2004 excavation/field schools were held at the Presidio San
Saba site located in Menard, TX.
This was the site of a fort that was occupied until 1770. The excavation
yielded many interesting finds such as pottery, tools and even an intact piece
of fabric, which is extremely rare due to the fact that cloth decomposes
rapidly. The Texas Archeological Society’s excavation/field school for the
years 2003 and 2004 was a success due in large part to the many volunteers that
assisted the archeologists.