August 17: Archaeology Day

image from digkabri2011.wordpress.com

Kids can create and conduct their own archaeology digs with this activity.

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Archaeology Dig in Plaster

Materials:

• Assorted rock, shells, fossils, bones, etc.
• Large foil pan
• Plaster of Paris
• Water
• Tools for digging, such as metal forks
• Safety goggles
• Stiff brushes
• Newspaper

Directions:

1. Gather materials to be buried in the plaster.
2. Trace each object on a piece of paper. This creates a map to go by when digging later.
3. Place objects in large pan.
4. Mix plaster of Paris and pour over the objects.
5. With a large enough pan, you can create layers by letting one level dry before adding more objects and creating another layer.
6. Once plaster is hardened, kids can go to work digging up the hidden treasures.
7. Let kids use various tools for digging in the plaster.
8. As objects are found, they can be placed on the map.

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Source(s): Toolbox Training’s 100 Nature Activities for Kids card set.

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Check out the full August calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

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