Education On The Go!
Robbins Museum Exhibit Draws a Crowd At Archeology Weekend!
On October 5th and 6th, staff and volunteers from the Museum joined 14 other organizations at Boston’s Museum of Science (MoS) for an intensive two-day educational event that helped mark Archaeology Month 2007. Co sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) and the MoS, the Archaeology Fair attracted close to 3,800 participants, many of them students and educators from schools across the Commonwealth. According to the MoS’ Mike Adams, who helped to organize the event, public participation surpassed expectations, and “shattered” all other attendance records for an early October event!
Our program, Clues to the Native American Past, focused on the role archaeology has played in uncovering the vibrant history, culture, and lifeways of local Native Americans. A combination of hands-on activities, displays, and hand-outs afforded students, teachers, and the general public with opportunities to try their hand at uncovering artifacts in a mini-dig; grinding corn; handling axes and other artifacts; and creating artwork using leaves, twigs, and other items found in nature.
The response to our program was overwhelming; teachers who came with students on Friday returned on Saturday for more in-depth “lessons” and to gather more information on using archaeology in the classroom! We were fortunate because our participation in the Archaeology Fair led to invitations to present at local schools, a goal towards which we have all been diligently working! And, according to Ben Thomas, AIA’s Fair coordinator, the Robbins Museum display was one of the most well received and generated many positive comments from those who attended!
Events of this magnitude are not possible without a lot of help! Many thanks go to our stalwart volunteers who assisted Education Liaison/Docent Coordinator Mary Concannon:
Margo Davis manned the art table as a sea of students swirled paint around her! Her sense of humor and artistic talents helped kids generate some truly amazing artwork … actually, LOTS of amazing artwork!
Jean-Jacques Rivard dropped everything at the last moment to create a great banner for our display tables. His artwork attracted many visitors to our booths.
Fred Robinson not only schlepped at the supplies we needed from our Museum to the Museum of Science, he did an awesome job teaching kids about the artifacts that were part of our displays. Fred took kids through a “day-in-the-life” story to illustrate how various stone tools were used and how meals were made at the end of the day.
For Al Smith, it was all about the meals! Al taught over 150 youth and adults the insider techniques of grinding corn and acorns into meal. And, if that were not enough, he also did the lion’s share of Saturday’s set-up, no small feat!
Of course, all of this takes money, and MAS Education Committee Chairman Kevin Quakenbush was instrumental in raising funds from Invensys Foxboro, the company for which he works. Invensys Foxboro provided us with a whopping $1,500, money needed to make over 3,000 photocopies, create display materials and poster boards, and produce copious numbers of hand-outs and activities.
Behind-the-scenes kudos go to the staff at both the AIA and the MoS, who were at-the-ready to respond to our on-site needs, find us carts to bring our copious numbers of display items from cars to booths, provide coverage for those all-so-important breaks, and just generally be on-hand with a smile and support. Photos on this page were taken by the AIA’s Elizabeth (Liz) Gilgan, who graciously offered to share.
Special thanks need to go to two very important folks: Ben Thomas, Education and Outreach Coordinator at the AIA and Michael (Mike) Adams, a member of AIA and an educator with MoS’ Traveling Education Programs. Ben and Mike mentored us through the application process, answered endless queries about minute details, and provided essential moral support
Finally, thanks go to the Board and Trustees who encouraged us to tackle this event, to Tom Largy, our talented Webmaster, for updating the web and selecting the photos, and to all the folks who stopped by our tables, took part in our activities, and endeavored to learn more about the Robbins Museum, the Massachusetts Archaeological Society, and the Native Americans of our local region.
Your Support Keeps Us Going!
We look forward to seeing you in Middleborough soon!
An Aerial View Grinding Corn
The Hands-on Display Fred Robinson talks with students.
Thank You For Your Support in helping to fund this event! Below, Kevin Quackenbush of MAS, who is employed by Invensys Foxboro, receives a donation check from Sheila Peterson of Invensys Foxboro.
Kinglsey Montessori School
On November 9th, we were invited to present an archaeology program at the Kinglsey Montessori School in Copley Square. Over 30 middle schoolers took part in a comprehensive program that included participation in four mini digs, the opportunity to handle and analyze artifacts, and a program that afforded them an introduction to the field of archaeology and the role archaeology has played in understanding the culture and history of local Native Americans as well.
Our thanks to Jane Imai, Science Specialist, who coordinated the program, assisted in creating learning goals, and welcomed staffer Mary Concannon.
