Dates Announced for 2006 Kids Digs

Date: June 7, 2006
Contact: Heidi Pierson, 360-816-6255

The National Park Service is pleased to announce the beginning of this year’s Kids’ Digs at Fort Vancouver.

 The dates for Kids’ Digs are as follows: July 1, July 15, and September 30 and October 7, two special sessions in celebration of Washington Archaeology Month and the Oregon Archaeology Celebration.

Our Kids’ Digs introduce children to archaeology through a hands-on activity excavating boxes filled with soil layers and artifacts that reflect the typical Fort Vancouver archaeological site.

Children work in a team to “excavate” their units and record what they find there. Each will get to participate in the major tasks - excavate, screen, take notes, and describe the artifacts found in their unit.

Children participating in the program learn how archaeologists excavate, and also what role the science of archaeology has in understanding the past – what it can tell us about history, how archaeologists interpret what they find, and why it is important to preserve pieces of the past.

At the end of the session, the participants get to interpret their excavation and tell us what they learned about what happened in the past where they excavated their “units”.

There are two Kids’ Digs on each day with individual sessions at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. They are open to children ages 8 - 12.

Exceptions are considered for younger children who can read and write independently. Each group of students will be supervised.

No registration is needed, but each session is limited to 20 children on a first-come, first-served basis. A sign-up sheet will be posted when the gates open at 9:00 am.

Background:  Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service, is the heart of the Vancouver National Historic Reserve. The Vancouver National Historic Reserve brings together a national park, a premier archaeological site, the region's first military post, an international fur trade emporium, one of the oldest operating airfields, the first national historic site west of the Mississippi River, and a waterfront trail and environmental center on the banks of the Columbia River. The partners of the Reserve teach visitors about the fur trade, early military life, natural history, and pioneers in aviation, all within the context of Vancouver’s role in regional and national development. The Reserve's vast array of public programs -- including living history events, festivals, cultural demonstrations, exhibits, active archaeology, and other special activities -- create a dynamic, fun, and unique tourist destination for people of all ages.

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