Today our Virtual Spring Break is all about Archaeology. Our Spring Break 2016 Trip included Colonial Williamsburg. While we were there, my daughter was able to help with an archaeology dig.
It is spring break week here in Ann Arbor. But, with stay at home orders in place, no one can travel for the spring break. So we are holding a Virtual Spring Break visiting a different destination or themed set of destinations each day. Be sure to check out our Virtual Spring Break article which will link to each place we have visited and include upcoming destinations.
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Visit Archaeology Museums & Sites Virtually
Start close to home with UM’s Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. They have an online exhibit – Archaeologies of Childhood.
As a family, we have also visited the Penn Museum at University of Pennsylvania. My husband and I have seen the archaeological artifacts at the British Museum and visited Pompeii.
- British Museum – Offering Google Arts & Culture, Virtual Galleries, Podcasts, Audio Tours, YouTube, and more.
- Penn Museum – We visited the museum in 2015.
- Pompeii – is on Google Street View
- National Geographic 101 Videos
At Home Archaeology Activities
Dig for your own treasures
Bury some “artifacts” from your everyday life in your sandbox, or a bin of dirt or sand. Then let the kids pretend to be future archaeologist and come up with stories about how they were used.
If you have a metal detector, you can search your back yard for any signs of metal. My daughter’s metal detector indicates metal in our backyard. We think it is an old fence from when our neighborhood was a farm.
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Write your Name
Learn to write your name in various ancient languages like Cuneiform or Hieroglyphics.
Kids Books about Archaeology
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Check out this collection of books about archaeology. All are available on Kindle so you can check them out today while staying safer at home.
- National Geographic Readers: Mummies (Level 2)
- National Geographic Kids Readers: Ancient Egypt (Level 3)
- National Geographic Kids Readers: What is an Archaeologist? (Level 3)
- National Geographic Kids Readers: Vikings (Level 2)
- Pompeii…Buried Alive! (Step into Reading Level 4)
- Can You Dig It? Archaeology Lost & Found in the Sands of Time
- Where is Chichen Itza?
- Archaeology for Kids – Europe
- Archaeology for Kids – Africa
- Archaeology for Kids – North America
- Archaeology for Kids – Asia
Archaeology Movies
The most famous movie archaeologist is Indiana Jones. All four movies
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Temple of Doom
- Last Crusade
- Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
For older teens, I also recommend The Mummy (1999). It is rated PG-13. My daughter has watched PG-13 films for a number of years, but could not make it through this movie last year. It was too scary for her. It is not streaming for free, but might be an option if you have the DVD. It is also airing on A&E on Sunday, April 5.
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I’ve never seen the Lara Croft Tomb Raider movies, but they sound like they would fit as well.
Other movies I have seen on archaeology lists include National Treasure and The Goonies. I would classify them more as treasure hunts, but they are also good options:
- National Treasure – Netflix currently, Disney+ starting 4/30
- The Goonies – Airing Today (April 2 at 5p on SyFy) and April 12at 7:30 & 10p
Have you Visited any Archaeology Sites?
Have you visited any archaeology sites?
