SEPTEMBER 29, 1997
Be An Archaeologist For a Day
NW News Staff
Dr. Julie Stein, curator of archaeology at the Burke, will head up at team of 10 archaeologists and students who will help school-age children and visitors figure out why digging in the dirt is just one part of solving puzzles from the past.
King County Executive Ron Sims will speak at 1pm about preserving the region's cultural heritage. In addition, Stein will give a lecture at 3:30pm on new discoveries regarding the 1960 excavation of the 8,000 year old Native American site in nearby Marymoor Park. All activities take place at Marymoor Museum of Eastside history in Redmond.
The events are part of Archaeology Week and are sponsored by The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Marymoor Museum and the King County Landmarks and heritage Commission. Beginning at noon, children will get to dig in a simulated site, measuring six feet by four feet, until they find one of over 300 hidden toys. the toys were carefully buried to depict a scene that happened in the backyard of a mystery house. The young archaeologists learn to carefully clean, bag and catalog their finds as the real detective work begins.
Each toy is tagged by the young archaeologist, then carefully logged on a huge grid detailing the dig site. With each new discovery, the children will learn more about the artifacts and make educated guesses on who might have used the artifacts and when. As with all archaeological digs the treasures remain with the research institute. The children receive a gold star for their work.
All activities on Sunday, Oct. 5, take place at the Marymoor Museum of Eastside history in Marymoor Park, 6046 West lake Sammamish Parkway NE, Redmond. Suggested donation for museum admission is $2. For more information, call the Marymoor Museum at 425-885-3684.