My project is to print a set of DC archaeology-themed stickers and a small activity book to teach children (and adults) about local history.

Archaeology is an amazing way to teach students skills in science, history, math, art, critical thinking, and literature. It’s how we know what we know about most of the everyday lives of people in the past. But it isn’t often taught in K-12 classrooms. I work for an organization called Archaeology in the Community (AITC). We’re a DC-based nonprofit dedicated to introducing students and our community to archaeology and our shared human past.

Working with the DC Historic Preservation Office and the DC City Archaeologist (did you know you have a City Archaeologist?), AITC is organizing DC’s first ever Archaeology Month in June 2024. This will be a month of public events and celebrations, starting with the DC Day of Archaeology Festival at Dumbarton House on June 1. AITC is producing informal educational materials, such as posters and postcards, that highlight archaeological sites in DC. These will be given away for free, especially to DC teachers for the 2024-2025 school year.

My idea is to create an archaeology sticker activity book that AITC can sell starting in June at the DC Day of Archaeology Festival and on our website for $10 each. The proceeds would go toward covering future DC Archaeology Month (2025 and beyond) printing costs, making the program more self-sustaining. The pack would come with at least 5 large stickers and a booklet with at least 4 DC archaeology-based activities. In future years, the activities can be updated with new archaeological research and sticker designs.