Public Awareness
Both the Nautical Archaeology Group (NAG) and the South Suburban Archaeological Society (SSAS) believe that there is not enough classroom instruction in archaeology for young students between the ages of 9 and 15 years of age. By the time students learn or gain an interest in archaeology they may have already reached an age where they have decided upon a line of work for future employment. Chances are that archaeology will not be included.

NAG and SSAS believe that by reaching students at a much earlier age with the Arky for Kidz Program it may actually make the difference in having some of them choose a career in the field of anthropology, archaeology, or the related sciences.

The Learning Concept
The Arky for Kidz Program is designed to introduce children and young adults to the basic methods and techniques used during the course of an archaeological project. Once a demonstration is completed by the staff, the students take over using a hands-on approach in solving the problems presented to them. The staff is always on stand-by to supervise and control the entire session and to answer any questions the students may have concerning a given problem.

The Challenge
The main concept is to teach the students how to work on an archaeological project as individuals and as part of a team. Not only do they learn how to measure and record an artifact the correct way, but they learn why it is done to a standard. Importantly, they learn to do the steps by procedure.

Sometime during the program each Arky Team will be faced with one or more situations where there is no correct answer to the circumstance. They must discuss it among themselves and then come up with the most appropriate solution to solve the problem. This teamwork approach forces them to think as a group, rather than as individuals.