Presentations & Programs

• Pyrotechnology
• PB&J: How (and why!) Archaeologists Find Sites
• Prehistoric Pottery (for kids!)
• Atl-atl Antics (for schools only)

Pyrotechnology

This activity introduces students to prehistoric culture, focusing on ways that local prehistoric people used fire to meet their daily needs. A hands-on experiment provides a bang as students use balloons (and water balloons!) to explore how prehistoric people could cook prior to the advent of pottery.

PB&J: How (and why!) Archaeologists Find Sites

A classic! Students systematically excavate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to explore the concepts of stratigraphy and survey, emphasizing how archaeologists use the scientific method in the field. If Power Point is available, this activity can include pictures of real tools, fieldwork, and sites to enhance learning.

Prehistoric Pottery (for kids!)

Students learn about the advent of pottery in Florida, and do hands-on experimentation using play-doh or air-dry clay to explore pottery-making and -decorating technology. The lesson also teaches about how pottery can help archaeologists understand a site and its prehistoric people.

Atlatl Antics (for schools only)

Learn about how hunting technology changed through time in prehistoric Florida, as well as how archaeologists study these changes. In this program kids get an introduction to archaeology and the chance to try a prehistoric hunting tool, the atlatl, for themselves.

• Prehistoric Snowbirds
• Weeds and Seeds: A History of Dining in Southern Florida
• Who Made the Everglades?
• Tales of Southwest Florida: Archaeology of the Calusa

• What the Heck is Archaeology
• Hidden History of the Dry Tortugas: Writings on the Walls
• Florida’s Ice Age

Prehistoric Snowbirds

We discover the prehistory of humans in Florida, and find out just how long folks have been living seasonally in Southwest Florida. This discussion offers an overview of the entire history of humans in Southwest Florida until the Spanish arrived in the 1500s.

Weeds and Seeds: A History of Dining in Southern Florida

Cattle, citrus, and many other common foods today were brought to Florida by the Spanish, so what were people eating before then? This talk covers what people would have had for dinner in Southwest Florida 2,000 years ago. Topics of environment, flora and fauna, archaeological research, and historical documents all come together to answer this question.

Who Made the Everglades?

This talk will explore the geological and cultural history of the Everglades. In particular, we will look at the role of early Native Americans and initial tree island formations.

Tales of Southwest Florida: Archaeology of the Calusa

The Calusa were called “the fierce people” in part because they held off Spanish domination for almost 200 years, but is the nickname really warranted? We’ll talk about the engineering, trade, and power that made the Calusa a dominating force in Southwest Florida long before the Spanish arrived.

What the Heck is Archaeology

Join us for a quick and dirty introduction into archaeology! This fun talk is perfect for those who want to learn what it’s like to work as an archaeologist. We take a look at the basics of fieldwork and hear about the interesting clues that archaeologists have dug up about Florida’s past.

Hidden History of the Dry Tortugas: Writings on the Walls

Fort Jefferson is one of the most extensive and ambitious permanent coastal fortifications ever constructed by the United States Army during the 19th Century and many details of its construction and military history are well documented. Many other aspects of the history of this place are still being researched and documented, including the diverse human experiences that span centuries. This incredible structure in the Gulf of Mexico has attracted different groups of people throughout time as varied as the color of the bricks. The purpose of these visitors range from military duty, to human migration, to day tripping pleasure seekers. Throughout time many inscriptions have been left behind marking these arrivals. This presentation highlights a project that focused on several inscriptions spanning the first few decades of the 20th Century to modern times.

Florida’s Ice Age

With a cooler climate and roaming mastodons, Florida used to be much different place 10,000 years ago. Learn about how Florida’s first people survived and thrived in this environment by counting on a paleo-diet (before it was all the rage).