How to become a Junior Archeologist

Remember – have respect for the people and places you visit 

during your National Park Service adventure! Leave behind any 

artifacts that you find so others may enjoy and learn from them.
The Southeast Archeological Center Junior Archeology 

Program targets three age groups.

Explorer Ages 6-8

People have been exploring the Americas for over 12,000 

years. From the first crossings of the Bering Land Bridge to 

Vikings to later European explorers, people have wandered the 

rich landscapes of the continent. The Southeast was one of the 

places where people explored from the beginning. Complete at least 5 of the 

activities in this book.

Soldier Ages 9-11

Once people arrived here, they fought and defended their 

lands. Osceola was a Seminole leader and warrior who 

resisted the United States when it tried to remove the 

Seminoles from their lands in Florida. Complete at least 7 of 

the activities in this book.

Settler Ages 12 and up

People have built many kinds of homes in the Southeast, 

ranging from small one-room cabins, camps sites in caves, 

grand mansions, farmsteads, villages, and cities. Complete at 

least 9 of the activities in this book.
The Southeast Archeological Center

Have you visited any states in the Southeast? Did 

you see any national parks while you were there?

The Southeast 

Archeological Center 

is located in 

Tallahassee, Florida.
MACA? CONG? FODO? VICK?

See if you can match the four-letter “code” to its park. Visit the National Park Service website 

at www.nps.gov/findapark for help, and use the map to locate parks in the region. Follow the 

links to each park’s website and describe something neat that you learn about its history, 

culture, or natural resources. Use the map on the previous page for help.

Park Code Name of Park Something Neat About the Park

CUIS

GUCO

DRTO

SAJU

VIIS

CARI

TUAI

FOR A
Digging into the Past 

Curators studying artifacts brought back 

to the lab.

Excavations at Cumberland Island National Seashore.
Use these clues to decipher the untold story about the people who owned them – who they 

were, how they lived, and their activities. On the lines below, write a story about how these 

people used the objects.
But you can find more at SEAC! 
Pieces of the Puzzle

Using the picture and legend on the next page, match 

the artifacts to their time period (Hint: look at the 

time period of the soil where they are located.)

Artifact Time Period

Tire ___________ years ago

Glass bottle ___________ years ago

Pot ___________ years ago

Arrowhead ___________ years ago

Shell midden ___________ years ago

Spoon ___________ years ago

Small cannonballs ___________ years ago

Tin can ___________ years ago

Did you know that during a storm or hurricane, 

an entire archeological site can be washed or 

eroded away? It also can be buried under 3 

feet or more of sand or dirt in one day.

How many strata do you see here?
 Stratigraphy Legend 0-100 years ago

100-400 years ago400-1,000 years ago1,000-2,500 years ago2,500-4,000 years ago4,000+ years ago

Tire

Pot

Arrowhead

Glass bottle

Spoon

Shell midden

Tin can

Small cannonballs
Tools of the Trade 

Can you match the tool with how it is used? Under each description describe what you think the 

tool is.

To research the history of a site

To carefully dig or excavate small areas of a site

To sift the soil to find small objects and artifacts

To dig (excavate) large areas of a site

To take notes and record information

To wash artifacts for analysis
Many Stories in Time 

This timeline shows you what was going on around the world.
Home Sweet Home 

Did you know that some prehistoric villages had a 

council house, or large meeting building, that was 120 

feet across and could hold up to 3,000 people?

Mounds at Shiloh National Military Park.
Shell mounds at Cape Lookout National Seashore.

Think about how you travel to and from your home to 

accomplish tasks every day. How far do you go to get food 

at the grocery store or a restaurant, to visit friends and 

family, to see a doctor, or to buy clothes? Now think 

about doing this without a car, bus, or bicycle! What are 

some other differences between life today and the lives 

of ancient Native Americans? Write your answers below. Archeologists hiking through Big Cypress National 

Preserve.
Settling the Frontier 

Starting at the X in the middle, find 

your way through the maze of the 

streets of St. Augustine to reach the 

fort!
Archeology Bingo 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ballcourt petroglyph, Salt 

River Bay National Historical 

Park and Ecological Preserve, 

St. Croix, Virgin Islands.

 Untold Stories 

Design your own pottery 

vessel or petroglyph. 

Remember that your design or 

symbol tells something about 

you, your family, and your life.
Amerindian Words We Use Today 

 

 What are some other Native 

American words that we use today?

Find these Amerindian words in the puzzle above

COYOTE SAVANNAH CHIPMUNK

BARBECUE TOBACCO HAMMOCK

CANOE PECAN MOOSE

MOCCASIN SKUNK HURRICANE

CAY MAIZE
Plantation Slaves at Beaufort, South Carolina, 1862. 

Library of Congress; as shown on 

www.slaveryimages.org, sponsored by the Virginia 

Foundation for the Humanities and the University of 

Virginia Library.

The Stafford Plantation slave 

village cabin chimneys, Cumberland 

Island National Seashore.

The Life of an Enslaved Person 
Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas National Park.

Guns, Swords, and Cannons 

Using clues from this section, describe the kind of gun used for each of the cannonballs fired at the 

ship and write the name next to its line.
Excavations at the Indian Mounds, Shiloh 

National Military Park.

 Test Your Knowledge 

Use the clues in bold throughout this booklet to solve the crossword puzzle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Across

2. Archeologists use THIS to piece together stories of 

the past.

5. Tools can be made out of THIS material.

6. People plant food in _____.

8. The time period from 7000-500 BCE.

10. Layers of dirt are called ______.

11. One kind of mound.

12. A pile of trash is a _____.

13. A Native American word we use today.

Down

1. Some of the oldest archeological sites can be found in _____.

3. Some mounds and tools are made of this material.

4. Museum specialists conserve artifacts and objects for the future.

7. An element found in all living things.

9. A crop that slaves were made to grow and harvest.

C

O

N

S

E

R

V

E
Batteries – 100 years Paper – 2 to 5 months

Aluminum can – up to 500 years Orange peel – 2 to 5 weeks

Plastic soda bottle – 500 years Glass bottle – over 1000 years

Coated milk carton – 5 years Painted wood – 13 years

Styrofoam – over 50 years Fishing line – over 500 years

It’s Easy Being Green! 

What can you do to protect our National Parks, by following the 3 Rs – reduce, reuse, and 

recycle?

 

 
Just one more step... 

Did you know that there are more than 390

National Parks in the United States, each 

with its own Junior Ranger program? 

There’s even a national program. See how 

many badges you can collect!




