Ask students how they should handle artifacts. By treating the kit objects carefully, they are joining the efforts of the University Museums to preserve objects from the past and learn from them. We suggest that if the kit is set up like a display in the classroom, but not the focus of attention, a look-only rule is appropriate. However, the objects in the kit are to be touched and examined through supervised activities. Overall, the experience of touch is a valuable tool for understanding, and outreach kits are designed to highlight that experience.
Artifacts are material objects made by humans.
Artifacts reflect the physical, economic, and social environment in which they are made and used. Artifacts reflect the culture of the people who make and use them. Artifacts are valuable resources for information about life in the past. Looking at artifacts requires observation, experimentation, hypothesis, comparison, and research.