Fill an empty water table or tray with sand and bury small items in it.
Children can use archaeologists' toolsspoons, brushes, siftersto find the hidden objects.
Divide the class into two groups to facilitate the dig. Bury half of the items and send the first group to the site. When they have unearthed those objects, bury the rest of the objects and send the second group over. Older children may enjoy writing labels for the artifacts. Discuss what kinds of objects are found in museums, using and defining words such as museum, fossil, ancient, etc.