SunWatch Indian Village/ Archaeological Park…an awesome homeschool field trip!
SunWatch Indian Village/ Archaeological Park
13th Century American Indian Village Along the Great Miami River
I am a homeschooling mom with 6 children, so my family and I are always looking for field trips that are fun, interesting and inexpensive. We went on several last year and I wanted to share them with you. We visited Sun Watch Indian Village/ Archeological Park, located in the Dayton, Ohio area.
SunWatch Indian Village/ Archeological Park is located at 2301 W. River Road Dayton, OH 45418 (937) 268-8199
It was excavated between 1971 and 1988. Archeologists found a very well planned Indian village from the Fort Ancient period, still partially intact. The village has astronomical alignments that seem to mark the seasons. It may tell when it is time to plant, time to harvest, and other significant times of the year.
SunWatch Indian Village has now been partially reconstructed and has a Museum/ Interpretive Center on site, so you can learn indoors or out. They have a friendly staff and offer very informative guided tours. SunWatch Village offers 5 unique tours that match well with a lot of homeschool curriculum guidelines. When we went, we took a guided tour. First, we watched an introductory film in the indoor theatre, looked at some of the artifacts found by the Archaeologists, and learned about the history of the Indians who lived there.
Then the guide took us outside and explained the astronomical alignments, the processes used to build the thatch houses, and the harvesting techniques the Indians used. We learned about musical instruments, tools, and how the chimneys in the houses worked. The guide showed us how the stockade was made and the gardens. The kids played games that the Indians would have played 800 years ago that may have taught them skills they needed to hunt.
Lastly, we got to visit the Souvenir Shop, where the kids each picked out a keepsake from their visit, they have reasonably priced items. It was a very impressive tour.
SunWatch Indian Village/ Archaeological Park also offers;
Spring Homeschool Classes (Kindergarten through 2nd grade students and 3rd through 6th grade students)
Summer Lore (PreK-9th grade+),
Archaeological Field Work Class (Available Spring-Fall),
Prairie Programs (Open to school groups of 10-30 students),
Overnight Experiences (Indoors or Outdoors), and
Scout Days (All Girl and Boy Scouts, Campfire Boys and Girls, and members of Y Adventure Programs)
For cost of admission, dates, and times go to: http://www.sunwatch.org
