Throwing an Atlatl and Eating Pizza

I would like to start by apologizing for the major delay since my last post. October has proven to be very busy for both me and the museum world! Without further adieu, let's dive right back in!

On Friday, October 14, I had the pleasure of attending "Night at the Museum: Archaeology" (NATM). Night at the Museum is an event that the education department runs in the Museum of Natural History (MNH) on a monthly basis. They choose one theme and base an entire evening festivities upon that. I was able to arrive early to partake in the the team's practice of the games they'd play with the kids. They were able to obtain a few atlatls to show the kids and explain to them their purpose. For those of you who may be unfamiliar, the atlatl was a weapon throwing technology used by Native Americans to hunt. By using the atlatl, they would create more force and precision with their spears. You can read more here at Atlatl Technology. The NATM staff was practicing how to throw them in order to be able to properly demonstrate for the children. However, the atlatls are so interesting that seemingly the whole student staff stopped by to toss one or two and learn more. In my world, this would be seen as a sort of experimental archaeology which the kids would be able to learn how something was done by trying it, not just by reading about it. The act seems like play, but is truly a great learning experience. The very idea alone of throwing a spear intrigued all of us, no matter what age we were. My throws went about six feet out, which helped me learn how hard the technology may been to master, especially when dinner was the result!

Atlatl Practice

After some practice, it was time to go meet with parents and children as they arrived. Everyone had their duties varying from checking children off as they arrived, giving name tags or handing out informational packets to take home. The packets were filled with fun information, coloring pages and educational information about the museum and archaeology as a whole. As the kids began to arrive, I quickly noticed a trend. The parents seem both a little relieved and a little nervous to be leaving their kids for a few hours. Every parent needs a little time to themselves sometimes, so why not let them come learn and have fun with museum staff'? The staff worked so well with the kids, letting them have fun, but making sure they weren't hurting themselves or others in any way. The kids were taken through the museum to explore as we waited for everyone else to arrive. As nearly every parent left, they uttered those famous words, "Be good!". Yet once Mom or Dad was out of sight, many of the kids let loose and wanted to walk all through the museum. They were learning with every step they took and didn't even seem to realize it.

The kids asking questions about the tree.

As we moved outside, there were three game stations to rotate between. They were games like: atlatl throwing, using a bull roarer and a stick game also played by the Native Americans. Clearly, the kids were most excited about the atlatls and I was lucky enough to spend the whole time at this station. The kids were told to stay in the tree's mulch ring and informed of how dangerous this activity could be if they weren't careful. With close supervision, they were very well behaved and knew to play one at a time only. One child would go learn and throw the spears with one worker while the others stayed with two of us. While standing next to one of the largest tree in Iowa City, they would turn their wonderment on it instead. They asked many questions and found ways to entertain themselves safely with us. As the rotations continued, the kids were clearly getting more and more excited. They were rowdier as time continued, so the time for pizza had arrived! Fortunately, we didn't need to catch our dinner anymore!

The museum staff orders a few pizzas and feeds the kids dinner, which is very convenient considering the event is from 6pm-9pm. The kids sit down with their pizza in the auditorium and watch an educational show. This time, they watched a Magic School Bus episode and seemed to really enjoy watching it on the very large screen.

At this time, I had to leave unfortunately, but after dinner, the kids continued on to get their miner helmets, which come free with their Night at the Museum fee and attendance. They choose their favorite color ahead of time and their name is placed on it for them. This time, they then all went up to Bird Hall and Mammal Hall to explore parts of the museum that many museum goers miss on the third floor. There, the lights are turned off and many staffers spread out to help keep a close eye on them as they explore the halls with their miner helmets and flashlights. Ashlee Gloede, the coordinator of the NATM event, commented that the kids love this portion of the night. I would assume that they become little explorers themselves and feel as though they are discovering new specimens in their cases.

Overall, this event is not only very popular, but very educational. This can be one of the instances where these kids come in to have fun and leave knowing new words like atlatl and new information about Native Americans. The next NATM event will take place on November 18 and is themed Dinosaurs. You must pre-register your children for this event. The fee is $25, which includes a free miner helmet, a night of educational fun and dinner! Please contact Ashlee Gloede at 319-335-0606 or via email at uimnh@uiowa.edu