Teaching the Next Generation
Last year the Finnish Cultural Foundation announced a new Mullankaivajat ("soil diggers") grant, which was applicable for archaeological projects organized in cooperation with schools around Finland. It aimed to bring archaeological research closer to the life of the local children and make them more aware of the history that surrounds them. The grant has already led to multiple excavations around the country and it's no surprise that our trial excavation team got involved with a project as well - this time in Kontiolahti. In Kontiolahti, we joined a project organized in cooperation with the National Museum of Finland and the Association of Cultural Heritage Education in Finland. Before our arrival the project team had already visited the local school and told the children of various age about the site they were about to research - the house of the local smith Tobias Takkunen from the 19th century. Children came to the site in small groups and took part in four...