Curators are some times archaeologists. Archaeologists study the physical evidence of the past in order to understand human behavior. The study of artifacts and learning about the past is key to creating the future for generations to come. How do we learn about the past?

Gather students in a circle on the floor, in groups corresponding to the roles of the guests to the picnic:

• Curator,
• Heritage Interpreter,
• Conservator,
• Exhibit Designer,
• Biologist.

Remember the roles you were assigned earlier.

Open the beach blanket full of objects…

Curators are investigators that piece together stories of the past based on the remaining physical evidence.

• What story is told by this collection?
• Who was at the beach?
• What were they doing there?
• How long did they stay?
• How many people?
• Kids, adults, mixture?
• What did they do at the beach?
• Where was the beach?
• When were they at the beach?
• Are there any gaps in the evidence?
• How do these create gaps in the story?
• Organic material deteriorates quickly.
• Based on your knowledge of beach picnics what else may have been present at the time of the picnic?
• Is there any evidence or indication of this?