In the case of education, money doesn't necessarily buy quality. In fact, out of our own economic limitations, we've uncovered creative strategies which give our children unique and hands-on experiences with long-lasting educational consequences.
We achieved poverty the old-fashioned way. . . we earned it. There was no dramatic descent into this strata. It's almost inevitable with a large number of children. Ironically, however, the limitations forces us to focus on the most valuable commodities we could give them-- knowledge and information.
Without discretionary income to divert our children' attention with "Game Boys" or "Worlds of Fun," we've made the most of the resources at hand. . . or in the yard. . . or along the roadside. . . or across a field.
By stopping, sometimes abruptly, to investigate any activity or item of interest, we as a family, have expanded our range of knowledge and enjoyed family-learning on a spontaneous basis. We've interrupted shopping excursions to the city, visits to grandmothers, and trips to the doctors with unexpected and ephemeral opportunities.
As a result, we've participated in a commercial crayfish harvest, helped with stage sets, watched spear fishing, and learned about lace making and seed saving.
We've met governors, senators, "Will" Shakespeare, and James Burke of the BBC Connections Series. On a fluke, we met former Royals Baseball player George Brett, who's curiosity was peaked by a van full of children preparing for an unexpected adventure.
"We brake for learning" is our motto, and we try never to squelch spontaneously generated interest and enthusiasm.
Just over the Linn County line, at a bend in the Little Osage River, we stopped the car and hiked across the field to ask about the activity. We were met with enthusiasm, as a team of archaeologists was investigating a prehistoric settlement of the Cuesta phase, dating between 400 and 800 A.D. The flood waters of the river had persuaded the top soil to retreat, exposing hints of life long ago.
Generous with information and encouragement, the volunteer crew was anxious to explore the half-acre tract which was left untouched by the Meech brothers who farm the plot. Their cooperation was secured by Jim Feagins of Grandview, Mo., who grew up only a "stone-point's throw" from the site. For more than 20 years, Feagins has combed this area, finding it rich in information and artifacts.
This spring, after retiring from a 30-year stint as an earth science teacher at Grandview Middle School, he returned to the site to find indications of post holes, storage pits and hearths. Feagins, who is an archeological research associate for the St. Joseph Museum in St. Joseph, Mo., contacted Kansas authorities. Funding was limited, so Feagins called on the assistance of members of the area archeological associations. St. Joseph Museum provided money for supplies.
Volunteers, more than 80 at that time, assisted in uncovering puzzle pieces: chert flakes, discarded during the process of arrowhead-making; bones and fragments, tossed aside during a feast; clay pottery pieces, both decorated and undecorated; burned seeds and grain; and stone points.
Near this site, a temporary settlement of the Bourbon Indians has also been uncovered. Feagins suggests that the site was used over 500 years ago, during the fall season, as charred walnut hulls are abundant. Fragments of characteristic Kansas Hopewell pottery have also been found here, indicating an extensive trading network.
On the invitation of Feagins, we returned the following morning, expecting to sit beside the experts and watch detail work and precision record-keeping. Instead, we were handed trowels and shown, patiently, how to pare back layers of earth, recover specimens, and record our findings in metric units. With a brief break to pick up a sandwich, the kids, only 8 and 9 years old, worked with heightened concentration and unbridled curiosity for nine hours. What a weekend. . . what an adventure.
This excavation is winding down. The clues from this ancient puzzle have been extracted and recorded, to be examined later in labs and museums. The field, as it has for thousands of years, will return to a cycle of production and the whims of nature. We'll return one last time to help close the site and say goodbye to some very old, and some very new friends.
Through this experience, we've added additional layers of knowledge and information by simply following our curiosity wherever it takes us. Information in power, and the secret is that it's readily available and easy to uncover. So we acquired knowledge the old-fashioned way-- we earned it. You can too. Just dig in.
Others can join in archeological excavations through organizations such as Kansas Anthropological Association in Topeka.