This content includes resources related to the "Search for Seeds - Archaeobotany Activity" available here on OER Commons. In it, Director of the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory (MAC Lab), Dr. Patricia Samford, presents and demonstrates an activity for students to learn about archaeobotany, or the study of botanical finds in archaeological contexts. Using tweezers and magnifying glasses, students search for seeds mixed in sand or gravel, and use a type collection to identify their finds. What do the finds say about the archaeological environment and uses of plants at a site? 

Nichole Doub, Head Conservator, and Alice Merkel, Collections Assistant, at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory, walk through the use of silica gel in buffered microenvironments and the process of regenerating used gel. NOTE: Sound quality is lower than normal--captions have been provided. Additional references can be found online with CCI's Technical Bulletin 33 and Steve Weintraub's "Demystifying Silica Gel." The Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory (MAC Lab) standards and guidelines for preparing artifact collections and their associated records, for permanent curation at the lab can be found at https://jefpat.maryland.gov/Documents/mac-lab/technical-update-no1-collections-and-conservation-standards.pdf

The MAC Lab is a state-of-the-art archaeological research, conservation, and curation facility located at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum, the State Museum of Archaeology. The MAC Lab serves as the primary repository for archaeological collections recovered from land-based and underwater projects conducted by state and federal agencies throughout Maryland.

This resource is part of Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum’s open educational resources project to provide history, ecology, archaeology, and conservation resources related to our 560 acre public park. JPPM is a part of the Maryland Historical Trust under the Maryland Department of Planning. If you evaluate or use this resource, please respond to this short (4 question!) survey at bit.ly/329QvZ5

Remove a problem species and make a natural soap! Lindsay Hollister, JPPM's horticulturalist, shares how to identify the invasive English Ivy vine and make a soap from the saponins it naturally produces. These molecules naturally deter predators from eating the species, but their structures also make them bond to both waters and fats. Consider using the video or conducting the activity at your location as an integrated introduction to learning about biodiversity and the structures of molecules or atoms, since saponins are valuable as a soap because they are able to bond with either water or fats/lipids.

Always be sure you can successfully identify a plant before using it and take precautions to avoid negative reactions.

This resource is part of Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum’s open educational resources project to provide history, ecology, archaeology, and conservation resources related to our 560 acre public park. JPPM is a part of the Maryland Historical Trust under the Maryland Department of Planning. If you evaluate or use this resource, please respond to this short (4 question!) survey at bit.ly/3GrTjPk

Archaeologists use evidence from sites and records to tell the story of peoples’ cultures. In this online activity, students will analyze a virtual "box" with 3D models of mystery artifacts from a specific location and time period to create a story about the people who used them. Encourage students to think about how these items connect to one another and what the artifacts can tell us about the people that used them. This resource is part of Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum’s open educational resources project to provide history, ecology, archaeology, and conservation resources related to our 560 acre public park. More of our content can be found on YouTube and SketchFab. JPPM is a part of the Maryland Historical Trust under the Maryland Department of Planning.

Imagine having to make every piece of clothing you wear. What tools would you use? How long would it take to make them? Where would you even start? Join Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum’s Curator Betty Seifert as she demonstrates the process of weaving with a combination of looms you can make at home up to larger vintage ones. Use to support Maryland standards for Math for Grade 4 or Maryland Social Studies frameworks for Grades 5 and 6. For Grade 4 Mathematics, Geometry, 4.G.A.3 have students plan their own simple weaving pattern with two colors and 4-10 warp/weft threads (so it can be planned on a grid from 4x4 up to 10x10). Before beginning their weave, student demonstrate whether their design is symmetrical using prior experience; students can weave in the classroom using a simple loom or with warp threads taped or velcroed at each end as seen in the video. For Grade 5 Social Studies Framework, Content Topic "Urbanization, Industrialization, and Immigration" have students weave using a simple loom or with threads taped/velcroed as seen in the video; allow them to experiment but have all students attempt to weave cotton duck fabric by passing two weft thread through the warp threads. Tightly woven fabric like this was a major product of Baltimore mills after the Civil War. Have students research housing and working in these mills. For Grade 6 Content Topic "Scarcity and Economic Decision-making" have students weave in the classroom with a simple loom or threads taped/velcored as seen in the video. Have students experiment with how long of time is needed to create a large enough cloth that might be useful then postulate how the development of different looms affected the scarcity of fabric and cloth and decreasing skill needed for weaving could have affected trading economies. If you evaluate or use this resource, please respond to this short (4 question) survey here bit.ly/3IhrtYs

Introduces a simple test to determine when a bag is in need of replacing with Sara Rivers-Cofield, Curator of Federal Collections at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory. The MAC Lab requires collections to utilized standard polyethylene bags for storing artifacts, which have a limited lifespan so use this information as a guide to when those bags have reached the end of their life. The Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory (MAC Lab) standards and guidelines for preparing artifact collections and their associated records, for permanent curation at the lab can be found at https://jefpat.maryland.gov/Documents/mac-lab/technical-update-no1-collections-and-conservation-standards.pdf

The MAC Lab is a state-of-the-art archaeological research, conservation, and curation facility located at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum, the State Museum of Archaeology. The MAC Lab serves as the primary repository for archaeological collections recovered from land-based and underwater projects conducted by state and federal agencies throughout Maryland.

This resource is part of Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum’s open educational resources project to provide history, ecology, archaeology, and conservation resources related to our 560 acre public park. JPPM is a part of the Maryland Historical Trust under the Maryland Department of Planning.