Bones and Stones Science Camp

            The Calhoun County Library had an exciting week exploring stones and bones digging deep into archeology and paleontology for the 2026 Science Camp! The students were able to look at the basics of human and plant life in unified stories of bones and stones. There were class discussions, hands on demonstrations, and a real-life simulated archeological excavation!

Science Camp started on Monday, June 22, 2026, and went all week through Friday, June 26, 2026. Each class lasted approximately an hour. They were for ages 8 - 14. Dr. Lesa Rice-Jackson, a retired chemist, used her previous experience to teach this class everything she knew about the study of archeology and paleontology.

Day One, we learned about room safety, student tool safety, and how to properly set-up a laboratory notebook (including a few dinosaur doodles). Once the notebooks were finished, we began learning about the terms we would be using all week. They included taphonomy, archeology, paleontology, and fossil. Then it was time for the activity! The class was assigned to groups to create the timeline of the earth. Students designed cards about the world’s beginning 4.6 billion years ago, when the first complex life started at 541 million years ago, and when the dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago. It was beautiful to watch everyone help put together the timeline!

Day Two of Science Camp was about ancient bones. We find records of human and animal bones in museums and schools. These bones are used to study human and animals and how they lived. Dinosaurs are the same way! Dinosaur fossils are the most exciting of all! They teach us about a time when these giant creatures roamed the Earth. After watching a few short videos on fossils, and different types of dinosaurs, each scientist got to choose a dinosaur to design. They began with a blank cardboard cutout of any type they wanted (raptor, t-rex, etc.) and started drawing what they wanted them to look like. They added scales, teeth, and funny eyes. One young lady even added lipstick on hers! Dr. Lesa Rice-Jackson wanted to make sure the dinosaur facts stuck in the heads of our paleontologists, so she had them also write a couple of facts on the back of their dinosaurs. It was brilliant watching both their creative, analytical brains remember such interesting details, like a t-rex had a bite force of 8,000 pounds!

Day Three was all about excavation. We learned to use all the proper tools: hammer, chisel, and brush. After going over the important safety procedures, it was time to begin chipping away at clumps of clay. All of our archeologists were stunned and excited to find glass, stones, and even coins from other countries! We watched closely as all of the students used scientific techniques to retrieve the artifacts from the clay.

Day Four, another professional arrived to educate and demonstrate us. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources came to simulating a hands-on dig! The students got real collection bags that stated the date, dig site, and how far down the artifact was found. They used the tools from the day prior and began excavating until they revealed pieces of plates and bowls. In a real dig, these pieces would tell the archeologists about the people that lived there. The process encouraged the students to want to learn even more about how it would be as a career!

On our final day, we had to celebrate all the hard work that went into the week. Each student received a certificate for attending Science Camp; a few students accepted special awards such as best dinosaur, best field technician, and best excavator. Our students presented a few facts they learned throughout the week and a group picture was taken to commemorate an excellent time together!

This Science Camp has been one of the most exciting that we have had so far. We learned much more than we could write about, and we know our little scientists ‘dug’ it! We can’t wait until next year!