Click on pictures to enlarge.

Bud Fackelman leads a group through the Visitors' Center at Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site. Here he discusses Native American lifeways; living in a rock shelter.

Students try their hand at friction fire starting.

Jack Johnson (center back) demonstrates how erosion creates a canyon.

Down in Seminole Canyon, Jack Johnson points out examples of erosion, the mechanism that created the canyon.

Kathleen Burgess leads a clan into Fate Bell Shelter to learn about the rock art.

The group learns about the Native Americans who lived in Fate Bell Shelter, and the importance of the art there.

Students create their own art, using designs they saw in Fate Bell Shelter as guides.

Missy Harrington discusses birds, animals, and plants of the region and how important they were to the people who lived there.

Jack Harrington helps students use an atlatl for throwing spears.

Missy Harrington leads a group on a hike, discussing local plants and their uses as food and raw materials for prehistoric inhabitants of the area.

The students, teachers, and parents had an exciting and educational day at Seminole Canyon.

KEY-Project Program:
Seminole Canyon Explorers
August 30, 2006

Location
This program, the first of the school year, was held at Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site which is located 40 miles west of Del Rio, Texas. Part of the Knowledge Enriching Youth (KEY) Project, this program came about because of a educational partnership between SHUMLA, the Amistad National Recreation Area — National Park Service, and Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site — Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Instructors
SHUMLA instructors included Curriculum Director Missy Harrington, Program Coordinator Kathleen Burgess, Terry Burgess, Bud Fackelman, rancher Jack Harrington, and NPS representatives; anthropologist Jack Johnson, and Amber Beamer.

Activities
On August 30, 2006, 42 students from the 4^th–6^th grades at Comstock Elementary in Comstock, Texas, along with three teachers and four parents, attended a full-day Seminole Canyon Explorers KEY-Project program at Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site. Using archeology as a foundation for teaching math and science skills, SHUMLA and National Parks representatives provided hands-on opportunities for enhancing classroom lessons. Students were divided into three groups: the Bear Clan, Wolf Clan, and Panther Clan. Upon their arrival at Seminole Canyon each clan was directed to its first station and began a rotation of lessons and demonstrations. These stations included:

Primitive Technology/The Atlatl Advantage: Terry Burgess and Jack Harrington directed students in the use of the atlatl for spear throwing and students calculated the distances of the throws.
Rock Art Ratio: Kathleen Burgess lead groups into Fate Bell Shelter. While in the shelter, she discussed the rock art that is preserved there and the importance of that art to the prehistoric Native Americans who created it.
The Adaptation Station: Missy Harrington instructed students about the nature of plant and animal adaptations.
The Lifeways Station: Bud Fackelman gave tours through the Visitors' Center at Seminole Canyon, explaining the exhibits of the prehistoric lifeways displayed there.
The Timeline Station: Jack Johnson, with help from Amber Beamer, discussed geologic time, how it is revealed in Seminole Canyon, and the geologic processes that created the canyon.

Volunteers
Programs at SHUMLA are made possible through the help of our volunteers. This program's volunteers were Terry Burgess, Jack Johnson and Amber Beamer—Student Conservation Association (SCA) Interns at Amistad National Recreation Area (NPS)—Bud Fackelman, Arron Rodriguez, and Jack Harrington.

Cost
This program was underwritten by a grant to SHUMLA School the Del Rio Bank and Trust, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Community Outreach Program.

Information
For more information contact the education division at education@shumla.org or call the office at
432-292-4848.