Friends of Tijeras Pueblo

Education Program Mission Statement

Developing and implementing educational programs and activities and the facilities that house them are paramount to our organization's efforts to provide an environment where visitors, children and adults can learn abourt archaeology and the ancestral pueblo culture of the East Mountains.

Education Outreach

An interactive presentation on early pueblo life, based on excavations at Tijeras Pueblo and other eastern Sandia Mountain pueblos, will be officially introduced to selected public schools in March 2008. Living with the Land will be the theme of the presentation, carrying out the traditional theme of the site trail. The program will target 4^th and 5^th grades.

Teachers will receive a packet of information including an outline of the presentation content, a list of NM State Curriculum Standards (Social Studies) that will be covered in the presentation, and a site brochure.

The presentation includes interactive discussion of how people lived and interacted with the environment in a 14^th century mountain pueblo. Artifacts and reproductions are displayed and, in many cases, handled by the children.

After each presentation, the interpreters will leave material with the teacher including lists of references for teachers, reading material for children, questions to promote creative thinking, a glossary of terms, suggested follow-up material, and a simple evaluation sheet. The committee is also looking at the possibility of providing some bulletin board materials and, eventually, a Power Point presentation for teachers, if interest is expressed.

The Outreach group planned and delivered a presentation and exhibit for a Scout event in Edgewood (November 07) and an interactive exhibit for the Society for Historical Archaeology (January 08). An April 1 presentation is scheduled with a scout group in Cedar Crest. A special presentation was given at the Susie Rayos Marmon Elementary School as part of the Founders Day celebration in April, 2007, and the Friends have been invited back for the April 18, 2008 celebration. Outreach members also assist with site tours and will host 60 third graders in April.

Committee members include Dotty Bender, Orman Paananen, Roger Houghton, and Judy Vredenburg. The committee has appreciated considerable assistance from Hank Schuyler, Madonna Luther, Karen Takai and Edgewood teacher Kathleen Weinbrecht.

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To arrange for a site tour or for interpreters to visit your classroom, please call the front desk at
the Ranger Station, 281-3304.

"JUST THE (ARTI)FACTS, M'AM..."

On Thursday March 6, 2008, members from both the Exhibit Planning Committee and the Education Committee met at the Hibben Center at UNM. The meeting's goal was to make initial selections for artifacts to be utilized in the Archeaological Dig Exhibit and other upcoming projects. Mission Accomplished!

You can take a peek below at some of the items we photographed. It's just a taste of what visitors to the new Center will get to see.