To support my research and writing activities, I offer Archaeologists at the Beach Workshops and Beachcombing Explorer Camps. I do this in part because I believe that beach exploring is one of the best activities to do to take your mind off your worries. Beachcombing as a hobby can also help build better family relationships and help you fall back in love with nature again.
Each camp and workshop is geared to teach you a bit about history, geology, archaeology, sea shore patterns and beachcombing techniques. The more you know about the region in which you explore and the types and history of artifacts you may find, the more rewarding the beachcombing experience becomes!
Beachcombing Workshops and Camps make great gifts for Christmas or Birthdays!
PLEASE NOTE
Fees and duration vary per workshop, and are based on groups of 8 participants or less. Add’l participants can be added for $30 each.
Workshops
A. Prehistoric Fossils, Rocks, Corals, and Shells
5-6 hrs, $400 for up to 8 participants, Calvert County, MD, field-trip
Optional museum tour add’l $5 each
Long before humans arrived, Chesapeake Bay was host to foot-long scallop shells, huge sand dollars, tropical shells and corals, dinosaurs, whales, and much more. Learn about the Bay's prehistoric era and start your own fossil collection. Perhaps we can arrange to visit with geologist, Margaret Carruthers, to autograph her book, Beach Stones.
B. A Slice of History Along Chesapeake Bay
4 hours, $300 for up to 8 participants
Frederick Douglas’ summer home field-trip
Optional museum tour add’l $5 each
Workshop covers prehistory, colonial and Victorian times to the present day Annapolis region of the Chesapeake Bay. Pottery, glass, shells, clay pipes, arrowheads, iron ore, and colorful quartz are all part of this experience. Learn beachcombing techniques, local lore, and how to trace possible origins of beach treasures you find! Perhaps we can entice Jane McWilliams and Carole Patterson to visit and autograph their book, Bay Ridge on the Chesapeake.
C. All About Beach Glass
5-6 hrs, $400 for up to 8 participants
A workshop on different types of beach glass. Learn how to identify age and rarity based on color, condition, origin, and shape. Learn beachcombing techniques and how to trace possible origins of the beach glass you find. Includes field trips to different beaches where sea glass can be abundant.
D. Shark Hunt! Shark, Skate, Dolphin Fossils
5 hours, $350 for up to 8 participants
Chesapeake Beach, MD, field-trip
Did you know scientists have discovered teeth that were once housed in the mouths of 50 foot long sharks? This workshop teaches about–and helps you learn to identify–fossilized teeth and bones that are up to 20 million years old. Learn to tell the difference between shark, skate, and dolphin teeth, and between fossilized bones and everyday rocks. You may also be lucky enough to 19th century clay pipes or even colorful carnival beads reputedly washing in from a mid-20th century shipwreck.