Several of Elizabeth City's youngest "archaeologists" unearthed dozens of sharks teeth Wednesday during a dig on the front lawn of Museum of the Albemarle.

More than 30 children ages 12 and younger spent Wednesday learning about the work performed by archaeologists. The event was sponsored by MOA and included seven learning stations designed by real-life archaeologist Clay Swindell and museum educator Martha Williams. The stations taught the children about the science involved in archaeology and gave them the opportunity to perform their own "dig."

Staff Photo by Justin Falls (ENLARGE)

Kids dig into dirt in search of fossils and prizes as they learn about how scientist search for artifacts and fossils on the front lawn at the Museum of the Albemarle during a archaeology exhibit, Monday.

The dig was performed in a sand box overseen by MOA intern Bebe Phillips and volunteer Ellen Harving.

The children used a special sifter to search for sharks teeth and toys, which they were allowed to keep for successfully finding the items. One of the excited children was Russell Stewart, who attended the day-long event with his grandmother, Linda Stewart.

Russell, 6, said he likes finding rocks and hopes to be a gemologist when he grows up.

"I like finding gems," Stewart said. "I have one at home that's four colors: orange, yellow, red and green."

Two other grandchildren who attended the archaeological camp were Hannah Marlene and Katie Marlene Capps.

"This is a great activity for kids," said Woody Walker, their grandfather. "(My granddaughters) like to go where they can learn."

Walker said every summer he arranges for his granddaughters to participate in various educational activities.

Swindell, 35, works for both MOA and the James River Institute for Archeology in Williamsburg, Va. At Swindell's station, the children learned about restoration excavation. Children were allowed to hold and examine ancient pottery pieces, while learning about the excavation process. Swindell also explained his tools and how he uses them in the field.

At another station, the children learned how ancient pottery shards are pieced together. To help explain, the children selected pieces of broken mugs and attempted to reassemble them. Other stations included explanations of surface surveys and underwater archeological digs.

Earlier in the day at the registration table the children voted on who they thought was the most important archaeologists. They had four candidates to choose from: "Indiana Jones," an underwater archaeologist, a lab archaeologist and a field archaeologist.

Museum educator Lori Meads asked the children to vote again at the close of the event to see if the children had changed their opinion. In the final vote, the children voted in favor of the field archaeologist over "Indiana Jones" and the other candidates.