A little rain couldn’t keep a few budding archaelogists from digging into history at Pioneer Museum. They simply excavated artifacts indoors.

The annual children’s program was held Saturday morning and its theme was archaeology. Museum executive director Kari Barley shared the four stages of a good dig:research, excavation, processing and preservation and the children tried their hands at each.

“We have a children’s program every summer. There’s a different focus every year,” said Barley.

Each of the children had their favorite part of the two-hour lesson. “Mine was cleaning them because had little holes and I had to use a pick to clean them out,” said 9-year-old Gavin Wade.

As a bonus,children got to take home any artifact they found.

Barley said she and her staff try to plan programs that encourage participation and brings history to life.

“It’s always fun to see the kids light up when they learn that history can be fun,” she said.

Read more about the day in Tuesday’s Troy Messenger.