News 12 at 6 o'clock, July 10, 2008

THOMSON, Ga.---Scraping and digging...sweeping and dumping. All in a day's work for the kids at Dig History, an archaeological summer camp in Thomson. "Kids who come to this camp tend to love being outside, they tend to be more of the really science focused students," says Hickory Hill curator Michelle Zupan.

The general consensus here, these kids like to get dirty. "I like to dig, so you can find new things," says 14-year-old Jared Key. 11-year old Kellie Crawley simply says, "I love to dig."

Volunteers from the Georgia Department of Transportation are teaching campers how to work with radar technology that tracks whats underground. This is helping them find the walls of an old building in town.

The machines are basically x-raying the ground so they can tell what was underneath years and years ago. "It's really hands on, you really get experience so that's pretty cool," says Key.

Generally, on Friday's the camp has the very popular, Forensic Friday's. "On that day we have a murder mystery that we've set up and somewhere in the woods we've buried a body and its been discovered," says Zupan.

The kids must then solve the crime. Incorporating all they've learned into a CSI-like investigation. "We have a lot of future forensic scientists out there. It's a fun and different way to spend a summer," Zupan says.

While some of the kids think this may be a career for them, others are just intrigued. "I think it would be good for me as a hobby," says Key. Crawley says, "It's great. I love it. It's my favorite thing to do."

You can guarantee that when the week wraps up Friday, campers will be counting the days until next summer. Dig history does have one more beginner week left. It's open to ages 11 to 17. If you're interested, you can call 706-595-7777 for more information.