South Texas Plains

Kid's Activities

Hi, kids. I’m Dr. Dirt, the armadillo archeologist, and I’m here to tell you about some fun and historic adventures. Perhaps you'd like to learn to talk with your hands, like people once did when there were lots more languages in Texas than just English and Spanish! Or, you can travel with the explorer Cabeza de Vaca as he walks barefoot and nearly naked through the south Texas brush country, living on cactus and roots. If you prefer to do all your exploring in just one spot, you can discover how archeologists dug down through layer after layer of dirt to learn about people from the past, from ancient mammoth hunters to cotton farmers. Choose your adventure and let's get going!

How did Indians, Spaniards, and early Texas settlers talk to each other when they didn't know each other's languages? Why they used sign language, of course! Play the Talking Hands game to see if you can guess the meaning of Plains Indians hand signs, then try your hand at creating your own sign language.

What lies 10 feet beneath the ground? 20 feet below? 30 feet below? There’s a lot more there than just dirt, rocks, and worms!  Join archeologists as they shovel into the past at a really deep site near San Antonio, Texas. Be ready to watch a south Texas river flood and make layers of mud! It’s all here and more.

Cabeza de Vaca, the famous Spanish explorer, had a very tough time while traveling in south Texas in the early 1500s. Who wouldn't, with all the prickly pear cactus and thorny brush? Learn how he survived, discovered new people (the Coahuiltecan Indians), and ate some pretty wild food!