By Whitney Donohue

Moapa Valley Progress

Tessa Roberts, Savannah Holzer, and Sierra Holzer show off their Fremont figurines at the Lost City Museum’s Kids Day on Saturday. Photo by Whitney Donohue.

Clouds, cool weather, and a little bit of rain didn’t keep about ten kids from attending the Lost City Museum bi-annual Kid’s Day event on Saturday morning. This fall’s theme was focused on children’s toys and games, and the Lost City Museum didn’t fail to deliver.

The kids, ranging in grades from kindergarten to fifth grade, were divided into two groups. Each group was sent to a different area of the museum to start their tour of Nevada history through play.

One of the stations was split twig figurines. The figures are generally made from twigs of willow or cottonwood and are quite small – three to four inches in size. The figurines are thought to be toys or good luck charms. Regardless, the kids had fun making their own split twig figurines in different animal shapes.

Another station allowed the kids to create Fremont figurines. The Fremont people lived in Utah. While probably not related to the Anasazi, there is some evidence that they interacted with them. The Fremont people are known for the art that we call Fremont figurines today. Many of these figurines are in the shape of human figures and may have been used in ceremonies or as toys.

The final station was the game station. Here the children learned the fine art of throwing a corn cob dart through a hoop and spent most of the time refining that art.

The participants also got the chance to explore the pueblos located behind the museum.

“We’re glad to be able to do this for the kids in the valley,” said museum archaeologist Dena Sedar. “It’s important to us to be able to teach a little about the Native Americans that lived in this area.

Sedar also recognized the staff and volunteers at the museum for helping to make the Kids Day event possible.