The educational program for schools and children was commenced in the 2016 season, bringing a response of approximately 130 pupils from four local Elementary schools. The aim of the program is to get school children into direct contact with archaeology and the excavation research of an archaeological site, so that they may acquire a better understanding of different interpretative approaches into the past and of human societies through their material remains.

Pupils are encouraged to acquire new skills: such as observation, critical and synthetic thinking, team co-ordination, new insights into material culture and its better understanding and appreciation through the excavation and post-excavation work. This involves participation in on-site sieving to trace archaeological material remains; to becoming acquainted with pottery classification methodology and dating (by distinguishing shapes, different patterns etc.); to working on pottery classification in a collaborative way within the context of smaller groups of pupils.

The program includes four separate parts, lasting about two hours. After an initial ‘warming-up session’ with a short overview of the visible archaeological remains of Marathon and at Plasi, the pupils and their teachers are divided into groups. They walk around the excavation with the students as interpreters, so bringing the excavation process into life, and so appreciating first-hand the work of an excavation team. Then the pupils participate in interactive hands-on workshops on pottery. Finally by words and sketches they create their own original ‘takes’ on what they have witnessed and learnt at the excavation.