Early Monday morning, November 14, Hammond School fifth graders began a week-long journey into the past. This journey, otherwise known as Early Technology Week, has become a highlight of the fifth grade experience at Hammond.

The brain-child of Mr. Tom Mancke, Hammond's Naturalist-in-Residence, Early Technology Week uses a hands-on approach to teaching natural history. Students learn about various natural resources and their uses from the perspective of primitive cultures. Each day, students are assigned to a station to learn how to skin a deer leg, make a river-cane flute, learn "burn and scrape" techniques and a variety of other lessons.

"We do weird stuff," says Mancke. "We're trying to get students excited about nature in a small amount of time, and these primitive skills get their attention in learning about natural resources."