Rusty Young Archaeologist Club

Are you a young explorer who loves history and archaeology? Join our Young Archaeologist Club, which we call ‘Rusty Club’ after our mascot ‘Rusty the Iron Age Dog’. If you would like to know more or check whether there is a free membership space, just email YAC group leader Katherine at Katherine.bell@wsm-tc.gov.uk. If there is a free space then we will agree a starting date, you will be sent a simple membership form to fill in and added to the mailing list to receive session reminders and updates.

YAC logo
Rusty Logo

Who is Rusty?

Rusty is our mascot, he is based on the skeleton of a dog that was excavated on a dig at Dibble’s Farm in Christon (not far from Weston) and is now on display in our Living Landscape gallery. He lived during the Iron Age, which was a time about 2000 years ago when people lived in tribes and kept dogs for help when hunting.

What age do I need to be to join?

The club is for 8-16 years olds. The sessions are split into 2 slot times, the first is for ‘Juniors’ aged 8-10 from 10:30-11:45 and the second is for ‘Seniors’ aged 10-16 from 12:15-1:30

When do we meet?

The club meets for a fun, interesting and active session usually on the first Saturday morning of each month, either at the museum or for occasional trips out to historical locations in the local area. The sessions at the museum start at 10.30 (Juniors) or 12:15 (Seniors), external visit times will vary.

How much does it cost?

You can pay for 6 months in advance for just £33. This means that there will always be a space reserved for you at those meetings. The subscription period covers from April to September or from October to March. You can pay at the front desk in the museum and hand a receipt to the group leader.

Past meets

Rusty Club members have the chance to get involved in hands on crafts and educational games during our museum sessions. These are a few of the subjects that we have covered so far – Prehistoric Cave Art, Christmas Traditions, Roman Foods, Forensic Archaeology, Mummification, Mapping, Wassailing, Bronze Age Pottery, amongst many others!

We have also made external visits to the Banwell Bone Caves, Worlebury Hill Fort and Uphill Church, accompanied by experts in history and archaeology, including our County Archaeologist and Conservation Officer and Time Team’s Phil Harding.

What do I get if I become a member?

By becoming a member of Rusty Club, you get to join in with fun activities each month, everything from making prehistoric pots to digging for dinosaur bones, as well as going on trips to local historical sites like our Iron Age hill fort. You will also be a member of YAC (Young Archaeologist Club) – http://www.yac-uk.org/, which is a national club, this means that you can get a member pass which gives you discounts for visiting some other places around the country.