The Art of Illumination project is a great way for students in grades 5-12 to experience the medieval process of illumination as authentically as possible. After researching the history, people, and art of the Medieval Ages, students will have the opportunity to create an illuminated text of their own.

In this project, students research Roman dress and create small-scale versions of clothing for cloth dolls (or teddy bears) or life-size clothing for themselves. Students learn about Roman dress and collect information about specific types of clothing and accessories, then gain hands-on experience making clothing and accessories for a particular "Roman person." Explicit instructions about materials, patterns, and techniques are provided.

Students in junior high and high school grade levels can interpret modern trash to learn about people today in the same way archaeologists use ancient garbage as evidence for people's lives in the past.