This week our 4th graders have learned a lot about the earliest paintings by humans. Prehistoric cave paintings were created 30,000 BC! During that time, the early humans were nomads, who hunted and gathered their food, moving around to follow the animals they hunted.
In class we talked about the first time those cave paintings were found. Here you have some information (and you can even take a tour from your seats by clicking on the link below).
"One of the most important examples of prehistoric cave paintings was actually discovered by 4 kids! In 1940, four boys were taking their dog for a walk in Lascaux, France. While they were talking, their dog ducked into a hole, that led to one of the many limestone caves of the area. The boys figured out a way to follow it underground, and when they lit a match to see better, they were shocked to discover that the walls and ceilings were covered in primitive animal paintings! When they came back the next day with their teacher, they explored the cave more. These caves have more than 600 paintings, and 1500 engravings, that were created more than 20,000 years ago!
The majority of the cave paintings are of moving animals, that lived during this time in that part of France: bison, deer, horses. At the time, tourists were allowed into the caves to admire and observe the early human art. Soon, the exposure to light, microorganisms from the visitors, and the air pollution began to fade and deteriorate the paintings, so tourists are not allowed anymore" but you can take a virtual tour and this is what we did to start our Arts and Crafts lesson this week.
Then it was time to feel the experience and make their own cave paintings.
