Specially designed for the National Curriculum, our wonderful and stimulating educational sessions looking at life in the Stone Age from the Palæolithic through to the Neolithic period.
We encourage children to come dressed up for the day. Then two Stone Age people will arrive in the classroom, from two rival tribes, in period clothing, with painted faces, objects, tools and weaponry. The children are split into two or three tribes and have face paints applied to be ‘dire wolves’, ‘sabre-toothed tigers’, or ‘cave bears’.
We start our study with the concepts of language and communication – how did people communicate? We’ll discuss emotions, gestures, noises, art.
We’ll introduce pupils to the concept of life in a cave and roundhouse, with a central hearth. We show how fire was made. What was the most important stone used for making tools? Children will get the chance to handle furs and hides, antlers, and flints, see how tools evolved, and find out what Stone Age people wore.
How did our ancestors make shelters and early round houses? We’ll build a wall out of sticks to demonstrate. This can be done outside if the weather permits: it takes a bit of planning and extra resources so please ask for details.
A hunt for food is acted out so that your class can understand tracking, trails, pits traps and snares, the use of spears, bows and arrows and fishing tridents.
We’ll also cover ancestor worship, burial practices, average life expectancy, shamanism and medicine.