Parietal art is the archaeological term for artwork done on cave walls or large blocks of stone.

Also called “cave art”, it refers to cave paintings, drawings, etchings, carvings, and pecked artwork on the interior of rock shelters and caves.

The purpose of these remains of the Paleolithic and other periods of prehistoric art is not known.

However, some theories suggest that these paintings were not solely for decoration as many of them were located in parts of caves that were not easily accessed.

To delve into the Paleolithic world, we created our very own cave drawings!

Using butcher paper, water and fabric softener, we made the paper we would need for these drawings.

We did this by mixing the materials together.

After placing out to dry, we retrieved them and added oil pastels to create a story.

Lastly, we enjoyed talking about our pictures and what they represented!

Dramatic play enables young children to reconcile their world and its information to their own reality.

As a primary means of symbolic play, it plays a key role in your little ones’ intellectual development.

Symbolic play provides the forum for your little one to hone their language and social skills, as they practice new vocabulary and collaborate with one another in mutual story making.

For this activity, we played in a bear cave!

Using brown butcher paper, stuffed animals, and our imaginations, we pretended to be bears living in a cave with our friends!

Stalactites and stalagmites are formed by water dripping or flowing from fractures on the ceiling of a cave.

They are the most common types of speleothems in caves. In caves, stalagcites grow rather slowly while in artificial tunnels and basements they grow much faster.

When some stalactites touch each other they form a drapery with a curtain-like appearance.

To demonstrate this phenomena, we created our very own stalagcite gardens!

Using epsom salt and blue water, we watched their transformation before our eyes! We did this by mixing the materials together and then waited twenty-four hours to see the results!

Food preparation is not only a fun, engaging activity for children,  but one that can be used for years as an important teaching and development tool for all ages. For one thing, hands-on cooking activities encourage a sense of pride and confidence.

The act of following a recipe can encourage self-direction and independence, while also teaching children to follow directions and use thinking skills to problem solve. Working with food also inspires children’s curiosity, thinking, and problem solving, offering new opportunities to make predictions and observations.

Additionally, creating snacks offers authentic opportunities for students to understand and apply their knowledge of measuring, one-to-one correspondence, numbers, and counting.

As they follow a recipe, children organize ingredients, follow a sequence, and carry out multiple directions.

Lastly, chopping, squeezing, mixing, and spreading materials help develop a child’s small muscle control and hand-eye coordination. For this activity, we used a few ingredients to crease bear caves. We used graham crackers as the cave, peanut butter as our glue, and toy bears as our occupants! Once we were finished, we ate up our yummy creations!

A stalagmite is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings.

Stalagmites may be composed of lave, minerals, mud, peat pitch, sand, sinter and amberat.

As part of our cave theme, we spent a couple of days learning about these fascinating objects.

Using play dough, toy icicles, and rocks, we created our very own stalagmites!