Cave Clues
Explore the mysteries of caves as you create original crayon resist cave scenes.
1. What is a cave? It is an underground space with little or no light and constant moisture. What other environmental characteristics can you find about caves? What traits would be important or unnecessary for animals that live in caves? How about eyesight or bright skin color? What do caves provide for animals or people? What else besides safety, shelter, protection from weather, and privacy?
2. The first record of art is found in a cave in Lascaux, France, in the Verzere Valley. This art was drawn 35,000 years ago. Early cave art, mostly animal drawings, is also found in Australia, Africa, and Spain.
3. To design your own cave art, think first about what you might find inside. Which animals or people live there? What are the colors, textures, and shapes found in your cave? Using Crayola® Construction Paper™ Crayons on a large sheet of paper, make your cave come alive with seen and unseen life. Think about animals, water, rock walls, or cave-dwelling people. You might draw clues about cave life, such as the soft bed on which a bear would sleep during hibernation.
4. Cover your work area with newspaper. Paint your cave art with Crayola Washable Paint and Paint Brushes. Blend colors to look like damp, rocky surfaces inside caves. Dry. Your crayon cave art will pop off the walls!
Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project. Observe children closely and intervene as necessary to prevent potential safety problems and ensure appropriate use of arts and crafts materials. Some craft items, particularly beads and buttons, are potential choking hazards for young children. Avoid use of such small parts with children younger than 3 years. Craft items such as scissors, push pins and chenille sticks may have sharp points or edges. Avoid use of materials with sharp points by children younger than 4 years. Read all manufacturers' safety warnings before using arts and craft supplies.
Crayola Washable Paints—Not for use as body/face paint.
- Early cave artists made colors by mixing manganese (grayish-white metal), ocher, and charcoal with animal fat. They applied the color pigments with sticks, reeds, and sometimes brushes. In another technique, they used their hand as a stencil and blew ground-up pigment around it, leaving a handprint on the wall.
- The unique environment of caves helped to preserve artwork for thousands of years. Lime from dripping water fossilized the paintings, turning the art into stone. Research what lime is and does. How are paintings preserved today?
- In Australia, the direct descendants of that country's prehistoric artists care for cave paintings today. They have lived continuously in this area for 40,000 years. What other groups of people care for their ancestors' arts and traditions today?
- Read aloud the short nonfiction story about caving in Tom McGinnis's Going to Extremes. It is a hair-raising adventure about traveling in a cave.
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