We traditionally begin the second semester in the art room with the CAVE. It provides the kids with imaginary playtime and sets the stage for the evolution of art.
We meet just outside the cave entrance by a campfire to begin class. I tell a story about the first tool makers, our early ancestors, Homo habilis, the handy man and how we Homo sapiens evolved over the next million years during the waning years of the last ice age.
With the great glacial ice sheets melting away, plants and grasses grew, creating pastures for roaming beasts of all kinds, including a favorite, the wooly mammoth. The world of man was becoming a little easier. The necessity to traverse the planet looking for food and shelter was supplanted by camps surrounded by plentiful forests. It was in these more gentle times, if you can call them that (approx. 17,000 years ago), the first paintings were created on the walls of caves. Art history had begun.
If your child missed this week, never fear, next week we’ll be back in the cave, but with some different lighting. Prepare for the RAVE CAVE!
