Connected Curriculum art – using pastels with precision
In Art, Year 3 have been learning all about prehistoric cave paintings. The children have been fascinated by how these were created, what stories they told and what they could teach us about the stone age.
The lessons began by exploring and analysing cave art from caves around Europe, for example the Lascaux cave in France and the Magura cave in Bulgaria. Once the children had learned about cave art, the classrooms were turned into candle-lit caves. The children then had the opportunity to work in teams, to create their own cave art all over the (sugar-papered) walls, using earth-coloured pastels.
After this practice session, the children enjoyed creating their own individual piece of cave art; they used their developing skills with pastels to create pictures with thick and thin lines, as well as blending and layering the pastels in places. Overall. This created a fantastic effect.
The children were delighted when these pieces were used to turn the stage area into a giant cave for their adults to explore during our Curriculum Showcase. The children led their adults around the cave by candle and torch-light, to explore their paintings.
Later, the children taught the adults how to create cave art of their very own. Sharing their knowledge in this manner, also helps consolidate the techniques learnt.
