Cave drawings are often simplistic in nature.
Cave drawings, often found in caves inhabited during prehistoric times, depicted animals and humans and likely served as a way of preserving thoughts and ideas. Giving children the opportunity to create their own cave drawings gives kids of all ages the opportunity to communicate with their art, just like prehistoric artists did.
Personal Petroglyphs
Teach students of any age about petroglyphs, drawings carved into the side of a cave or rock, by letting them design their own cave art on a piece of clay. Provide students with an assortment of small rocks to use as carving tools and give each child a piece of flat, dried-out clay to represent a cave wall. Let the kids carve their own cave drawings into the dried clay, providing assistance for the youngest students before firing the art in a kiln, if desired.
Paper Bag Craft
Have elementary school students replicate cave drawings by using a large paper bag, charcoal and water-based paints. Give each child a single paper bag and have the students tear one side of the bag into an oval shape to serve as the cave wall. Have students crumple their bags to give them a weathered look before letting the children use charcoal to create a cave drawing. After students have made their preliminary drawing, let them add color to their artwork with earth-toned watercolors or tempera paints. Once students have finished, spray the cave drawings with hairspray to prevent the charcoal from smudging.
Sandpaper Drawings
Expose early childhood students to creating artwork on textured surfaces, like those found in many caves, by letting them create a cave drawing on a piece of fine sandpaper. Give each student a small sheet of sandpaper and a selection of earth-tone colored crayons. Let students use the crayons to sketch a cave drawing on the paper before pressing down with moderate pressure on the crayons to fill in their artwork.
Prehistoric Painting
Teach elementary and middle school students about the type of paint that was used in traditional cave drawings by having them create their own prehistoric paint to use on their cave artwork. Give students an assortment of colored dirt, such as topsoil and red clay, and some vegetable shortening to represent the earth and animal fat that was used to create paint for cave drawings, explains the KinderArt website. Have children mix each type of dirt with the shortening until the mixture is smooth and can be spread on a piece of paper. Let students use their hands, old paintbrushes or found objects, such as rocks or sticks, to create their cave drawings.
