1st Grade Cave Art

Cave art- the perfect project for young artists. Primitive art simply comes naturally to a first grader. My first grade students recently finished a cave art project. We learned that a group of young boys from France actually discovered the famous cave at Lascaux. First graders got a chance to discuss why people make art. We decided that early humans made art to tell stories about their lives. A big part of their lives were the animals that they lived around and hunted. 

To get in the proper cave art mood, certain steps are necessary. One can't make good cave art in a modern art room with bright fluorescent lights. The lights must be off and the shades of the windows must be closed. Next, a dark cave needs a fire to provide light for the artist. I found a video of a camp fire online that I played on a loop. The crackling sounds of the fire allowed my students to be fully immersed in the idea that they were in a real cave. 

I gave my students a handout with several animal choices. Simple ones included step by step instructions while there were also more challenging animals on the back page. Each student drew and colored their animal and "signed" their work with a hand print. The final work was crumpled and carefully torn around the edges to make it look like it really came from a cave.


Click here to download the lesson plan!

Click here to download the drawing handout!
(The handout was partially compiled by a former student teacher. I tried to find the source of her handouts, but was unable. If you know where they came from, let me know so I can give credit!)

Click here to download my artist statement!