Texting, posting, chatting, and phone calls: these are all modern methods of communication available to us now. Over the centuries, humans have developed numerous ways to communicate their ideas. Whether it be through written, spoken or sign language, dance, art or drama, human have a need to express themselves and leave a mark.
New School Montessori students in 1st through 3rd grade learned about early human beings and the methods of communication available to them at that time in history. By looking at cave paintings found in the French Lascaux Caves, students imagined what people from that time would have wanted to communicate to each other and how they might have done it. The children created their own “cave paintings” on crumbed craft paper. They “sent” messages with their depictions of hunting scenes, showing the use of hands, fire and tools in their drawings. One message from these ancient people rang through to our students, concerning the importance of observing nature and hands-on work. Our students were quick to recognize (just as Dr. Maria Montessori did) that timeless lesson of the power of hands-on work and observation to speed and deepen our learning process.