Archaeology is one of the most fascinating branches of science
and caves are one of nature's most
alluring geological landforms to explore. Caves are a separate biome all their
own. They've been used as habitats by animals and people. Bats are cave dwellers
and dinosaurs dwelt in caves. Mystics have sought divine enlightenment living
as hermits in caves. Ancient people left hieroglyphics on walls of caves, like
those at Lascaux, France. Caves yield up a treasure trove of fossils and teach valuable lessons in archaeology and paleontology. Teachers and homeschool families, if you're planning a
unit on caves (and you really should) here are free printable lesson
plans on cave-related subjects of fossils, bats, archaeology, paleontology,
habitats, geology, spelunking and earth science.
The
National Parks Service has free printable lessons on the U.S. national park at
Carlsbad Cavernsin New Mexico. There's
curriculum for elementary school in the free printable booklet
About Bats, Caves and Deserts. For middle school students, the NPS Carlsbad Caverns website
features free printable archaeology lessons on Caves, Canyons, Cactus and
Critters. High school students explore geology, spelunking, Global Positioning
Systems and orienteering in the Chihuahuan Desert Lab school. Materials are
designed to be used with interpretive visits but some may be used as
stand-alone lessons in class. Check out the cool activities on fossils, bats,
paleontology and other cave phenomena.
Also
from the NPS, are free printable materials on Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. There are free coloring
pages, word games, puzzles and lesson plans in the Junior Ranger section. Kids
will love the printable Trog Tour booklet (trog is short for super cool fossils
called troglodytes) The Making Connections series from Mammoth Cave National
Park features books for grades K-3, 4-5 and 6-8. There are 83 pages of free printable
paleontology lesson plans for teachers and homeschool parents. And be sure
not to let young archaeology students miss the free printable Fossil
Identification Guide with
coloring pages of fossils to label.
Lascaux
Culture has interactive lesson
plans on Lascaux cave drawings. Explore paleontology and archaeology with the prehistoric
paintings, There are cave maps, images, videos and timelines. The website has
interpretive information detailing the images, their purpose and their
significance. You can access the site in several languages including English,
but the educational "resources" link is available only in French.
Easy
Fun School has free cave diorama
lesson plan. The diorama is
easy to make and uses cheap, household materials.has free printable animal
habitat coloring pages. Students can research which animals live or hibernate
in caves. This site has other free printable habitats dioramas. Crayola offers a free craft template to show interior cave rock formations.
Cave
stalactites grow downward from the ceiling. The word comes from the Greek
"to drip" (stalactites resemble icicles). Stalagmites grow up from
the cave floor and look like upside down icicles. In Greek, the word means
"trickling." Use these activities to demonstrate how stalactites and
stalagmites grow. Crystal Cave in Wisconsin offers tours and family activities
to explore this famous cave. Here are free printable geology lesson plans on archaeology, paleontology, bats, and
fossils.
