Prehistoric

Schools

Our exciting new Stone Age and Bronze Age village site is now fully open, catering for groups of up to 36 children to spend a day learning about the lives of our distant ancestors in a period we can truly call the dawn of farming.

During the day the children will get involved in the making of early types of clay pottery, learn how our ancestors grew crops, ground grain to make flour and learned the essential skills of hunting. They will also have the opportunity to try their hands at prehistoric art and handle some original artefacts!

A full day on the prehistoric village costs £15 per child, please contact us for further details or to make a booking.

Click here to download a printable information sheet for our prehistory days.

Click here to download a risk assessment document for our prehistory days.

Background Notes:

For more than 500,000 years humans survived by hunting, fishing and foraging. They lived in small nomadic groups leaving little evidence of their existence. This is known as the palaeolithic period.

Around 12,000 years ago the last ice age was followed by a gradual warming of the climate. Forests covered the land, plants and animals migrated from Europe. As a consequence, the supply of food available to humans increased, who developed specialised hunting techniques. This is known as the Mesolithic period.

Around 8,000 years ago rising sea levels left Britain an island and between 6 and 7,000 years ago humans started to settle in established communities. They domesticated animals, planted crops and built permanent homes. This marks a fundamental change in human behaviour, from hunter gatherer to farmer and is known as the neolithic period.

Around 3,500 years ago metal working skills developed and settlements with earthworks and stone structures were constructed. This was the start of the Bronze Age.