Year 3 visited Creswell Crags, one of the most important prehistoric sites in the UK. The limestone gorge has caves that were once home to both Neanderthals and early modern humans during the Last Ice Age, between 60,000 and 10,000 years ago. Setting off early on a misty morning made our journey feel especially atmospheric — almost like stepping back into the Stone Age ourselves.
When we arrived, we explored a real Palaeolithic cave, overlooking a lake formed in the gorge. Inside the cave, we learnt how early humans survived harsh Ice Age conditions, moving through grassland landscapes where animals such as reindeer, woolly rhinoceros, mammoth and wild horse once roamed. Creswell Crags is also famous for containing the northernmost Ice Age cave art in Europe, with more than 80 ancient engravings discovered in Church Hole Cave — some around 12,000 years old!
The children crawled through the cave passages with their torches to truly appreciate how pitch‑black the environment would have been for Stone Age people once their lights went out! They experienced how early humans would have relied on fire, teamwork, and careful listening to stay safe underground.
After lunch, the children took part in survival skills activities linked to how Palaeolithic people lived. We built shelters similar to those made using animal skins and wooden frames, just as hunter‑gatherer groups would have done when moving with migrating animals. We also practised safe spear‑throwing at a model bison inspired by real hunting tools found in Creswell’s caves, where archaeologists discovered flint scrapers, spear tips, and tools shaped from bone and antler.
To finish our day, we examined a selection of fascinating prehistoric remains, including real animal skeletons from the Ice Age and even a mammoth tooth. The gorge has produced some of the most important collections of extinct animal remains in Britain, including mammoth, woolly rhinoceros and reindeer bones.
Throughout the visit, I was incredibly impressed with how much knowledge the children had retained from different Stone Age time periods to how early humans adapted to survive. Their curiosity, enthusiasm, and impeccable behaviour made the day even more special.