3. What did early humans do to survive?

Activity 1 - Early Human Inventions

Activity Tasks

Examine the 20 inventions, developments and discoveries on this worksheet, and place them on the timeline in chronological (time) order, from oldest to newest.
What do you think were the 3 most important inventions of the Stone Age? Write a paragraph in your books explaining your choices. Think about how each invention would have helped humans survive in their environments.
Try watching this video to see how stone tools were made.

Activity Tasks

What do you think early humans ate to survive? Brainstorm or mind-map what types of food you think they may have eaten AND the tools they would have used to get the food.
Examine this PowerPoint presentation and make notes on the different ways in which early humans caught and gathered their food. Add the information to your notes from task 1.
Discuss - Do we still use the same methods to gather food today?

Activity Tasks

Individually or as a class (ask your teacher), read this article about foraging and complete the quiz at the end.
Watch the video (-->) and answer these questions:
1. What kinds of foods would hunter-gatherers prefer and why?
2. Why would hunter-gatherers go to extra lengths to get foods like bone marrow, nuts and honey?
3. Why did extinctions often occur after humans settled in a particular area?
Discuss - Do you think modern humans will one day have to return to a foraging lifestyle?

Activity Tasks

Your task is to research and create a menu based on what a typical forager might have been able to find or catch during the Stone Age. You must choose one of these 6 tribes to base your restaurant on.
Research the environment your tribe lives in, and the tools and food sources available, using this worksheet to record your findings.
Choose a name, date and location for your imaginary restaurant.
Then design a 3 course dinner, using the tools you have and the food sources you can hunt/gather.
To finish your project, design a menu to show off your 3-course dinner!