The Middle School IB Humanities curriculum follows a three year cycle, with all grades studying the concepts simultaneously. This year, our focus on ancient civilizations was supported by a workshop from Practical Primitive, a local company that specializes in providing hands-on experiences with the tools, supplies, and activities of daily living that would have been utilized by early humans.
The Middle School students spent a lively afternoon engaged in learning about the lifestyles of hominids during the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras, including cutting raw and tanned hide with sharpened obsidian, making rope out of plant fibers, and getting outside to throw the boomerangs and atlatls (a type of spear) used for hunting small game.
They explored a variety of artifacts and also watched in awe as Julie, the co-founder of Practical Primitive, started a fire using friction and a lot of skill! The company’s mantra is “Primitive means first, not worst” and it was an experience that fostered greater understanding about the innovation and ingenuity employed by our early ancestors to ensure the survival of humanity.
