Letter 02 from France
The Lascaux cave and prehistory for kids
Prehistory for kids: Neanderthals, Cro-Magnon artists, and the four boys and a dog who found the Lascaux cave.
Bonjour!
It's Nathalie, and I'm very happy to see you again for this second Letter from France!
This month, we're going to go back very, very far in time. Not a hundred years back. Not a thousand years. No… seventeen thousand years! Today, I'm going to tell you the story of the most famous cave in France: the Lascaux cave. But before we talk about Lascaux, I have a question for you: do you know how this cave was discovered?
Thanks to… a dog! Yes, yes, a dog! His name was Robot. I'll tell you all about it in a moment. But first, let's talk a little about prehistory.
Read it in French
C'est Nathalie, et je suis très contente de vous retrouver pour cette deuxième Lettre de France !
Ce mois-ci, on va remonter très, très loin dans le temps. Pas cent ans en arrière. Pas mille ans. Non… dix-sept mille ans ! Aujourd'hui, je vais vous raconter l'histoire de la plus célèbre grotte de France : la grotte de Lascaux. Mais avant de parler de Lascaux, j'ai une question pour vous : est-ce que vous savez comment on a découvert cette grotte ?
Grâce à… un chien ! Oui, oui, un chien ! Il s'appelait Robot. Je vous raconte tout ça dans un instant. Mais d'abord, parlons un peu de la préhistoire.
Nathalie
In this letter
- What is prehistory?
- Who lived in France during prehistory?
- The first artists in the world
- The discovery of Lascaux: four boys and a dog
- What can be found in the Lascaux cave?
- A very fragile treasure
Did you know?
The men of Lascaux mainly ate reindeer. But guess how many reindeer they painted in the cave? Almost none! There is perhaps only one in the entire cave.
Strange, isn't it? Scientists are still wondering: why paint animals you don't eat, and not paint the one you eat every day? Do you have any ideas?
French words to learn
| Français | English |
|---|---|
| la préhistoire | prehistory |
| une grotte | a cave |
| un chasseur-cueilleur | a hunter-gatherer |
| une peinture rupestre | a cave painting |
| un pigment | a pigment |
| un auroch | an aurochs |
| un mammouth | a mammoth |
| le silex | flint |
| un propulseur | a spear-thrower |
| un ancêtre | an ancestor |
Free printable: Lascaux cave word search
Find 16 French words about prehistory, from "grotte" to "mammouth", in this word search from the Discovery Sheets that come with the letter. Print it on A4.
Download the PDFRecipe: Clafoutis
Clafoutis is a classic French dessert from the Limousin region, in the centre of France. It dates back to the 19th century, when it was made with black cherries; its name comes from the Occitan word "clafoti", "to fill", for the fruit-filled batter. With this recipe you can use cherries, apricots, apples, pears or even plums.
Prep 10 min · Cooking 40 min · Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
- Enough fruit to cover the bottom of a 25 cm (10-inch) tin: 3 or 4 pears or apples, or more of a smaller fruit
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup double cream
- ½ cup caster sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling
- ½ cup plain flour
- A good pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract or orange blossom water
What you need
- A mixing bowl
- A 25 cm (10-inch) baking tin or skillet
- A whisk
- Kitchen scales
- Measuring spoons
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (375°F).
- Melt the butter and use it to coat the sides of your tin.
- Cover the bottom of the tin with the fruit of your choice.
- Combine the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, flour, salt, and vanilla and almond extracts.
- Mix on medium speed, or whisk by hand, until smooth.
- Pour the batter over the fruit.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then take the clafoutis out and sprinkle it evenly with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.
- Put it back in the oven and bake until just set and golden brown, about 20 minutes more.
- Let it cool for about 30 minutes, then enjoy!
