Stone guardians: Ancient art primary resource

This primary resource gives children the opportunity to explore the design and purpose of Ancient guardian figures. Learn when this ancient art was discovered, and how it’s purpose has been explored. Who might have sculpted these statues? Where are they found? How can we tell when they were made?

Pupils will learn about styles of ancient stone guardians and what they were made out of in our National Geographic Kids’ Art primary resource sheet.

The teaching resource can be used in study group tasks about ancient art, as a printed handout for each pupil to review and annotate, or for display on the interactive whiteboard to be read and discussed as a whole class activity.

Activity: Ask children to design their own stone guardian on paper. What would their guardian offer protection from? Pupils could then make their guardians out of clay, using pencils and clay tools to carve out their designs.

N.B. The following information for mapping the resource documents to the school curriculum is specifically tailored to the English National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. We are currently working to bring specifically tailored curriculum resource links for our other territories; including South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. If you have any queries about our upcoming curriculum resource links, please email: schools@ngkids.co.uk

This Ancient art resource assists with teaching the following Key Stage 1 Art objective from the National Curriculum:

Pupils should be taught:

• about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.

• to develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space.

National Curriculum Key Stage 2 Art objectives:

Pupils should be taught:  

• about great artists, architects and designers in history.

This Ancient art primary resource assists with teaching the following Expressive arts First – Third level objectives from the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence: 

• I can respond to the work of artists and designers by discussing my thoughts and feelings. I can give and accept constructive comment on my own and others’ work.

Scottish Curriculum for Excellence Fourth level Expressive arts objectives:

• I can analyse art and design techniques, processes and concepts, make informed judgements and express considered opinions on my own and others’ work.

Download primary resource

PDF