The Classroom of Europe

Teaching material

Adorned by the sea

Wearing Symbols from the Past: How to craft your own shell pendant.

  • Theme: Craft shell pendants
  • Age group: 9–12. To facilitate it for younger school children, teachers can tailor the learning materials
  • Available languages: English, Spanish
  • Read more about Adorned by the sea

The role of shells in the daily life of prehistoric hunter-gatherers

Discovering the Past Through Gathering Shells

Stories from the classroom

  • Archaeological Laboratory on “Living at the Coast” Aug. 18, 2026 1:10 PM

    In May 2025, a sixth-grade geography classroom at Collège Penn Ar C’hleuz in Brest briefly transformed into a hands-on archaeological lab. At the workshop, led by ArCHe DC Anass Butsch and supervised by Catherine Dupont (CNRS), pupils explored prehistoric shell-middens and experienced how archaeologists analyse traces of Mesolithic coastal life.

  • Teaching material "Adorned by the sea" activated for the first time Apr. 24, 2026 11:23 AM

    On 16 December 2025, the teaching material "Adorned by the Sea" was used for the first time during an educational visit to the CREAAH laboratory, CNRS, University of Rennes. Five 14-year-old students from different secondary schools in and around Rennes participated.

  • Children Explore Prehistoric Life in Hands On Workshop at ARQVA Apr. 13, 2026 2:44 PM

    ArCHe researchers Claudia Finocchiaro and Giada Pirrone led an engaging children’s workshop at the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology (ARQVA) in Cartagena on 11 April 2026, introducing young participants to life by the sea in prehistory through interactive learning and creative activities.

Welcome to The Classroom of Europe!

An ArCHe communication initiative directed at teachers and school children across Europe

  • Discover the deep history and Stone Age heritage of your local coastal areas and their European connections
  • Learn about the challenges facing Stone Age coastal sites and find out how you can help protect them
  • Transform coastal landscapes into places of learning: explore their past, understand their present, and help shape a sustainable future. 
  • Download our teaching materials, which turn leading research into engaging learning materials
  • Developed by ArCHe’s young top-researchers and soon to be available in multiple languages
     
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About The Classroom of Europe

What is The Classroom of Europe?

This ArCHe initiative transforms coastal landscapes into vibrant places of learning by offering teaching material directed at teachers and school children in coastal areas across Europe. The teaching material offers a unique opportunity to connect with the histories and futures of coastal areas through time and space. Whether outdoors or in the classroom it aims at fostering responsible future citizens through engaging learning experiences. Discover the rich Stone Age heritage of coastal areas, understand the challenges they face, and explore ways to help protect them.

Who is it addressed to?

The Classroom of Europe teaching material available on this website is directed at teachers and school children of different ages. Covering a broad range of relevant themes, it offers insights into the deep-time perspectives of coastal areas, about how people lived in the Stone Age across Europe, about the current threats facing Stone Age coastal sites and artifacts, and how these sites can be better integrated into our lives today. It also offers engaging and age-appropriate activities which are clearly described and explained. The teaching material is available in English and can be freely downloaded. Translations into other languages soon to come will allow its use across different countries. 

Who stands behind the initiative?

The Classroom of Europe’s teaching material is developed by young researchers (Doctoral candidates) in the EU-funded Doctoral network “Archaeological Coastal Heritage: Past, present and future of a hidden prehistoric legacy” (ArCHe), which runs from 2024 to 2027. Each of the teaching materials arises from the topics of the different research projects of the young researchers in the ArCHe project. 

NOTE: ArCHe will upload new teaching material throughout the project’s duration.

EU logo with the text "Funded by the European Union".

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.