In the middle of England, there’s a huge stone circle called Stonehenge. It’s been there for thousands of years, even older than the pyramids in Egypt! People have always been curious about who built it and why.
Stonehenge is really old, about 4,000 to 5,000 years old. It took a long time to build, maybe even hundreds of years. Since it’s so ancient, there are no books or writings that tell us exactly why it was built. Scientists, called archaeologists, have studied it and think it might have been used as a place to bury people or as a giant calendar to watch the sun and moon.
At first, Stonehenge was just some ditches and earth mounds made with tools from deer antlers. Later, wooden posts were added, and finally, the big stones we see today were put in place. The biggest stones, called sarsens, are as tall as a three-story building and weigh as much as four elephants! They came from about 20 miles away. Smaller stones, called bluestones, came from even farther, over 140 miles away in Wales. How they moved these heavy stones without machines or wheels is still a mystery!
There are lots of ideas about how the stones were moved. Some people think they rolled them on logs or dragged them in big baskets pulled by animals. Others believe they might have floated them on boats down the River Avon. However they did it, they placed the stones very carefully. Some stones line up perfectly with the sunrise on the longest day of the year and the sunset on the shortest day.
Today, Stonehenge is a special place protected by the world. About a million people visit every year! Many come during the longest and shortest days to see the sun rise and set just like people did thousands of years ago. They still wonder about the secrets Stonehenge holds.
Stonehenge is one of the most famous and mysterious places on Earth. Its ancient history, the way it was built, and its possible uses make people curious and excited to learn more. Stonehenge will always be an important part of our world’s history.
Build Your Own Stonehenge: Gather some small stones, blocks, or even clay to create your own model of Stonehenge. Think about how you can arrange them in a circle like the real Stonehenge. Try to make some stones taller and others shorter, just like the sarsens and bluestones. Once you’ve built your model, imagine how people might have moved these stones without modern machines. Can you come up with your own method for moving them?
Shadow Tracking Experiment: On a sunny day, go outside and place a stick or a tall object in the ground. Throughout the day, check the shadow it makes and mark where it falls with small stones or chalk. Notice how the shadow changes as the sun moves across the sky. This is similar to how ancient people might have used Stonehenge to track the sun’s movement. Discuss with your friends or family why tracking the sun might have been important to them.
Imagine and Draw: Think about what life might have been like 5,000 years ago when Stonehenge was being built. Draw a picture of what you imagine the people, their tools, and their surroundings looked like. Consider what they wore, what they ate, and how they worked together to build such a massive structure. Share your drawing with your class and talk about how different life was back then compared to today.
