A project that can be developed with KS2 children, is the study of ancient civilizations. To do this, you can work with web quests, books, videos, maps, encyclopedias, etc.
The attraction of this way of working is that the children have a variety of information resources, which facilitate access to, and ownership of content. Research and editing is also necessary for the development of crafts in order to organize "the museum" for a final oral presentation.
Classroom projects like this make the teaching and learning process go beyond the classroom walls.
I invite you to model a set of containers used by ancient Egyptians to hold the mummy’s organs. Different tops are contstructed over plastic bottles. When the project is completed, discuss the symbolic meaning of each of the different jar tops.
ACTIVITY
Materials- one small plastic squeeze jar or bottle -with top -per student .Alternative: a baby food jar or similar. (a good recycling project)
- Pariscraft or similar pre-plastered gauze rolls (can precut into 2-inch wide pieces)
- Self-hardening modeling material – like clay, plasticine or Crayola´s Model Magic
Have on hand:
- acrylic or tempera paint
- paint brushes
- masking tape
- paper towels
- pencils or clay working tools
- thin-tipped non-toxic black markers
- covered work surface
- aprons or paint shirts
- small bowls of water to moisten Pariscraft
Class one: : Jar Bottoms
Show your students how to form jar bottoms by first applying wadded-up paper towels and masking tape to build up a more "canopic-like" shape. Then Pariscraft is applied in overlapping layers and smoothed. Don´t cover jar tops; they will be used to form the heads in next session. Jars should be labeled with student name on bottom and allowed to air dry for a day or two. Allow 15 minutes for clean up.
Class 2: Creating a Head for the Canopic Jars
First review four types of heads used by the ancient Egyptians. The children can adapt one of these, or invent their own head (example: Canopic Cat Jar). Remove top from jar and use a small amount of Model Magic or clay to form the head directly on the cap. [Hint: The squeeze-type cap provides an armature for the modeling compound; this won´t work as well with flat tops.] Pencils or small clay tools can be used to form details. When completed, caps should be re-attached to jars to prevent mix-ups! Allow 2 days to dry.
Class 3: Painting the Canopic Jar
Review traditional materials used to make canopic jars - clay, stone and alabaster. Students can then paint their entire jar a solid color. You may use grey for stone and ochre for alabaster. Allow jars to dry thoroughly.
Class 4: Decorating the Finished Canopic Jars
Provide students with handouts of commonly used Egyptian symbols and hieroglyphs to encourage them to add authentic details to their jars. Thin-tipped black markers work well for this. Jars are now ready to admire and display.
