Class Project: Canopic Jars

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.

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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.

 

Class Project: Pyramids

There are a variety of  fun ways to use pyramids as a base for study or practising different skills. Here is an example

• Pyramid Power!

Build a pyramid from either shoeboxes or tissue boxes. Divide the class into groups and have each group measure the height of one student from that group. Then estimate the number of boxes it will take to build a pyramid the height of that student. Allow students to problem solve and to work cooperatively to piece the boxes together and to record their success and failures. Each group should record the time they start and end. When finished, have students check their estimation. Then have them calculate the weight of their pyramid. As a follow-up activity, have students compare the dimensions, weight, and number of stones to that of a real pyramid. Curriculum:

• Math
• Pyramid Knowledge

You can ask the children to build a pyramid with cardboard and decorate it, but leaving two of the four sides open, like flaps. On the inside face those sides, they may write a summary of what they have learned about pyramids. What tools were used to cut and move the heavy stones? Who built them? Why? Where are they located?

Class Project: On the Nile

• On the Nile!

On a map locate Africa, Egypt, the Nile River, the Sahara Desert, and the Mediterranean Sea. Explain to students that the Nile River is the longest river in the world and flows through the middle of Egypt. Brainstorm activities that would take place along the river, such as boating, hunting, fishing, washing clothes, etc. Why was the Nile River so important to the Egyptians? Why was mud the greatest gift? Look at pictures of this area today and compare it to ancient Egypt. What are the similarities and differences?

• The Farmer on the Nile

The Egyptians were great farmers and relied very heavily on the flood cycle of the Nile. Hold a discussion about the importance of flooding, planting and harvest. Address the question  "Why was the Black Land so good for farming?" Have students research what items the Egyptians would have planted and harvested, and then ask them to illustrate the cycle of their farm year. Discuss what type of climate and soil is needed to grow various crops. Decide as a class what would be a good choice of plant to grow in the classroom and then begin your very own harvest. Keep science journals to track the growth of each plant.

Curriculum:

• Science

You may ask the children to work in groups, pick one of the activities that took place along the Nile river and build a  3D model for an oral presentation. You can invite other classes or have an open class. This first picture shows  the Nile river . As it  floods every year,this model mimics that idea...The children  love to flood the river  to water the winter wheat they planted. The second picture shows a game the children created based on what they had studied about the Nile. The waves are the spaces for moving towards the sea. Of course you have to know how to sail safely by answering some  revision questions to reach the Mediterranean. The tokens can be boats made of clay.

    

Curriculum:

• Social Studies
• Art

I hope you put this project into practice and have fun! I asure you the children will enjoy and learn a lot. I did, too! Lara

Class Project: Mummies

A project that can be developed with KS2 children, is the study of ancient civilizations. One possibility is that the kids research a chosen aspect of the culture you are studying (Greece, Egypt, Rome)

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 the final oral presentation. (The children can make models, maps, sculptures, prints, clothing apparel and accessories, mirror games, etc.)

Classroom projects like this make the teaching and learning process go beyond the classroom walls.

Here is  the idea of an activity you can carry out with your class during the study of Ancient Egypt.

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• Mummified Fruits and beyond!

Children , especially young boys, always feel fascination with mummies and the process of mummification. Explain the role of a natural salt, natron, in the desiccation of mummies. Help students experience, first hand, the drying power of different salt compounds by conducting the following experiment:

• Divide a fruit such as an apple, a pear, or a peach into quarters.
• Weigh each quarter; place each into a plastic cup labeled with its weight.
• Pour ½ cup baking soda into the first cup; ½ cup Epsom salts into the second; and ½ cup table salt into the third, making sure each fruit wedge is completely covered; leave the fourth cup as is for a "control."
• Put the uncovered cups in a location out of direct sunlight for a week.
• Remove each from its cup, brush off as much salt as possible (do not rinse!) and reweigh.
• Compare starting weights with those recorded a week later. Calculate the percentage of weight lost in each case.
• Ask students which salt compound seemed to work best. What information does the "control" fruit provide? How might results change if salt compounds were mixed?

Once they have learned the process, another possibility is to build a fake mummy with its sarcophagus. The mummy can be made with a newspaper ball for the head, and a rolled up  newspaper page then folded to make the body . You put both parts together using  masking tape. This step will make the structure stiff. Then you wrap the whole shape with bandages and use pins to hold the bandages tight.

When the mummy is made, the children measure it and draw the plans to make the sarcophagus, which they will love to decorate with  tempera or acrylic paint.

Curriculum:

• Science
• Math
• Art

                

I hope you like this idea! My experience was fantastic when I did it with 5th and 6th grade some years ago. Most of them still keep the mummy in their room and remember this as one of the best primary projects. Lara

Become an Egyptian scribe–KS2

Not everyone knew  in Egyptian times how to write in hieroglyphics. Very few Egyptians were sent to school to learn how to read and write. The Egyptians had very many hieroglyphs which were combined to make words. They generally wote  them in black and red ink on papyrus.

After discussing and studying the art of Egyptian writing, introduce one of these activities to your children:

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Apply for the position of Scribe by filling out the application, and remember that good penmanship is important!

 

 

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Carve Egyptian tablets!

Another possibility is to ask your children to carve their names on clay tablets which you may prepare in advance with Paris plaster. Just follow the instructions on the packet to prepare the mixture, and pour it into a flat flexible plastic container. The layer of plaster  has to be not more than two cm high .Once the plaster is dry ( it takes about 12 hs ) you can take it out of the container  ( carefully! as it is fragile) and break it into smaller pieces about the size of your hand. You need one for each child. [ Don’t thow away the smaller pieces that you will get trying to break the big piece of plaster. The children will be surprised when you use them as chalk]

Once each child has a tablet, they  first transfer their hieroglyph onto the tablet, using carbon paper or similar. Then, they may use a paper clip or tooth pick to carve it. A broken biro works well too.

Next,  if they wish ,they paint the whole tablet with yellow or golden tempera or acrylic paint to immitate gold, and finally they may trace their hieroglyph with a black permanent marker.

They can also just paint it with a coat of dark coffee to give it an ancient, dusty look, as the one below.

       

Give it a try! I am sure you will  enjoy it and end up happily exhausted!

Recipe for Papyrus

This is a hands-on activity your children will love.

Paper is made  for papyrus by peeling off the outside layer of a reed. The paper is then beaten and smoothed with a polishing stone.

We can do this nowadays using everyday materials.

           

Materials for Homemade paper

Recycled paper        Lint from a dryer filter

Small piece of window screen

Waxed paper            Electric blender

Newspaper               Cornstarch

Heavy books or weights

Tear recycled paper into pieces and let them soak overnight in a bowl with just enough water to cover the pieces.

Add dryer lint and beat with an electric blender until the mixture is pureed. Dissolve three tablespoons of cornstarch into two cups of water and add to the mixture.

When a pulp rises, slip a piece of window screen under the pulp in the bowl. Lift the screen and drain the water. Spread the pulp evenly on the screen and then place several sheets of newspaper on top. Cover with waxed paper and use some heavy books to weight it down. Allow to dry. Remove the heavy books and waxed paper, and carefully peel the sheets off the screen.

Your children can use the papyrus sheet complete, ot they can cut it into stripes, flatten them even more with a rod, and weave them to create a piece of art.  Then, they can paint like Egyptians, or  write in hieroglyphs.