Subjects: History, Art, Maths I've been wanting my kids to know a bit about Ancient Egypt because it is simply so FASCINATING! I loved learning about it as a child. I've tried to get them to borrow books on the subject, but have hit various walls, eventually working out that each to their own and in their own time - stop FORCING the learning! LOL! However, when another homeschool mum announced she and her son were running a two hour workshop on the subject we jumped at it and I took a more fun and enticing opportunity to get Ancient Egypt into their peripheral vision! Kellie (parent) and Mitchell (homeschooler) had put together four 'provocations' or activities for the kids to try out and explore various aspects of Ancient Egypt. During the event, the kids asked questions about each activity and discussion evolved about the nature of what they were doing during the workshop. The provocations were: Cartouche - making/drawing a Cartouche with their name in Hieroglypics. Discussion around how Egyptians used pictures for words based on the sound they wanted to make and how they inscribed clay and walls and eventually papyrus paper with this language.
Canopic Jars - using air-dry clay to build Canopic Jars. Conversations around how organs were removed from the dead and placed into these jars. There were 4 jars, each with a different deity for each lid representing the four sons of the God HORUS who were the guardians of the organs, and different organs are placed in each jar. This was part of the preservation process to carry the dead into the afterlife with all their worldly posessions. Pyramids - making paper pyramids. The kids learned that there are two types of pyramids; triangular based (tetrahedron), and square based (pentahedron). Natron - Mummification of an apple. Using our own 'Natron' made from salt and bicarb, the kids peeled an apple, removed its 'internal organs' using a corer, carved a face on it, and placed it in a jar of 'natron' to preserve it. The apple remains in the solution for one week afterwhich the apple is mummified! Much grotesquely imaginative conversation about removing organs happened and further discussion about how the ancient Egyptians believed that they had to be buried with their wives, servants, gold, organs and worldly posessions so they could take them into the afterlife and live well there. Maya followed her passion and spent most of her time making her cartouche - it look her the entire two hours to complete to her satisfaction! That's the beauty of homeschooling - you're completely allowed to focus in one area if that is where your greatest desires lie! Wilby got stuck into the clay making and created a great little Canopic jar with the head of Anubis and stuffed it with apple organs after mummifying his apple in natron. You know your kids have learned something when the discussion about the workshop subject continues in the car on the way home! And today, two days later, with clay made available at home, Maya had a go at creating her own Canopis Jar, while Wilby created an alternate 'Pharaoh head' lid for his second jar. Thank you so much to Kellie and Mitch for such a great learning experience! --- More resources for Ancient Egypt here
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