Ancient Egypt

LESSON PLANS

Mr. Donn’s Ancient Egypt for Teachers has a long list of well-chosen lesson plans along with activities, games, puzzles, and stories. Fun to explore.

HANDS-ON PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES

	Designed by Tom Tierney, Ancient Egyptian Costumes Paper Dolls (Dover Publications, 1997) has sixteen typical ancient Egyptian outfits, divided between male and female.
	In Carmella Van Vleet’s Explore Ancient Egypt (Nomad, 2006), short, creatively illustrated chapters include “Egyptian Homes,” “Beer, Bread & Bartering,” “Amulets, Clothes & Makeup,” “King Tut & Other Cool Kings, and “Mummies and Pyramids.” Included are 25 projects and activities, among these making a scarab necklace, a hieroglyph tablet, and an edible pyramid. For ages 6-9.
	In Linda Honan’s Spend the Day in Ancient Egypt (John Wiley & Sons, 1999), subtitled “Projects and Activities That Bring the Past to Life,” readers follow a pair of Egyptian kids through the day from getting dressed in the morning to meeting pyramid builders, visiting the temple, participating in a hunt, attending a royal jubilee, and feasting on the banks of the Nile. Sample projects include making an ankh amulet and a scarab, learning to count with Egyptian numbers and measure with a cubit stick, making a Senet board and a string of rhythm beads, and many more. For ages 8-12.
	By Beth Blair and Jennifer A. Ericsson, The Everything Kids’ Mummies, Pharaohs, and Pyramids Puzzle and Activity Book (Adams Media, 2008) combines reader-friendly information with dozens of paper-and-pencil puzzles: Egyptian-themed crosswords, mazes, word scrambles, math challenges, and more. Also included: instructions for mummy-style Halloween costumes and patterns for Egyptian god and goddess puppets. For ages 8-12.
	Carmella Van Vleet’s Great Egypt Projects You Can Build Yourself (Nomad Press, 2006) combines an interesting informational text (peppered with catchy fact boxes) with creative hands-on projects – for example, kids make papyrus paper, sandals, a cartouche, and a pyramid. Included are a timeline, map, and resource list. For ages 9-12.
	By Simonetta Carr, Cleopatra and Ancient Egypt for Kids (Chicago Review Press, 2018) covers the life and times of Cleopatra, with a timeline, fact boxes, photos, and hands-on projects, among these making a writing tablet, a cartouche bookmark, a beaded necklace, and a model river boat. For ages 9 and up.
	Andrew Haslam’s 64-page Ancient Egypt (Cooper Square Publishing, 2000) in the Make It Work! Series is a thoroughly hands-on approach to history. Historical information is paired with better-than-average crafts: for example, kids make Egyptian costumes, a model reed boat, a harp, a Senet game, a mummy mask, and more. Illustrated with color photographs. For ages 9 and up.
	Marian Broida’s Ancient Egyptians and Their Neighbors (Chicago Review Press, 1999) is an informational activity book covering the civilizations of the ancient Egyptians, Hittites, Nubians, and Mesopotamians. For each civilization, readers learn about history and geography, architecture, clothing, writing, work, food, and religion. Included are maps, a detailed timeline, resource lists, and many projects. For example, kids made an Egyptian bead necklace and a Mesopotamian cylinder seal, bake a batch of fig cakes, build a pyramid, and try writing like a Hittite. For ages 9 and up.