Welcome to week three of Ancient Egypt! This week we will explore the famous pyramids and the pharaohs that found their final resting place in these architectural marvels. Our lessons include learning about ancient and modern architecture, fun story writing and a week long STEM project. We end the week with some delicious fresh baked bread! If you are working with younger learners, lessons in Level 1 Ancient Egypt Unit Study and Level 2 Modern-Day Egypt Unit Study will fit nicely with this weeks lessons. Don’t forget to download our printable tracking document to keep track of the books you read and skills you work on.
What you need:
Books (find at your local library or order below on Amazon):
- The Usborne Encyclopedia of World History by Jane Bingham
- DK Findout! Ancient Egypt
- (-) Mummies, Pyramids, and Pharaohs: A Book About Ancient Egypt by Gail Gibbons (or you can read it on OpenLibrary here)
Additional reading options:
- You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Pyramid Builder by Jacqueline Morley
- You Wouldn’t Want to Be an Egyptian Mummy by David Stewart
Supplies (use what you have, but here are links to shop if you need anything):
Note: We break down our supply list by so you can choose what you need based on which lessons you plan to do with your child.
Build a pyramid activity:
- cardboard
- hot glue gun + glue
- permanent marker
- liquid glue
- sand
Or, if you already have them, you can use:
- LEGOs or Minecraft
Mummified apple experiment:
- 10 apple slices
- gauze
- baking soda
- salt
- sugar
- vinegar
- 10 plastic cups + plastic cling wrap (or small jars with lids)
- printer + paper
Mummified doll activity:
- Barbie doll (or similarly sized plastic doll) – a beat up doll from a thrift store would be best.
- 1 cup flour
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup liquid glue
- gauze or white cloth
Flatbread recipe:
- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp oil
- 1/4 cup cracked wheat bran
- 1 1/4 cup warm water
- index cards
- cooking scale
- fraction circles
What to do:
We recommend doing the below lessons in this order to build on each skill your child will develop, but don’t feel that you *need* to do them in this order. Do what works for you and your child. If they love an activity, feel free to repeat! Not a winner? Skip and try the next thing. Have fun!
Lesson 1:
Activity 1: Read + Discuss: To start our week, we’ll look at an architectural structure that originated in ancient times but can still be found today. Read this website to learn about the obelisk. You can also see a picture of one in your DK Findout! book pages 30 and 31.
Activity 2: Look at modern-day obelisks found around the world. Discuss the difference between a true obelisk and the Washington Monument.
- Cleopatra’s Needle
- Luxor Obelisk
- St. Peter’s Square
- Washington Monument
- Or this blog post with 10 famous obelisks
Activity 3: Let’s do some silly story telling! Have your child draw an obelisk on a sheet of paper. Next, have them “write” an imaginary pharaoh story on the structure using “hieroglyphics.” Finally, ask them to retell the story to you.
Lesson 2:
Today is all about one of Egypt’s most identifiable landmarks—the pyramids!
Activity 1: Read + Discuss. Read pages 16 and 17 of the DK Findout! book. Next, read this website to learn a few more facts about pyramids. Want even more? Watch this video lesson about pyramids.
Additional reading: You Wouldn’t Want to be a Pyramid Builder
Activity 2: Build a pyramid. Watch this computer animated pyramid to see all the sides of this geometric shape. It might provide your child with some inspiration! Now, try building your own pyramid with either cardboard (try this tutorial), LEGOs, or on Minecraft.
Lesson 3:
Ready to unwrap some knowledge? Today is all about mummies.
Activity 1: Read + Discuss: Usborne World History, pages 116-117 and DK Findout! pages 18 and 19.
(-) Mummies, Pyramids and Pharaohs, pages 26-28 (about embalming)
Additional Reading: You Wouldn’t Want to be an Egyptian Mummy.
Activity 2: Try this virtual mummy activity. Then put all that knowledge to work with these two mummy activities:
Activity 3: What did the Egyptians use to mummify? Watch this video to learn about natron. (Read more about natron here.) Let’s see natron in action with a mummified apple experiment. This apple mummy activity is a great way to observe how Ancient Egyptians preserved their dead through mummification. We will compare and contrast different desiccants (a substance used as a drying agent) and methods to preserve bodies and remove moisture from objects.
Experiment Questions: The Egyptians wrapped their dead in linen cloth. We will wrap apples in gauze and add specific ingredients to see which ones will preserve the apples best. Ask your student the following questions: Which apple will be preserved best? With gauze or without? Which ingredient will preserve the apples the best?
Stem projects are great ways to learn and apply the scientific method. (Need a refresher on what this is? Read over this link for grownups.)
What you will need:
- 1-2 apples
- 9 clear plastic cups (or plastic baggies)
- gauze
- baking soda
- salt
- sugar
- vinegar
What to do:
- Cut up your apples so that you end up with 9 pieces. Label each cup (or bag) with the following labels: Salt, sugar, baking soda, vinegar, salt with gauze, sugar with gauze, baking soda with gauze, vinegar with gauze, and control.
- Separate ingredients into bowls to make apple dipping easier for your child.
- Prepare your apples. Dip one apple piece at a time into the prepared ingredient bowl and placed in the corresponding labeled cup or bag. Repeat the process again and then wrap your apples with gauze and place them into your labeled cups or bags.
- Place one apple without any ingredients added into your control cup or bag. A control group is the group that doesn’t receive any treatment or change. Why is a control important in an experiment? The control group is important because it acts as a benchmark to compare the results of the experiment to.
- Print this sheet to make predictions and record your findings.
Encourage your child to do all the gauze cutting (great fine motor skills practice!).
After a week, come back to your mummy apples and record your findings. Did the apple in salt and wrapped in gauze preserve the best? Good! Ours did, too. The Egyptians were on to something when they preserved the bodies in this way!
Modifications: If working with a co-op, instead of using plastic cups, use zip-lock baggies for easy transport home.
(+) Older children may want to add a math element to this lesson by weighing the apples like this blogger suggests.
Activity 4: Mummified doll project.
Lesson 4:
Activity 1: Food History. Flatbreads have a rich history in Egypt. Read this blog post together to learn more about its meaning and origins.
Prepare this flatbread recipe along with your child. One of the ingredients is active yeast. Drop down to activity 3 when you begin the recipe to understand what all the foaming and bubbles mean.
(+) Want more of a challenge? Make this falafel recipe next, another dish with origins in ancient Egypt!
Activity 2: Science Application. Yeast plays an important part in bread making. What is yeast? Watch this video for a great explanation.
Activity 3: Math Application. This recipe requires a lot of proofing (or resting) between steps. Use this time for some fun math application!
Introduce + strengthen understanding of fractions. Watch this Math Antics Video for an introductory lesson about fractions. (Math Antics has several fractions video. If your child is ready for more than an introduction to fractions, review this Table of Contents to pick the video right for them.)
This recipe has 1/2 and 1/4 fraction measurements. Use the recipe to teach the concept of parts of a whole. Talk about the difference between the two types of numbers. (You can say something like, “A fraction is part of a whole. If you divide a whole thing evenly, those smaller parts are called fractions.”) Using fraction manipulatives, demonstrate how one whole can be divided into quarters. You can ask, “If we divide our whole circle into quarter pieces, how many quarters will we have?” Ask you child how they would express this concept in written or mathematical form once they understand the manipulatives really well. They might come up with any of the following – “1/4 + 1/4 + 1/4 +1/4 = 1 ” or “4 x 1/4=1”. Talk about what top and bottom numbers of a fraction are called (numerators and denominators).
Divide the lump of dough evenly using a pizza cutter. This is a great way to introduce division and fractions in a fun and hands-on way.
Lesson 5:
Today, we’ll work on creative writing and reading comprehension through some retelling activities.
Activity 1: Writing assignments. There are several ideas in this Newspaper Writing Prompt Ancient Egypt PDF. Give your child all the options and have them pick one that interests them. (Hint: If they are involved in choosing their assignment, they are more likely to enjoy the writing process.)
Alternatively, your child might want to write a comic strip instead of writing paragraphs. Encourage them to draw pictures to attach to their writing!
Note: Remember, have fun with this idea! It doesn’t have to be serious. Does their Pharaoh send a royal decree that everyone must use the river as their latrine? Go with it! Let your child play with their writing.
Activity 2: Have your child share their story with family and friends, or record them telling their story for public speaking practice.
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