When you think of Ancient Egypt, what immediately comes to your mine? Pyramids and mummies? Me too.
While we study Ancient Egypt at our homeschool co-op, we want to bring it alive for young and old alike. We watched David Down’s archaeology video Pyramids of Ancient Egypt to learn more about various dynasties, pharaohs, and pyramids.
I told the children about the mummies I saw at the British museum. It was fascinating the way you could see inside the clothes with an X-ray machine. How on earth did the Egyptians know how to preserve a body so that thousands of years later, you it would still hold its shape?
The next step was to make our own mummies.
Don’t worry! We did not use real people or animals. We used my old Barbie® dolls.
While we study Ancient Egypt at our homeschool co-op, we want to bring it alive for young and old alike. We watched David Down’s archaeology video Pyramids of Ancient Egypt to learn more about various dynasties, pharaohs, and pyramids.
I told the children about the mummies I saw at the British museum. It was fascinating the way you could see inside the clothes with an X-ray machine. How on earth did the Egyptians know how to preserve a body so that thousands of years later, you it would still hold its shape?
The next step was to make our own mummies.
Don’t worry! We did not use real people or animals. We used my old Barbie® dolls.
Mummies from the British Museum
How to Make Your Own Barbie Mummies
We divided the children in groups of two or three and gave them each a Barbie® or Ken® doll, some organ cut-outs, a roll of toilet paper, a straightened-out paper clip, and a face mask cut-out.
Sarah read the real mummification process aloud and we adapted it, giving directions to the children who acted it out with the dolls.
By the way, we left their clothes on to keep everything modest. We laid the cut-out body organs on top of the dolls where they belonged.
Sarah read the real mummification process aloud and we adapted it, giving directions to the children who acted it out with the dolls.
By the way, we left their clothes on to keep everything modest. We laid the cut-out body organs on top of the dolls where they belonged.
Steps in the Mummification Process
Step One: Insert a hook through a hole near the nose and pull out a large section of brain.
We just put the paper clip near the nose and pretended to pull out the brain. Then we moved the brain off the face.
Step Two: Remove all the internal organs through an incision on the left side of the body near the waist. Leave the heart inside the body. The Egyptians believed that the heart was where the soul resided.
Step Three: Let the internal organs dry.
We just put the paper clip near the nose and pretended to pull out the brain. Then we moved the brain off the face.
Step Two: Remove all the internal organs through an incision on the left side of the body near the waist. Leave the heart inside the body. The Egyptians believed that the heart was where the soul resided.
Step Three: Let the internal organs dry.
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