ancient

Ancient Egypt DIY Simple and Fun Mummification Process Game

November 27, 2022 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I have an Ancient Egypt diy mummification process game. You’ll love the other History Games I have on my page.

If you are studying Ancient Egypt and need a great hands-on activity to help teach your child you’ll love this mummification process game.

Yes, we made a game for that.

Games are an incredible way to learn something new.

Ancient Egypt DIY Simple and Fun Mummification Process Game

And games reinforce a topic that you are learning.

Now, I’ve bought all kinds of ready-made games.

However, creating your own game from the ground up and including your child in the process is the best way to learn.

I came up with this game that doesn’t require any special items and let’s your child be in charge of the game creation.

Creating the game will help the facts that they learn stick in their head better.

Benefits of Game Playing

Also, it will help teach your children research skills and give them a sense of pride in accomplishment.

I wanted to be sure it included more than just the history of this Ancient Egyptian ritual.

For younger children rolling and adding dice is a simple way to also incorporate math into your day.

They will learn or reinforce anatomy lessons through the anatomy drawings and labels.

I created a printable with the basic rules and values for the dice numbers rolled.

Creating the game requires reading, writing, and art skills

Before you begin use videos, resources, and books from your personal collection or borrow them from library to learn about the mummification process.

Fun Ancient Egypt Resources

This will make creating the cards much easier and give your child an understanding of the why.

Here are a few resources and activities that you might enjoy along with this diy mummification process game.

Inside Out Egyptian Mummy

These Toob Organs are a great teaching tool not only for anatomy but here in Ancient Egypt Studies. Also, they can be used for inspiration when drawing the organ cards. We have also used them in making large canopic jars as well.

There is also the Ancient Egypt Toob that can be used for art inspiration, sensory bins, dioramas, and so much more.

Let each child be responsible for creating their own set of cards for when you play

More Fun History Games Resources

Look at them below.

Depending on their age and ability level they may create the entire card on their own or may need some assistance.

They will be tickled with their own contributions to the game.

You don’t need anything other than the cards and dice but the props sure are fun to set the

How to Make a Mummification Process Game

Here is what you will need:

White cardstock
Colored cardstock
Paper slicer
Glue stick or double sided tape
Markers, colored pencils, or crayons
2 dice

First, cut white cardstock into 3 ½” x 4 ½” rectangles. You will need 9 for each player.

Then cut 9 of one colored cardstock for each child to 3 ¾ ” x 4 ¾”.

Write or instruct your child to write one of each of these phrases on the top of each of the 9 cards:

1-Wash body and remove organs
2-Remove brain through the nose
3-Place lungs in canopic jar
4-Place intestines in canopic jar
5-Place stomach in canopic jar
6-Place liver in canopic jar
7-Fill body and cover with salt for 40 days
8-Wrap body in linen bandages
9-Place body in sarcophagus

Next, encourage them to draw something to represent each of these steps.

I encourage a bit of silliness if it has something to do with what they are trying to accomplish for the step.

Use markers, crayons, colored pencils, or whatever they like to make it fun and colorful.

Here is a look at some more of the cards we created.

Glue the white completed cards to the colored cardstock to make it a bit sturdier.

Write the step numbers on the back of each card so they can easily be lined up for play face down.

Below is a printable with the rules and the assigned “value” for each dice combination.

You can choose to roll one or two dice depending on which numbers you need.

For instance, if all you are missing is a #1 you would want to roll only once die to attempt to get the number you need.

How to Get the Free Printable Rules

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Entertaining Games in the Past How to Make an Easy Backgammon Game

November 20, 2022 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Games in the past can be a unit study or add to your history lessons. You’ll love the other history games I have too.

Do you ever wonder about people of the past spent their days?

Backgammon is one of the oldest games known right up there with chess.

It is thought to be about 5,000 years old or more and believed to have developed in Mesopotamia which is now known as Iraq.

Entertaining Games in the Past How to Make an Easy Backgammon Game

If you are going to study a period of history, one great way to do that is to study the way they lived, how they passed their days, and interacted with one another.

Also, you can do that through playing games.

It’s even better if you create your own version.

Today, I’m showing you how to make your own easy to create and store version of the game backgammon.

Games of the Past Ancient Mesopotamia

Nobody quite knows where the name actually came from.

However, historians believe that it came from Middle English: baec – back and gamen-game.

It possibly evolved from the Royal Game of Ur and is known as the game of kings.

There is a lot of historical literature and art that portrays people playing backgammon.

The boards that are very similar to today’s versions which we have developed and still play.

Next, add some historical facts.

And hands-on ideas to make studying about games in the past fun.

Facts about Ancient Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is the ancient Greek name for the region that is the modern day area that is now Iraq and parts of Iran.
It was considered part of the cradle of civilization because so much .
Mesopotamia means 0the land between two rivers( Tigris and Euphrates).
Many theologies and political systems developed out of Mesopotamia.
Here the earliest writing system, cuneiform, was created.
The Sumerians from this area are credited with inventing the wheel.
The first law codes like the code of Hammurabi and the Code of Urukagina were created here.
Mesopotamia is located in the area that archaeologists call The Fertile Crescent, called so because of the rich soil beds from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
There is very little of ancient Mesopotamia that still stands because they made their buildings out of sun-dried bricks that didn’t last as long.
A lot of what we do know today is found out from clay tablets that were found in the library in the city of Nineveh.

Too, I’ll list some hands-on ideas below.

In addition, you’ll love these other history game resources on my site.

Other Fun History Games Resources

Look at them below.

And look below here for hands-on activities.

DIY Backgammon Game

Here is what you will need:

Finally, look below at how to make this DIY backgammon.

File folder
2 colors or patterns of cardstock
Ruler
30 small items- blocks, buttons, coins, flat beads, etc…
2- six sided dice
Glue stick

To create the long narrow wedges (points) you want to first create a template so you only have to do the measurements once.

Then, cut cardstock down to a rectangle with the height being 5”.

This is a good length for your points on a file folder.

After measure 1” across the bottom from the left and make a small pencil mark to create your 1” width.

Next, on the top left corner mark ½” over and make a mark to create the point.

Use a ruler to draw the line from each mark at the bottom to the point at the top for the elongated triangle.

Cut your template out and use it to trace and cut 12 of each of your chosen color or patterned cardstock.

Open the file folder and glue down alternating color wedges.

Put 6 on either side of the fold. Repeat on the other side of the folder.

Allow the glue to dry completely before closing the folder.

You can use anything you have on hand for your checkers if two different colors or other identification for each player.

For example, buttons, small erasers, coins, tiny figures, checkers from another game, etc..

I found these tiny little unfinished squares and painted half (15) gold and left half unfinished.

Store them in a ziploc bag with your dice and tape to the back of your file folder if you like.

Grab several file folders and challenge your child to invent their own file folder game for today’s civilization.

Geronimo Stilton The Fourth Journey Through Time Fun Cleopatra Collar

October 17, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Geronimo Stilton Back The Fourth Journey Through Time has several sections in it. If you love the Geronimo Stilton Books, you’ll love this book and book craft.

The section and craft we focused on is about Cleopatra.

This book of the Geronimo Stilton series takes us through Cleopatra’s Time, Genghis Khan and Queen Elizabeth.

Geronimo Stilton The Fourth Journey Through Time Fun Cleopatra Collar

And today we are going to hang out in Ancient Egypt with the Queen of the Nile and have fun reading Geronimo Stilton Back The Fourth Journey Through Time.

About The Geronimo Stilton Books

Geronimo shares accessories to become perfect Ancient Egyptians.

And fashions during Cleopatra’s Time which gives a perfect base for today’s hands-on activity.

These books really can’t be beat for introducing historical topics, vocabulary, and fun illustrations.

Here is a peek into the elaborate and beautiful library of Alexandria.

Then, you can also add a few facts about Ancient Egypt.

Add this The Geronimo Stilton Book Fourth Journey Fun Egypt Game.

Cleopatra and Ancient Egypt Fun Facts

Ancient Egyptians loved board games.
Egypt has the only remaining ancient wonder in the world.
While she was known for her beauty, she was also very intelligent.
Cleopatra spoke around 9 different languages.
Both female and male ancient Egyptians wore eye makeup.
Cleopatra was the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty.
Cleopatra’s favorite perfume was Mendesian perfume named for the city Mendes.
She had 4 children- 3 with Mark Antony- Ptolemy Philadelphus and twins Cleopatra ‘Selene’ and Alexander ‘Helios’. And one with Julius Caesar who she named Caesarion “Little Caesar”.
Ancient Egyptians called their home Kemet rather than Egypt.

If you want to add a few books to your mini unit study then, Everything Ancient Egypt.

And 1,000 Facts About Ancient Egypt are a couple great companion reference books.

Also, look at this great video on Cleopatra Queen of Egypt or Ancient Egypt For Kids from Homeschool Pop while you create your jewelry.

Cleopatra Project Ideas

Finally, let’s make a fun Cleopatra collar and craft jewelry.

You will need:

smooth sturdy cardboard
empty toilet paper rolls
hot glue gun/sticks or school glue
craft paints
dinner plate and a bowl

First, trace a large dinner plate onto your cardboard.

I used the back cover from a 12” x12” cardstock pack. You could also use poster board, but it will crumple a bit easier.

Corrugated cardboard will work but may be too thick.

Next, trace a bowl up near the top of the larger circle. You want to leave more room at the bottom for your necklace design.

Cut out both circles.

Cut all the way up one side of the empty toilet paper rolls.

These next few steps are fun and are what make this project turn out amazing.

Start by creating designs on your cuffs and collar with hot glue.

This is a good introduction to a hot glue gun if you feel your child is ready because it doesn’t really require touching the glue or pressing things together.

Now, use the hot glue gun to create a bunch of different jewel shapes on aluminum foil or a silicone mat.

I did find with the foil that it stuck to the hot glue. I just peeled off around it because it doesn’t affect it if left on the backing.

You can also help tidy up the edges and shapes with scissors. Dried hot glue cuts very well.

These silicone mats are great for protecting your table or desk while painting, gluing, etc.

Too, another tip is that you can use regular white school glue if you like to make your design.

But hot glue dries much faster. Let the hot glue harden and dry completely, pull off any glue strings that may be left behind. Then paint them in using pretty jeweled colors.

While your jewels are drying give your cardboard collar and cuffs a coat or two of gold, going right over the hot glue lines

Once your gold and jewels are dry you can attach them to the cuffs and collar with a bit more hot glue.

Your beautiful Cleopatra inspired cuffs and collar are ready to wear and show off your royalty!

Digging into ancient history can be so much fun and educational at the same time.

Homeschooling offers us a wonderful opportunity to introduce the world in a more relaxed way and make memories at the same time.

Other Geronimo Stilton Books Resources

Fun Pharaohs and Queens Ancient Egypt Lapbook and Activities

October 9, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Add this famous pharaohs and queens ancient Egypt lapbook to your history homeschool lapbooks for hands-on fun history.

If you’re studying about ancient Egypt, this ancient Egypt lapbook about famous pharaohs and queens makes a great addition.

Learning about pharaohs and queens helps kids to keep straight the different time periods in ancient Egypt.

Fun Pharaohs and Queens Ancient Egypt Lapbook and Activities

Use my other ancient civilization lapbooks to enhance your curriculum or use them stand alone.

About Ancient Egypt Pharaohs

The minibooks in this ancient Egypt lapbook contains some of these facts.

About King Menes

Menes was Pharaoh from 3100 b.c. – 3098 b.c. It’s the name of the Egyptian king credited with founding the First dynasty, sometime around 3100 BC.

Menes was seen as a founding figure for much of the history of Ancient Egypt.

Also, ancient Egypt was divided into Upper and Lower Egypt. Each kingdom has its own king. Menes was the king of Upper Egypt.

Egyptian legend credits a pharaoh by this name with uniting Upper and Lower Egypt into a single, centralized monarchy.

Menes was the first to wear the double crown.

About King Ramses II

Ramses II also known as Ramses the Great was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the nineteenth dynasty.

He is Egypt’s greatest pharaoh.

The early part of his reign he focused on building cities, temples and monuments.

When he died, he was buried in a tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

Then, his body was moved to a royal cache. And is now on display in the Cairo Museum.

About Tutankhamen

Tutankhamen was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom. Tutankhamen was nine years old when he became pharaoh and reigned for approximately ten years.

As Tutankhamen began his reign at such an early age, his vizier and eventual successor Ay, his uncle, was probably making most of the important political decisions during Tutankhamen’s reign.

In 1922 Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamen’s intact tomb. Tutankhamen’s burial mask remains the most popular art of Ancient Egypt.

Look at this book Cleopatra: Queen of Egypt (Historical Notebooks).

About Ancient Egypt Queens

Next, learn about the queens of Egypt.

Nefertiti

First, Nefertiti was the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten.

In addition, Nefertiti and her husband were known for changing Egypt’s religion from a polytheistic religion to a monotheistic religion.

Nefertiti was made famous by a limestone bust of her, now in Berlin’s Neues Museum. The bust is one of the most copied works of ancient Egypt. It was attributed to the sculptor Thutmose, and it was found in his workshop.

Cleopatra VII

Cleopatra VII was the last ruler to rule Egypt and is the most famous of all Egyptian Queens.

After she died Egypt became a Roman province. She formed a liaison with Gaius Julius Caesar that solidified her grip on the throne that she shared with her brother.

Too, she later elevated her son with Caesar, Caesarion, to co-ruler. After Caesar’s assassination in 44 BC, she aligned with Mark Antony in opposition to Caesar’s legal heir Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian (later known as Augustus).

Then after losing the Battle of Actium to Octavian’s forces, Antony committed suicide. Cleopatra soon followed suit, according to tradition killing herself by means of an asp bite on August 12, 30 BC.

Hatshepsut

Finally, Hatshepsut meaning Foremost of Noble Ladies was the fifth pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt.

She is generally regarded by Egyptologists as one of the most successful pharaohs, reigning longer than any other woman of an indigenous Egyptian dynasty.

In comparison with other female pharaohs, Hatshepsut’s reign was long and prosperous. She was successful in warfare early in her reign, but generally is considered to be a pharaoh who inaugurated a long peaceful era.

Nobody knows for sure how she died. After her reign, her name and image were removed from every monument.

Look below at the minibooks and pages this download includes.

Minibooks about Ancient Egypt

Here are the minibooks.

Cover
Cleopatra coloring page
Cuneiform-Hieroglyph
Coloring-
Pharaohs
Queens
Gods
Egyptian-Life
Map
A Second Front Cover Page
Symbol of Power
Hatshepsut-Fact-Card-lines
King-Tut-book
Mummies
Old-Middle-New-Egypt
Pyramids-of-Egypt
scarabs

Ancient Egypt Crafts for Kids

Add these fun ancient Egypt crafts and you’ll have a fun unit study.

How to Grab the Free 26 page lapbook and freebies
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Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

Fun and Easy Hands-On Ancient Egypt Craft: Create Canopic Jars

July 4, 2022 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

History should be hands-on. You’ll love this Ancient Egypt craft when learning about Ancient Civilizations.

First learn about the diversity of Africa-the cultures, climates, and geography.

It’s fascinating and make for many interesting projects and hands-on fun.

Right now we are spending a little time in Egypt and the best way to learn about Ancient Egypt is doing hands-on history or crafts.

Fun and Easy Hands-On Ancient Egypt Craft: Create Canopic Jars

Egypt is located in the northeast corner of Africa and the southwest corner of Asia.

It’s connected by a land bridge in the Sinai Peninsula.

Ancient Egypt Craft Canopic Jars

It should definitely not be overlooked when working on an Africa Study or when learning about Ancient Egypt.

One hands on Ancient Egypt project that we are enjoying is making canopic jars.

This is a wonderful way to incorporate history, art, and science as well as working on those fine motor skills.

This project is best for upper elementary to middle school and is easily adapted for all skill levels.

Also, I want to remind you that homeschooling does not mean expensive curriculum and supplies.

You can teach so much just with a shelf full of great books, the internet and some basic craft supplies.

For example making canopic jar is a fun way to learn about Ancient Egypt. Canopic jars were made to contain organs that were removed during the mummification process.

They began with plain lids, then evolved to lids shaped like human heads, then Anubis , the god of death and embalming.

By the late 18th dynasty the lids for each organ were shaped like the Four Sons of Horus who protected the organs.

Ancient History Project Idea

His four sons were’

Hapi , a baboon headed god- for the lungs
Imsety, human-headed god – for the liver
Qebehsenuef, falcon-headed god- for the intestines)
and Duamutef, jackal-headed god- for the stomach.

You can choose to make all 4 or choose one.

Look at the easy list of things you will need.

Jar, can, or other container with a lid
White tissue paper
School glue
water
Craft paints/paint pens

Directions:

I have found that creating a decoupage with tissue paper is less messy and dries much faster than traditional paper mache.

So, we have used it for several projects lately.

You can create this with any lidded vessel you like.

Chip cans are often used but we wanted to make ours a little more durable and even usable.

So we used this sauce jar I already had on hand because we loved the curvier shape of it.

Be sure to wash and dry used containers well before starting

Mix together 1 part water with 2 parts glue. A couple tablespoons worth is plenty for this project.
Cut tissue paper into 2” strips of any length.
“Paint” your jar with the glue mixture and begin layering tissue strips, “painting” over each tissue strip as you go. We do 3-4 layers to give it a good coat. Allow to dry thoroughly this could take from overnight to several days depending on how thick your layers are.

Ancient Egypt Craft

We are making a jar of Duamutef the jackal-headed god, to form the top of the jar make a ball of paper into roughly the shape of the head you wish to create.

Hot glue to the top of the lid and cover it with tissue strips the same way you did the jar itself.

Also, you may find it easier to paint the strips themselves and lay them over the balled up paper to create your form.

Be sure the lid fits on your base before drying, its easier to move things around when they are wet than when it hardens.

Once your pieces are dry paint all over with the color of your choice.

Canopic Jars were made of stone, wood, pottery, and glaze. We went for a pottery look with a creamy base.

Allow the base layer to dry and then begin adding decoration and details.

We found a paint pen or very small paintbrush the easiest to work with, especially when making small hieroglyphics on our jars.

Ancient Egypt Activities for Kids

Don’t just stop with making Canopic Jars, one of the best things about unit studies is that you can incorporate so many subjects within your focus

I had these Toob Human Organs on hand.

So while we talked about what canopic jars were used for we also had a science lesson by identifying what each was and what it’s function is at the same time.

I guarantee information learned this way will be hard to forget!

While you are waiting for the jars to dry you can send your child on a quest for information and here are a few questions to get you started.

What is the official name of Egypt? Arab Republic of Egypt
What is official language of Egypt? Arabic
What is the official religion? Islam
Name several iconic landmarks in Egypt. Great Sphinx, Giza
What is are the central latitudes and longitudes of Egypt?

Ancient Egypt Lapbook

In addition, add this fun Famous Pharaohs and Queens of Egypt. lapbook on my Ancient Civilization page.

While your child is busy creating you may want to read from a chosen textbook or chapter book as a read aloud.

For most kids, when hands are busy, information is more readily retained.

Ancient Egypt Read Aloud

Finally, some great choices for read a loud are

Magic Treehouse Mummies in The Morning,
Who Was King Tut,
You Wouldn’t Want to be Cleopatra,
Horrible Histories The Awesome Egyptians, and The Pharaoh’s Secret.