Egyptian Mummy Case

Prep:

-see the link to this lesson here, written by Kathy Barger (simplified version below)

-slideshare link here.

Materials needed: white paper, pencil, oil pastels, gold paint, little paint bowls, small paint brushes, colored construction paper, scissors, glue sticks

Also, find a book about mummies to introduce the topic to the kids. (Can either read them excerpts yourself, or perhaps ask the teacher to read it to them in the week before the art lesson.) Great ones are Aliki's Mummies, or You Wouldn't Want to be an Egyptian Mummy!

Introduction:

Read Aliki's Mummy book (or other) to the kids to provide background.

Show powerpoint; discuss the symmetrical nature of mummy cases, and also point out how the features on mummies are outlined so clearly. Talk about how carefully the artists painted the sarcophogi. It is also interesting to point out how Egyptian artists drew the faces in profile, but the features straight-on. Egyptian style eyes are especially fun to look at.

Activity:

Pass out white paper and pencils. Have them draw fold the paper in half and draw the shape of half a sarcophogus, as large as they can (show them on the board roughly what this shape looks like. It does not have to be perfect!)

Then have them draw facial features, and a scarf and collar (may want to reference the powerpoint) and then section off the lower body, and draw made-up hieroglyphics. Stress drawing big and clearly.

Then unfold the paper and have them try and draw the other half of their design to match.

Have them color in with oil pastels. Lastly, have them use the gold paint for finishing touches (if you can, make a little mix in a glue bottle of elmer's glue + gold metallic paint - then the kids can squeeze it to make a raised gold design)

Cut out sarcophogus, and glue on to a colored piece of construction paper.

Vocabulary: symmetrical, mummy, sarcaphogus