Tomb painting showing Rameses I with Horus and Anubis
Themes: gods, pharaohs, or gods and pharaohs (three options)
Curriculum links: History (gods and religious beliefs of the Egyptians, significant individuals such as Tutankhamun, tombs and the afterlife, pictures, words and communication, daily life - clothing, make-up etc., learning about the Egyptians from artefacts); art; DT; literacy (learning about letter sounds and words)
Main activities:
1. Learn about gods and/or pharaohs using pictures and games
2. Read and write hieroglyphs, write on papyrus
3. Look at Egyptian artefacts
4. Make artefacts (a wide variety)
5. Two children dress up as Egyptians
Teachers' comments: 'The children had a great time and learnt a lot' (click for more reviews)
Permission Slip for make-up
Photos from workshops:
St. Agnes CE Primary Arden Primary
Broad Oak Primary St. Catherine's Prep
Fee: £179 for a whole day, discounts available for small classes. Maximum 36 children per class.
To book see contact details below left.
The Gods and Pharaohs of Egypt
There is nowhere on earth like Egypt. For thousands of years tourists have been astounded by its beautiful temples and tombs, its vast pyramids and its golden treasures. This workshop focuses on what the ancient Egyptians cherished most - their gods and their pharaohs. Most of the amazing sights in Egypt are in some way related to these two. Pyramids were giant rock tombs designed to send the pharaoh up to heaven, and temples were sites of worship for gods, adorned with carved and painted hieroglyphs proclaiming the greatness both of the god and of the pharaoh who built his house.
The Egyptian workshop has been very popular for over 7 years, for several reasons: the enthusiasm and depth of knowledge which I bring to the day, the in-depth tuition on the intricacies of hieroglyphs, art and other aspects of Egyptian culture, the high quality resources and creative activities which children love and which provide a rich learning experience about ancient Egypt as well as teaching art skills, and the fantastic outcomes which you can display in the classroom.
Options for the Egyptian workshop
There are three options for the Egyptian workshop. We can look at both gods and pharaohs, or just the gods, or just the pharaohs. Choosing only one topic means less time in the initial session of the day, looking at pictures and learning basic facts about the gods or pharaohs, and more time in the following hieroglyph activity. The choice is also reflected in the sorts of hieroglyphs covered and the artefacts looked at and made in the afternoon.
A detailed lesson plan is provided to the right.
To book, contact:
Tony North
0161 438 6634/07754 406422
Literacy link: for an excellent retelling of Egyptian myths and stories, see Stories from Ancient Egypt by well-known Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley.
Statue of Amun shown in lesson
Me (Tony North) teaching
how to read hieroglyphs
Tutankhamun's scarab pectoral, photo shown in lesson
Copy of scarab pectoral shown in the afternoon
shabti (servant statue)
shown in artefacts session
papyrus painting by a year 4 child
scarab beetle painted by a year 4 child
Workshop Activities
Lesson Plan: Morning
1. Introduction to gods and/or pharaohs (30-45 mins)
Children are divided into 2 teams for a number of games lasting the whole morning.
Gods: look at paintings of 8 gods (Anubis, Osiris, Isis, Horus, Hathor, Thoth, Ra, Amun). Learn their names, what they look like, and what they were god of: e.g. Osiris is shown wrapped up as a mummy because he was the ruler of the afterlife, and holding a crook and flail because he was god of farming.
Papyrus painting of Osiris
Play a name the god game: look at photos on the interactive whiteboard.
Pharaohs: Learn about famous pharaohs by looking at photos. We begin with Tutankhamun - his treasures, his tomb, his body, and why he is famous. Children will see the actual stones used by the Egyptians for jewellery (e.g. lapis lazuli, carnelian, turquoise). Depending on time and option chosen, we also look at Khufu and the pyramids, Hatshepsut the female pharaoh, and Rameses II. In 2 teams children will answer questions and get points in a 'quiz' (e.g. what are these artefacts found in Tutankhamun's tomb, why is he famous, why were the pyramids built).
Tutankhamun's gold coffin
2. Hieroglyphs (60-90 minutes)
Children learn about hieroglyphs by writing and reading, using a worksheet (see below) and a number of games. The types of hieroglyphs covered depend on the option chosen for the day.
Letters - 22 letter hieroglyphs are copied. Children learn that they stand for sounds, which affects for example how they should write their own names. A game follows in which children read the name of a pharaoh spelled in letters (pharaohs option) or write their own names (gods option).
Words - 20 words are copied - these include words such as god, king, and lord, as well as words which are parts of pharaohs' names (e.g. ankh in Tutankhamun). A game follows in which children translate hieroglyphs painted on a board.
Gods' names (Gods option) - children copy the names of the 8 gods covered earlier. A game follows in which photos of hieroglyphs (from tomb or temple walls) are shown on the whiteboard and children have to spot them.
Picture used in the god name game
Pharaohs' names (Pharaohs option) - learn how to read pharaohs' names (cartouches), which are usually made up of a god's name, words, and letters. For example, Tutankhamun contains the letters T-u-t, the word ankh, and the god Amun, and it means 'the living image of Amun'. A game follows in which children try to read a pharaoh's name (e.g. Rameses).
Tutankhamun's name (written on one of his beds)
Write on papyrus - children are given a piece of real papyrus paper and they can write any hieroglyphs they like (e.g. pharaoh's name, god's name, their own name).
Year 4 child writing on papyrus paper
Lunch Break - Over lunch I will set out materials to make the artefacts in the afternoon. I will give you a sheet in the morning to write down which children make which artefact. I will need two children to help me set things out. If you book a workshop I will send a letter which will let you know what resources we will need (basic things like paint palettes, pots for water, and paper towels).
Sistrum (rattle) made by a year 5 child,
from a wooden handle, a plastic strip,
metal wires and washers, and
plasticine to make the face of Hathor
Lesson Plan: Afternoon
1. Look at artefacts (30 mins)
Children will see a variety of artefacts relating to the topic - gods, pharaohs, or both. They are copies, some made by me and some bought. You can see photos of them on the left of this page and here. Artefacts include various statues, jewellery, papyrus paintings, Tutankhamun's dagger, a mirror, an obelisk, and a sistrum (rattle).
Copy of bracelet belonging to the pharaoh Shoshenq
2. Make artefacts (75 minutes)
I will give a short lesson on how to paint accurately with acrylic paint (e.g. dry brush after washing it, correct mistakes, keep hand steady by resting it on the table, only touch with the tip of the brush).
Then children will make an artefact - these will be similar to those I have just shown them. Each child has his or her own artefact, except when it would be very difficult for one child to finish it. I will bring enough materials that you can make up to two of each artefact. Depending on the option chosen for the day, there will be around 16 different artefacts in all - this means you can make a very impressive museum display at the end of the day.
The methods and materials have been carefully designed so that children can make artefacts of high quality and durability. They are also differentiated by difficulty level so you can assign a suitable task to each child with.
Examples of children's artefacts are shown below and to the lower left of this page.
Pharaoh statue painted by a year 4 child
Tut's dagger and a mirror, made by year 4 children
Anubis statue painted by a year 5 child
Painting an eye of Horus
3. Clothing (20 mins)
At the end, one boy and one girl will be chosen to dress up as Egyptians, with linen clothes (a dress for the girl and a kilt for the boy), plaited wigs, jewellery (bracelets and necklaces, including a replica of a princess's collar with over 1,000 beads), eyeliner, and lipstick and blush for the girl.
All the children can try an Egyptian perfume containing frankincense and myrrh (unless they have skin allergies or a nut allergy). A permission slip will be provided with the letter for children to wear the make up and perfume.
My wife Catherine modelling the clothes, wig and jewellery