Aiken Preparatory students experience Egyptian culture

Aiken Prep Middle School teachers collaborated to bring Egypt to life in the classroom last month.

In the Ancient Cultures class, students began studying the history of the early Egyptian Empire. Students made mummies out of aluminum foil and masking tape and created tombs for them in the shape of pyramids, placing items of significance inside. They also researched Egyptian gods and goddesses, drew hieroglyphs and listened to Egyptian music.

The highlight of the unit was the wrapping of two students as mummies. Students competed for the role of "mummy" by correctly answering questions about Egypt. The class was then divided into two teams which designed and prepared for their mummy's afterlife.

Using toilet paper and other treasures from home, Taylor Fischbach, seventh grade, and Barrett Goff, sixth grade, were transformed. Their burial artifacts included clothes, perfumes and even Canopic jars.

"I liked doing the projects," sixth-grader Ella Morton said. "It helped us learn about the culture, and we had fun doing them."

To bring the topic full circle, in science, students conducted an experiment that allowed them to mummify apple slices using baking soda and Epsom salt. Students weighed the apples before and after the mummification process and reported results. They also noted the differences in texture and color.

In English class, students wrote essays about the discoveries of their mummies.

"It was a wonderful opportunity to study a topic across the curriculum," Head of School Debbie Boehner said. "The students benefited greatly from the experience."