Main Activities: For the morning session you have two options, described below.

  

Morning - Option 1

  • Learn about pharaohs like Tutankhamun and Khufu, or 8 gods, using pictures and games

  • Learn how to read & write hieroglyphs, write on papyrus

  • Two children dress up as Egyptians

 

Morning - Option 2

  • Learn about pyramids and how they were built by looking at pictures

  • Three activities - build pyramids with blocks, make a card pyramid (to take home), and use replicas of surveying tools

 

Afternoon

  • Look at artefacts related to pharaohs & gods

  • Make artefacts related to pharaohs & gods (paint statues, papyrus pictures, jewellery)

At the end of the day you will have an amazing collection of artefacts the children have made, to create your own Egyptian museum.

  

Tutankhamun's gold coffin, made in the workshop

 

 

 

 

To book: email Tony North:  tnorth67@hotmail.com or tel: 0161 224 6445

Fee: £299 per class for a whole day. Maximum 32 children per class.

 

 

Pyramid posters and papyrus sheets for sale at workshops

 

Teachers' comments: 'The children had a great time and learnt a lot' (click for more reviews)

Letters from children at Bleak Hill Primary, St. Helens

 

Preparing for the Pharaohs Workshop

Permission Slip for make-up & perfume

Follow-up Lesson Ideas

 

Photos from workshops:

Moss Hey    Thorp Primary

Glazebury Primary (papyrus paintings)

St. Agnes CE Primary    St. Catherine's

 

 

Tutankhamun's gold dagger, made by a y4 child

 

 

Background information:  The Gods   Pharaohs Hieroglyphs  Pyramids  Artefacts   Clothing, Make-up etc.

 

 

The Wonders 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 pharaohs and their gods. 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 hieroglyphs proclaiming the greatness of the god and of the pharaoh who built his house.

My Egyptian workshop has been very popular since 2004, 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.

Detailed lesson plans are provided on this page.

To book, contact:

Tony North

tnorth67@hotmail.com

0161 224 6445/07754 406422

Literacy link: for an excellent retelling of Egyptian myths and stories, see Stories from Ancient Egypt by well-known Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley.

 

  

 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

  

Anubis statue painted by a year 5 child

 

Obelisk made by a year 5 child

  

Morning Option 1 - Game, Hieroglyphs and Dress-up

1. Introduction to pharaohs (30-45 mins)

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, we also look at Khufu and the pyramids, Hatshepsut the female pharaoh, and Rameses II. Children can win papyrus bookmarks for answering quiz questions (e.g. what are these artefacts found in Tutankhamun's tomb, why is he famous, why were the pyramids built).

Tutankhamun's gold coffin

If you prefer we can focus on the gods (you can decide on the day):

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

Next we play a name the god game, looking at 20 photos of gods (paintings or statues) on the interactive whiteboard. Each child takes part using a whiteboard and pen. The children with the highest score get a prize of a poster of the pyramids.

2. Hieroglyphs (60-90 minutes)

Children learn about hieroglyphs, by writing them on a worksheet (see below) and on a piece of real papyrus. They also play reading games, with more papyrus bookmarks for prizes. Depending on your preference, we can focus on hieroglyphs related to pharaohs or to gods.

Letters - 22 letter hieroglyphs are copied. Children learn that they stand for sounds, which affects how they should write their own names. A game follows in which children read the name of pharaohs (Khufu and Cleopatra) spelled in letters. They will then learn how to write their own names in hieroglyphs.

Words - up to 20 words are copied, including 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 (this section may be omitted if time is short)

Gods' names - children copy the names of 8 gods. A game follows in which photos of hieroglyphs (from tomb or temple walls) are shown on the whiteboard and children have to spot them, with more papyrus bookmark prizes.

Picture used in the reading games

 

Tutankhamun's name (written on one of his beds)

Write on papyrus - children get a piece of real papyrus paper (6x15cm) and write any hieroglyphs they like (e.g. a pharaoh's name, god's name, their own name). They use a black ink pen, because the Egyptian used black ink.

Year 4 child writing on papyrus paper

 

  

If you book a workshop I will email a letter to let you know what resources we need (basic things like paint palettes, pots for water, table covers, painting shirts, and paper towels).

 

 

Sphinx painted by a year 5 child

 

3. Clothing (15 mins)

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. A permission slip will be provided for children to wear the make up.

The children can also try frankincense perfume (unless they have skin allergies or a nut allergy).

My wife Catherine modelling the clothes, wig and jewellery

 

Morning Option 2 - Pyramids

1. Learn about pyramids (30 mins)

 

 

 

The Egyptian pyramids were built over 4,000 years ago and over the centuries have inspired as much puzzlement as awe. Why were they built? How could a society with such primitive technology - no iron, no wheels, only stone, wood and copper tools - create monuments which are not only enormous but extremely accurate? The Great Pyramid is the most famous, with over 2 million blocks of limestone, each weighing around 2.5 tonnes, and fitted so well together you can't get a piece of paper between them. Not only that, the greatest difference in length between the four sides (each about 230m) is about 4cm, and the base is level to within 2cm!

 

We will look at some pictures of pyramids, the pharaohs who were buried in them, and other images to help children understand what pyramids are, why they were built, and how they were constructed.

 

Lesson plan continues in next column

 

 

2. Experimental archaeology: Three pyramid building activities (90 minutes)

This activity is a fantastic way for children to get a concrete understanding of pyramid building and the difficulties faced by the Egyptians in making these enormous monuments. Archaeologists often find the best way to understand how people of the past did something is to try it themselves. Children will learn from experience in a similar way, using models. They will think about the results of experiments to make conclusions, which we will discuss as a class at the end.

Children are divided into 9 groups and work in rotation on 3 activities (with 3 small groups on each activity at one time). These are:

  • Surveying: using replicas of 3 ancient Egyptian surveying tools (plumb line, level, and set square), children examine surfaces in the classroom to see if they are vertical, horizontal, or right angles. They think about how these tools might have been used to make the pyramid blocks.

  • Making pyramids from card nets. Children are taught how to cut, fold and glue a card shape to make a replica of the Great Pyramid, and glue it onto a base which they paint a sand colour.

  • Building with blocks: children build their own pyramid from wooden blocks, to try out methods of stacking, and to see how specially shaped casing stones were needed (and what the types of casing stones are), in order to create the original, smooth look of the pyramids.

 

  

Lunch Break - Over lunch I will set out materials to make the artefacts in the afternoon. I will send you a form when you book the workshop to write down which children make which artefact. I will need two children to help me set things out.

Afternoon

 

1. Look at artefacts (20 mins)

 

Children see a variety of artefacts relating to pharaohs, gods and the afterlife. The artefacts are copies, most of which I made myself. You can see photos of them on this page and here. This activity teaches children about the items and their meanings, and will inspire them to create their own works of art.

 

Artefacts include: statuettes (gods, a pharaoh, sphinx, scarab beetle, shabti, Tut's coffin, Tut's mask), Tut's scarab pectoral, a pharaoh's bracelet (see below), Tut's dagger, a papyrus painting (the weighing of the heart scene), a relief of a pharaoh and Ra, and an obelisk.

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 the ones I have shown them. Each child has his or her own artefact. There will be up to 14 different artefacts in all, which means you can make a very impressive museum display.

 

 

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. Photos of the artefacts are shown here.

 

Artefacts include: statuettes of Horus, Anubis, a pharaoh (see below), sphinx, scarab beetle, shabti, Tut's coffin, and Tut's mask; relief of Ra and a pharaoh; a pharaoh's bracelet; papyrus paintings (draw round templates then paint); Tut's gold dagger; an obelisk; and Tut's gold shrine (using gold foil - y4-6 only).

 

Pharaoh statue painted by a year 4 child

 

Tut's mask statue painted by a year 5 child

  

Isis papyrus painting by a year 4 child

 

Horus statue painted by a year 5 child

 

 

  


Feedback from Teachers On the Egyptian Workshops

Thanks for the brilliant day on Wednesday. All the children learned so much and enjoyed every minute. We can always rely on it being an excellent day and you again didn't disappoint us.

Kath Phillips, Phase 3 Lead, Thorp Primary, Oldham (March 2020)

The children loved both the workshops and it was a wonderful way to start our topic off.

Louise Vanes, Y4 teacher, Woodlands Academy, Oldham (Jan 2019)

Hi Tony, my son Harry attended one of your workshops yesterday at Crompton Primary School and thoroughly enjoyed it, in fact he has talked about very little since! So thank you for inspiring him even more in a subject that he has shown so much enthusiasm for already.

  

Parent of Y3 child, Crompton Primary, Oldham (Feb 2019)

We thoroughly enjoyed the Egyptian Workshop yesterday. It allowed those less academic children to shine and excel and express them selves through creative art. The work the children produced was to a very high standard and all children made something and were involved.
I have shown the History leader our work and she was very impressed.

 

Lucy Clark, Y5 teacher, Brandwood Primary, Bolton (February 2016)

What a wonderful day! The children all loved learning about Egyptian Fashions. All the children loved it, had so much fun, and learnt so much.

Linda Kielty, Y4 teacher, St. Clement's CE Primary, Openshaw (May 2015)
 

Many thanks for a great couple of days. The boys and staff got a huge amount out of it. It has really fired our imaginations.

It was super to be able to mix the factual learning with an art activity. The boys were on task and really focussed during these sessions. Thank you.

Many thanks again for a superb few days.

  

Oliver Barlow, Y5 teacher, Manchester Grammar School, (June 2014)

Just a quick email to say 'Thank You' for your visit last week. The children thoroughly enjoyed it and still talk about it now. It really brought the topic to life and inspired them to carry out their own research.

 

Jane Dempsey, Y5 teacher, Springfield Primary, Burnley (March 2014)

The children had a great day and learnt a lot. We are hoping to use some of the information in our class assembly in a few weeks time. Once again thank you for a very interesting and enjoyable day.
 

Emma McMahon, Y4 teacher, Parklee Primary School, Atherton (Nov 2010)

Thank you so much for a fantastic day! All of the class loved it and I did too. Your knowledge of Ancient Egypt is amazing! My nephew is over the moon with your book.

 

Emma Furness, Y3/4 teacher, Norris Bank Primary, Stockport (Oct 2010)

The workshop was amazing the children even now cannot stop talking about it. What I personally liked is the way that you brought to life the Egyptians with your artefacts, paintings and writing. The children liked the hieroglyphic writing, and display which we put together in the hall for all to see is still there and children still look and talk about it. It was one perfect day, I myself learned so much and I thank you for that.

 

Brian Fletcher, Y4 teacher St.Aidan's RC Primary School, Wythenshawe

Very practical, hands on. A fantastic learning experience. All the children and myself found the whole workshop worthwhile and a super learning experience.

 

Year 4 teacher, Queensgate Primary School, Bramhall

Excellent, plenty of variety to interest and stimulate the children.

 

Year 3/4 teacher, Mellor Primary School

 

An excellent day. The children particularly enjoyed the practical activities. I liked the variety of activities and the fact that some challenged the children....it has inspired the children when making their own artefacts using clay.

 

Mrs Beswick, Y6 teacher, Seymour Park Primary School, Old Trafford

A great way to introduce the Egyptians. Excellent practical activities that challenged the children. The artefacts made create a great classroom display.

 

Mr Daniels, Y5/6 teacher, Seymour Park Primary School

I thought it was excellent. I enjoyed and the children enjoyed the hieroglyphs and the practical work in the afternoon. A thoroughly enjoyable experience.

 

Mrs Rice, Y5 teacher, Seymour Park Primary School

The children have not stopped talking about yesterday yet! Thank you for the great day, they got so much out of everything!

 

Simon Johnson, St.Luke's Catholic Primary School, Frodsham

Thank you for a really good Ancient Egypt day last week, the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves!
 

Emma Gallagher, St. Michael's Primary, Flixton

Just to say a big 'thank you' for coming to Hopwood CP School. The children all thoroughly enjoyed your Egyptian Workshop, as did the teachers! We look forward to seeing you again.

 

Gill Cobb, Hopwood CP School, Bury

Once they've had a Time Trips workshop, they'll keep coming back!
 

Gaynor Heck, Holy Trinity Primary School, Hyde

  


Letters from Children at Bleak Hill Primary, St Helens, April 2016