I decided to try ad find some fun ways to incorporate learning about mummies and Egypt into my unit study with my daughter. Then I realized that my daughter has TONS of Magic Tree House books in her rooms. I started scanning through to see if there was anything I can use when poof, just like that these 2 books jumped out at me. After a little more research I discovered that the Magic Tree House website has tons of fabulous resources for parents and teachers for almost all there books. You can imagine how stoked I was when I stumbled upon this revolution! Here is a taste of what they offer!
Mummies in the Morning
Jack and Annie are ready for their next fantasy adventure in the bestselling middle-grade series—the Magic Tree House!Jack and Annie don't need another mummy.
But that's what they get when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to ancient Egypt. There they meet a long-dead queen who needs their help. Will Jack and Annie be able to solve the puzzle, or will they end up as mummies themselves?
Mummies and Pyramids
How were pyramids built? Why did people make
mummies? What magic charms were buried with mummies? Who discovered King
Tut's tomb? Unwrap the answers to these questions and more in Magic
Tree House Research Guide #3: Mummies and Pyramids, Jack and
Annie's very own guide to the secrets of ancient Egypt. Includes
information on hieroglyphics, how mummies were made, tomb treasures and
robbers, Egyptian gods and goddesses, and much more!
About Mummies in the Morning and Mummies and Pyramids: A Nonfiction Companion to Mummies in the Morning
In Mummies in the Morning,
Jack and Annie find themselves whisked away to ancient Egypt, where they
come face to face with a dead queen--and her 1,000-year-old mummy!
How were pyramids built? Why
did people make mummies? What magic charms were buried with mummies? Who
discovered King Tut's tomb? Unwrap the answers to these questions and
more in Mummies and Pyramids:
A Nonfiction Companion to Mummies in the Morning, Jack and Annie's
very own guide to the secrets of ancient Egypt. Includes information on
hieroglyphics, how mummies were made, tomb treasures and robbers,
Egyptian gods and goddesses, and much more!
Classroom Connections
Activities for Mummies in the Morning
- Mummified Fruits
Even though Annie is grossed out, Jack is not alone in his
fascination with mummies and the process of mummification. Explain the
role of a natural salt, natron, in the desiccation of mummies. Help
students experience, first hand, the drying power of different salt
compounds by conducting the following experiment:
- Divide a fruit such as an apple, a pear, or a peach into quarters.
- Weigh each quarter; place each into a plastic cup labeled with its weight.
- Pour ½ cup baking soda into the first cup; ½ cup Epsom salts into the second; and ½ cup table salt into the third, making sure each fruit wedge is completely covered; leave the fourth cup as is for a "control."
- Put the uncovered cups in a location out of direct sunlight for a week.
- Remove each from its cup, brush off as much salt as possible (do not rinse!) and reweigh.
- Compare starting weights with those recorded a week later. Calculate the percentage of weight lost in each case.
- Ask students which salt compound seemed to work best. What information does the "control" fruit provide? How might results change if salt compounds were mixed?
Curriculum:- Science
- Math
Activities for Mummies and Pyramids:
- On the Nile!
On a map locate Africa, Egypt, the Nile River, the Sahara
Desert, and the Mediterranean Sea. Explain to students that the Nile
River is the longest river in the world and flows through the middle of
Egypt. Brainstorm activities that would take place along the river, such
as boating, hunting, fishing, washing clothes, etc. Why was the Nile
River so important to the Egyptians? Why was mud the greatest gift? Look
at pictures of this area today and compare it to ancient Egypt. What
are the similarities and differences?
Curriculum:- Social Studies
- Social Studies
- Animal Kingdom
Have students study the chapter break "The Animals of Ancient
Egypt" on pages 38 - 39. Break the class into small groups to research
one of the particular animals listed. Allow each group to present what
they learned about their animal. Instruct each group to develop
questions that they give answers to in their report. After the
completion of the reports, play a review game with the questions.
Curriculum:- Language Arts
- Science
- Language Arts
- Pyramid Power!
Build a pyramid from either shoeboxes or tissue boxes. Divide
the class into groups and have each group measure the height of one
student from that group. Then estimate the number of boxes it will take
to build a pyramid the height of that student. Allow students to problem
solve and to work cooperatively to piece the boxes together and to
record their success and failures. Each group should record the time
they start and end. When finished, have students check their estimation.
Then have them calculate the weight of their pyramid.
As a follow-up activity, have students compare the dimensions, weight,
and number of stones to that of a real pyramid. What tools were used to
cut and move the heavy stones? Who built them?
Curriculum:- Math
- Math
- Who Let the Gods Out?
Egyptians worshipped gods and goddesses that were half human and
half animal. These animal-like qualities signified the duties that they
performed. Have students create their own gods/goddesses by drawing the
head or cutting out pictures of animal heads and attaching them to
drawn pictures or actual photographs of themselves. Then have students
name their god/goddess and write a poem or description of the
characteristics and duties performed by their newly created god/goddess.
Curriculum:- Social Studies
- Language Arts
- Social Studies
- The Farmer on the Nile
The Egyptians were great farmers and relied very heavily on the
flood cycle of the Nile. Hold a discussion about the importance of
flooding, planting and harvest. Address the question on page 18, "Why
was the Black Land so good for farming?" Have students research what
items the Egyptians would have planted and harvested, and then ask them
to illustrate the cycle of their farm year. Discuss what type of climate
and soil is needed to grow various crops. Decide as a class what would
be a good choice of plant to grow in the classroom and then begin your
very own harvest. Keep science journals to track the growth of each
plant.
Curriculum:- Science
- Science
- Human Chariots
Chariots were a main form of transportation in ancient Egypt.
Have a day outdoors and hold human chariot races. Two students are
needed for each race. One child places his hands flat on the ground and
the second child grabs the others' legs. All human chariots begin at the
starting line and race to one end. Then they switch positiona and head
toward the finish line. The first human chariot across wins.
Curriculum:- Physical Education
- Physical Education
Download Activities
Teaching ideas provided by Jamay
Johnson, second grade teacher; Melinda Murphy, media specialist, Reed
Elementary School, Cypress Fairbranks Independent School District,
Houston, Texas; and Rosemary B. Stimola, Ph.D., professor of children's
literature at City University of New York, and educational and editorial
consultant to publishers of children's books.
Comments