Form 1 went on a fabulous trip to Haslemere museum as part of their Ancient Egyptian studies. First they participated in a mummification workshop led by Kay, where they learnt all about removal of the internal organs and storage in canopic jars. Some pupils were even lucky (?!) enough to help Kay to remove these organs from ‘Suty-em-wia’ (Sooty for short). They learnt that only pharaohs are mummified with their arms crossed.
They also did self-led activities such as investigating x-Rays of mummies, drawing Egyptian artefacts, discovering more about Shabti (slaves made from stone) and deciphering hieroglyphs. Going into the gallery to see a real mummy was very exciting! They observed that this person was not a pharaoh as their arms were not crossed before mummification.
After lunch and a run-around in the museum garden came the highlight of the visit – the chance to mummify a toy! Armed with 40+ Barbies, the children followed the instructions to wrap their barbies and teddies in linen bandages. It was quite tricky but great fun was had by all. Do visit 1U and 1M to see the mummified toys for yourselves!
