Flashlight Egyptian Tomb Tour

Camster (left in coral), Sher Bear (blue floral) and Jor Man (right)

Littles and their mom at the mummy diorama

The Fitchburg Art Museum, in Fitchburg, MA, opened their new Egyptian exhibit last week.  And we were among the lucky home schoolers who got to be the first ones to see it.  This was another of the programs organized by the Family Resource Center.  I am so grateful for them, as I would not have known about this museum otherwise.  We are making friends at these outings, as many of the same kids and parents were also at the Rhode Island School of Design the previous week.

The museum staff did a marvelous job of keeping the kids (and the parents) interested and curious about the exhibits.

Everyone's favorite part was the flashlight tour of the "tomb".  A corridor was painted with the story of what happens after you die (according to the Ancient Egyptians).  We sat in the dark hallway while the docent pointed her flashlight at the walls, pointing out the various gods and goddesses, and telling their stories.  It was a captivating presentation for all but the very youngest of the visitors.  There was a tunnel you could crawl through, which the girls loved.

She did an excellent job of explaining mummification

Following the flashlight tour, the docent took us through the exhibit and showed us the large collection of artifacts, including a real mummy, uncovered.  The kids were all sharing their knowledge of Ancient Egypt - and it was really fun to see how much they have assimilated into their knowledge already.  Sher Bear told everyone about our mummified chicken.  LOL!

Using Hieroglyphics to decorate Obelisks

We took a lunch break before going on to the arts and crafts room to make Obelisks and Egyptian Necklaces.  The girls were so excited just to color and cut out the paper necklace.  It reminded me that they love to do crafts, and I want to incorporate more simple crafts into our days.

Everyone liked using hieroglyphics to write their names and simple phrases.  Sher Bear found a chart of them in one of our Egypt books, and has been writing things in hieroglyphs ever since.

The educator explains how to fold the Obelisks

I was very impressed with this museum and their staff.  Following the official class, we toured the rest of the museum on our own.  I have been to some museums where they have been visibly uncomfortable with the children being there, and I have felt rushed to leave.  This was not the case at Fitchburg.  Everyone was warm and welcoming to the kids.  They talked with us, and gave us suggestions as to what to look for.  Upstairs, they had a monoprint exhibit, with a film explaining monoprints.  We were all so fascinated, that we want to do some monoprints now.

I cannot believe that I forgot my camera that day!  But I did.  And the Director of Docents at the museum was kind enough to send me these pictures to include in my blog.  Thank you, Ann!

Wish you were here!