Lesson 6: Daily Life in Egypt
Activities
Activity 1: The Nile
Materials: colored pencils, crayons, or markers
The Nile River was an important part of the everyday lives of Egyptians. It provided water, food, natural resources, and transportation. Use the "Nile River" activity page to record some of the ways in which Egyptians used the Nile for these purposes. You may either write your answers or draw pictures to show the Nile's many uses in Egyptian life. Include as many examples as you can think of for each category.
Web Link
Nile
If you'd like additional information, scroll down to the sections called "Importance to Egypt" and "Source of Life" on this web page for more information about the Nile River in Ancient Egypt.
This link was verified on 8/26/2023.
Student Activity Page
In this activity, your child will identify the ways in which the Nile was used as a source of water, food, and natural resources and as a means of transportation. Your child may choose to write or draw her examples. Her answers will vary, but the answer key provides some examples of what your child might include as uses for the Nile.
Answer Key:
- A Source of Water — for drinking, irrigation, washing
- A Source of Food — fish from the river and plants grown with the river's water
- A Source of Natural Resources — mud from the Nile helped people make bricks, papyrus from the banks was used to make many goods
- A Transportation Route — most travel was by boat
Activity 2: Hieroglyphics
Materials: Ancient Civilizations by Joseph Fullman (DK Eyewitness), art materials, paper or cardstock
The ancient Egyptians wrote hieroglyphics, which were painted or carved onto monuments. Page 14 in Ancient Civilizations shows an example. In this activity, you will create your own hieroglyphic writing.
Use your own paper and art supplies, and use a library book or one of the following web resources as a guide. You can write your own name or another word or phrase.
Use your own paper and art supplies, and use a library book or one of the following web resources as a guide. You can write your own name or another word or phrase.
Web Link
Sounds Like Fun!
Use the sounds in the word(s) as a guide to choosing the symbols you need.
This link was verified on 9/1/2023.
Web Link
Write Like an Egyptian
Write your name or another word and then click the Inscribe button. Copy the resulting hieroglyphs.
This link was verified on 8/24/2023.
Remember that hieroglyphics can be read from left to right, from right to left, or top to bottom. Choose whichever direction you wish for your own hieroglyphic writing. Use the images of hieroglyphic writing from today's reading as a model for the colors that you might use to decorate your writing. You can use crayons, colored pencils, markers, or watercolor paints.
For this activity, your child will try writing hieroglyphic script. She may choose to copy Egyptian hieroglyphics, figure out how to write her name or another word using a chart provided in a web link, or use a website to translate a word or phrase into hieroglyphics and then copy the resulting script.