2nd Grade Egyptian Cats and Dogs

Kids love ancient Egypt. Don't even try to argue about that one. You know it's true. Of course they do. Pyramids, mummies, history, that cool 80's song by The Bangles. What's not to love? 

Of course this project is based on all things Egyptian. We start out by watching a little Reading Rainbow video about ancient Egyptian practices and culture. It's fun to have a discussion after to talk about all of the cool things we just learned. Next, it is just a matter of making some art. This project is split up into several steps. I have my students use rulers to make the border, then the draw their cat or dog. They also write their names using a simplified form of hieroglyphics. Next, they sponge paint over the entire paper to emulate the texture of stone in a pyramid. 

In the past, I've had the students paint their animals, but I had pretty mixed results. This year I tried oil pastels in an effort to cut the length of the project and also get better results overall. I found that they tend to rush with pastels, so I'm not sure if the change in media was entirely successful. Overall the kids really enjoy the project and that makes me pretty happy as well. 

The lesson plan is here!