Talks & Shows

from The Whinchat 2020-2021

Fond Farewell

Y3 EGYPT DAY

On 16th October 2020, Year 3 were transported to Ancient Egypt. The boys threw themselves into the day by coming to school dressed as pharaohs, archaeologists and other significant Egyptian characters. They looked incredible!

The boys were greeted by Mark from the ‘Portals to the Past’ organisation who took us back in time to the world of pyramids and the flooding Nile.

First of all, he gave us a talk about Egypt’s history, from details about Upper and Lower Egypt to information about some of the usual pharaohs. The boys listened well and asked superb questions, which really impressed Mark.

Next, the boys were challenged to discover facts about different parts of everyday lives of the Ancient Egyptians with a special quiz. Moving around the room, they had to navigate between different information boards to identify answers to specific questions.

After a short break, the boys then looked closely at some amazing artefacts, including real mummy bandages and eye liner containers. For each item, they had to work out for themselves what it could be, just like a real historian. The boys then had a chance to play a popular Egyptian board game called ‘Hounds and Jackals’.

During lunchtime we were not disappointed either as the dining halls had prepared delicious ‘mummy biscuits’ for us to devour! These definitely helped to give us more energy for our adventures in the afternoon.

The session after lunch was spent learning about mummification. With Mark’s help, we found out about the burial process of a mighty pharaoh. We removed organs and placed them carefully in canopic jars, bandaged and cleaned our pharoah, said special prayers and even placed him in a special sarcophagus. Finally, we were able to crown our new king. It was a sight to behold!

The afternoon continued with a challenge to hunt on the Nile, making sure we did not disturb any sleeping hippos. Accuracy and stamina were definitely needed herein order to keep an eye on our target and have enough strength to throw our javelins with exact precision. This was certainly a highlight for a lot of the boys. The conclusion of the afternoon was Mark’s wonderful retelling the story of the Egyptian Cinderella, Rhoduphis. The boys all really enjoyed their day, feeling a million miles (and thousands of years) away from school!

WORDS BY By Mrs Nicki Carrington Head of Year 3