Egyptian Prints

We went to Egypt this week in my Art Around the World class at P.S. 154. The class began with a rowdy group of children, a missing parent volunteer and one boy kicking another one. Sometimes you just have days like this. While I did have a parent volunteer last week I should have suspected it was too good to be true. She didn’t show up this week, and I’m sure she had some other motherly obligation so I can’t complain. Her help last week during the French magic garden making was invaluable.

I decided that kicking and crying and fidgeting meant we had to start out with the activity I had plaaned for close. Dancing! I put on some Egyptian belly dancing music and we all danced around, waved our arms back and fourth, then squatted and eventually sat down cris-cross apple sauce ready to hear our story of the day.

After our story we talked about using symbols to replace word, like the Egyptians did with hieroglyphics. My example was to express how I love spring, so I made 3 exclamation marks and a sail boat: I Love Spring! Everyone used corrugated cardboard and bristol to make their own hieroglyphics.

Then using red, white and blue tempera paint and spongy brayers we printed.

And this next picture is so hilarious, because I want to protect the privacy of my students, but the little stars that they are, my artists insisted on a group photo.