Ancient Egyptian Elementary Art Lessons
Egyptian artwork is very distinct compared to other artwork. Not only was artwork used as decoration in Egyptian culture, it was also used for written communication and in burial traditions. Art projects can be easily incorporated into the Egyptian unit typically taught in elementary schools. Egyptian art projects can help students learn about the Egyptian culture and traditions.
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Hieroglyphic Jewelry
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Teaching elementary school students about hieroglyphics is an important part of teaching about the Egyptian culture. Creating jewelry using hieroglyphics gives elementary school students the chance to learn as well as create unique art items they can wear. You need colored pencils, hieroglyphic symbol sheets, a hole punch, shrinkable plastic sheets, scissors, string and an oven for this project. Cut out different shapes about two inches in diameter from the shrinkable plastic. Punch a hole on one side of these shapes. Allow students to draw and color their own hieroglyphics on the shapes using the colored pencils. Place the completed shapes in a heated oven to shrink. Allow them to cool and put a string through the hole for the students to be able to wear it.
Mummy Cases
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Mummifying the dead was part of Egyptian culture. You can have students create their own mummy case using paper and colored pencils. Depending on the grade of your students, you should decide whether you want to provide patterns for the mummy cases or just have students draw them on their piece of paper. Creating mummy cases can be used for any grade level.
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Profile Paintings
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The traditional Egyptian profile portrait was painted as if the eyes were seen from the front. For this project, students will draw a self portrait as a profile and then decorate their portrait as if they are wearing Egyptian head pieces. Have students draw their own face from the side but with the eyes facing to the side. Discuss what traditional Egyptian head pieces looked like and give students examples on which to base their own drawing. Have the students paint their profiles after they are finished, incorporating hieroglyphics for their name.
Grid Drawing
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Artist Paul Klee is famous for his grid drawings. For this project, students will create Egyptian inspired drawings using a grid. This project is for older elementary-age students because it requires a greater understanding of drawing techniques and math, due to the grid. Have students use a ruler and draw a grid of one-inch squares to cover their piece of paper. Allow students to draw a picture of an Egyptian monument or god using the grid to create a proportionate image. After the image is drawn, students can use crayons, paint or colored pencils to color in their image and the grid surrounding it.
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- Photo Credit egyptian signs image by Andrejs Pidjass from Fotolia.com
