What is a canopic jar?
The Ancient Egyptians used canopic jars to store their organs in after death in preparation for the afterlife. Children in Classes 6, 7 and 8 looked at photographs of canopic jars before making one of their own.
Want to make a canopic jar?
You will need an old soft drink bottle, some barley (or dried peas), modelling clay (air drying) and paint to decorate.
1. Fill the bottle with the barley – this will provide weight and stop the bottle from tipping over once you have added the head.
2. Press a fist sized lump of clay onto the bottle and press down to make a seal and attach it to the top of the bottle. Pinch and pull the clay until you have made the shape you want.
3. Leave the clay to harden.
4. Cover the bottle with plain paper (the paint won’t stick to the plastic bottle. Masking tape would also work.)
5. Decorate your bottle. We put hieroglyphs on ours.
Find out more about canopic jars and mummification…
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/menu.html