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Dennis Earl students walk like an Egyptian
egypt pic3
Dennis Earl Elementary School sixth grade students teach first grade students how the Egyptians lived back in 2,600 BC. - photo by MAEGAN MARTENS / The Journal

Sixth graders at Dennis Earl Elementary School went back in time on Friday to 2600 BC, transforming their classrooms into ancient Egypt with mummified chicken legs and gold jewels on display.

Two sixth grade classes built their very own Egyptian museum where they displayed how Egyptians lived through individual projects to the rest of the student body at Dennis Earl. As the other students toured the museum, the sixth graders were able to teach their classmates about their project and the Egyptian way of life.  

“It is really fun,” said Juan Segura, sixth grader at Dennis Earl. “You can help them learn about the Egyptian times.”

This is the second time the two sixth grade classes have put together an Egyptian Museum instead of their annual visit to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and Planetarium in San Jose in an effort to save money.

The museum was two classrooms big with projects ranging from hieroglyphics to the Egyptian King’s jewelry to pyramids to ancient harps.

Students from every classroom went through the museum and learned about how Egyptians used to transport water during floods and how people were mummified.

They even had mummified chicken legs the students made themselves.

It took the students about six weeks to mummify the leg with two-week periods of putting the leg in a plastic bag with salt for three cycles to dehydrate the leg, said Deserae Cook, sixth grade teacher at Dennis Earl. Then the students wrapped the leg in gauze and sealed the leg to protect it.

“I like the mummies because I like how they put strings around the mummy in the box,” said first grader Kate Fortado.

The Egyptian royalty jewels were also popular among the students touring the Egyptian museum.

“I like the gold,” said Daniel Ramos, first grader at Dennis Earl.

“The Egyptians used to wear a whole bunch of jewelry, especially the Egyptian queen,” said Alex Stewart, first grader at Dennis Earl.

But her favorite part wasn’t the jewels or the gold.

“I liked all the Egyptian music and the sixth graders in Egyptian costumes,” Stewart said. “I felt like I was back in the Egyptian times.”

To contact Maegan Martens, e-mail mmartens@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2015.