Activity best for children age 3 and up

At San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum we love learning about different cultures found all around the world. Throughout the month of December we will be exploring Egypt as part of our Roots Series sponsored by the Nissan Foundation and the county of San Diego.

Egypt is located across the world in the Northeast corner of Africa. We know a lot about Egypt’s ancient past because of the work of archaeologists. An archaeologist is someone who studies the history of humans through artifacts, and with their help we know animals were a very important part of Egyptian life. Many different animals have been found on jewelry, in paintings, and in other ancient works of art. One unique discovery is the blue hippopotamus found in several tombs across Egypt. These small statues are made of faience, which is a ceramic material made of ground quartz. Each blue hippo has a special black design with flowers and other plants and no two are the same! Hippos aren’t actually blue, but blue was the color of the Nile river and symbolized life for the Egyptians. Do you have a favorite color that represents something special?

Eager to learn more about archaeology in Egypt? Check out the presentation below from our friends at San Diego Archaeological Center in Escondido, CA!