Materials Needed:
- one chicken for every 4-6 students
- plastic gloves
- 26 oz. salt per group (each week)
- 1/2 cup spices per group (each week)
- paper towels
- Zip-loc freezer strength bags (gallon
size)
- gauze strips
- plastic containers to hold chicken in
bag (in case of leakage)
- one weight
record sheet
Procedure:
1. Weigh your chicken.
2. Wearing gloves, students will remove
entrails from the chicken (Optional: These can be preserved in smaller
baggies and put in baby food jars. Later, students can decorate the baby
food jars with clay heads, turning them into canopic jars.)
3. At a sink, thoroughly rinse both
inside and outside of chicken. Do this until the liquid runs clear.
4. Using paper towels (many will be
needed), dry the chicken thoroughly inside and out, especially under the
legs and wings. This is critical, since any moisture can create problems
with the mummification process.
5. Rub the 1/2 cup of spices all over the
chicken (inside and out). Any mixture of sweet-smelling (and cheap)
spices will do. The purpose is to mask the odor of the decay which is
about to take place.
6. Rub salt over the entire chicken,
making sure that every inch is covered (and very dry).
7. Fill the cavity with salt.
8. Place the chicken in a Zip-loc bag.
Seal the bag and place in a plastic tub (or bowl) in case the bag begins
to leak. (As the process occurs, liquid will drain from the carcass).
9. Once a week for 4 or 5 weeks, open the
bag and remove the chicken (be sure to wear gloves!). Weigh the chicken
each time and record the weight. The chicken must be re-spiced,
re-salted (inside the cavity and out), and replaced in a clean bag.
9. Repeat this process each week until no
more liquid accumulates in the bag.
10. When the chicken is done, remove it
from the bag. Weigh it one last time. Then wrap it in gauze strips or
ripped muslin strips. Decorate with handmade "authentic"
Egyptian amulets, medallions, jewels, etc.
11. Create a sarcophagus for the mummy
using shoe boxes. Spray box with gravel paint. Decorate with
hieroglyphics and pictures of Egyptian gods.
12. Students can bury the sarcophagus
(with mummy inside) and dig it up later in the year.
13. Students can keep a journal of the
process.
