Egyptian mummies are one of the most fascinating parts of Ancient Egyptian culture. One of the ways they prepared for the afterlife was to try and preserve the body as long as possible. This was done through a process called embalming, and these embalmed bodies are called mummies.

Learn more about mummies with DK Find Out’s interactive Ancient Egypt map to explore mummies, boats, warriors, pharaohs, and more. Or watch this video with the Met Museum’s #metkids investigator to discover all the details about mummification.

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/metkids/videos/MetKids-How-Were-Mummies-Made-in-Ancient-Egypt

Make a Mummy!

In this fun activity, we will recreate a mummy, wrap it in linen, and bury it in a sarcophagus — all with materials you probably already have in your home!

Wrap the Mummy

You will need:

• Clay or a small doll
• Coffee filters
• Water

Make your own mummy out of clay by forming the clay into the form of a person laying down. Here’s video of how I made mine.

If you don’t have clay, you can use a small doll, like the link below for making your sarcophagus suggests.

After I made the mummy, I wrapped it in “linens” using coffee filters and a little water.

1. Cut the coffee filter into strips.
2. Drip water over them to make them damp, not soaked.
3. Wrap your mummy in the coffee filter “linens” to preserve it!

Here’s the video!

Create the Sarcophagus

Once you’ve wrapped your mummy, you are ready to create the sarcophagus. Watch the video for a visual demonstration.

Either bake the mummy and sarcophagus in the oven for a quicker dry time, like the instructions suggest, or let the sarcophagus sit out overnight. If you make the sarcophagus a bit too wet, like I did, you might want to wrap the parchment paper around it to keep its shape as it dries. Once it’s dry, feel free to paint and decorate your mummy. You can also create a story or history about your mummy with clues and hieroglyphics, and then excavate and discover your mummy like an anthropologist! (Visit this link for baking instructions and ideas for painting your mummy.)

We also have lots of books at the library and on hoopla if you’d like to read more about mummies and Ancient Egypt.

Check out at FDL

Mummies of Ancient Egypt by Brianna Hall

Curse of the Pharaohs: My Adventures with Mummies by Zahi A. Hawass

Eyewitness Mummy by James Putnam

The Best Book of Mummies by Philip Steele

Explore Ancient Egypt! by Carmella Van Vleet

Check out on Hoopla

Egypt’s Pharaohs and Mummies Ancient History for Kids by Baby Professor

The Mummy Makers of Egypt by Tamara Bower

Mummies! by Kenn Goin

Making a Mummy by Dona Herweck Rice

The Curious Case of Egypt’s Mummies by History Books for Kids

– Cassie, Youth Services Assistant

Join Dino O’Dell for an interactive music and storytelling trip around the world! Dino O’Dell is a musician and educator who inspires kids to learn through silly songs and stories. In this virtual performance, dance and sing along as Dino goes on an adventure to all seven continents. Swim with piranhas, climb Mount Everest, and visit King Tut’s tomb as we learn about history, culture, geography, and even food. (Who loves pizza?!)

Check out these books to learn more about continents, culture, and geography:

Hoopla

This Is How We Do It by Matt Lamothe

Do You Know the Continents? by Searchlight Books

The Seven Continents by Maria Koran

My Weird School Fast Facts: Geography by Dan Gutman and Jim Paillot

Tumblebooks

A Ticket Around the World by Natalia Diaz and Melissa Owens

National Geographic Videos

Girls Around the World read-along playlist

Going Places! read-along playlist

– Laura, Youth Services Manager

Let’s hear your very loudest roar! For today’s Story Time (Online), Miss Laura is reading stories featuring dinosaurs. What would you do if you had a dinosaur for a classmate? If you were a dinosaur, what kind of dinosaur would you want to be?

Book:
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins, published by Hyperion Books for Children
You can check out this book on hoopla!

Flannel:

Five Funny Dinosaurs
Five funny dinosaurs letting out a roar.
One went away, and then there were four.
Four funny dinosaurs munching on a tree.
One went away, and then there were three.
Three funny dinosaurs didn’t know what to do.
One went away, and then there were two.
Two funny dinosaurs having lots of fun.
One went away, and then there was one.
One funny dinosaur afraid to be a hero.
He went away, and then there was zero.
Credit: Storytime Katie

Book:

How Do Dinosaurs Say I’m Mad? written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Mark Teague, published by Blue Sky Press

Song:

“Dino Pokey” (to the tune of the “Hokey Pokey”)
You put your claws in
You take your claws out
You put your claws in
And you scratch ’em all about
You do the Dino-Pokey and you turn yourself around.
That’s what it’s all about.

Additional verses:
You put your feet in/feet out/stomp them all about
You put your horn in/horn out/poke all about
Credit: Kidsparkz 

For a bonus song, check out The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band from hoopla and listen to track five, a fun song called “We are the Dinosaurs!”

Craft:

Clothespin Dinosaur (kits available from the drive-up window or the Youth Services Desk while supplies last)

Supplies:

• 4 clothespins
• 2 googly eyes
• 2 glue dots
• Dinosaur outline
• Crayons or markers
• Scissors

Instructions:

1. Color your dinosaur.
2. Use the glue dots to stick the googly eyes to the dinosaur.
3. Cut out your dinosaur.
4. Color the clothespins.
5. Clip the clothespins to the dinosaur so they look like spikes on the dinosaur’s back!

Credit: Storytime Katie

– Laura, Youth Services Manager

How to Make a Fairy Garden

Have you ever wondered what a fairy’s favorite place would be? Find treasures in your yard and home to make your own tiny fairy garden — maybe a friend with wings will come and visit!

Supplies:

• a flower pot
• rocks
• potting soil
• succulents or flowers
• moss
• doll furniture or accessories
• glitter
• flower petals or anything interesting you find in your garden (I found a strawberry!)

Steps:

1. Put some rocks in the bottom of your flower pot for drainage.
2. Cover with dirt and plant your succulents.
3. Add a path and furniture.
4. Use moss for grass.
5. Add decorations.
6. Add glitter and petals where fairies have been!

Use your imagination to make a unique and magical place, and don’t forget to water the plants when needed! If you enjoyed this activity, we have a lot of fairy books at the library you might love, too!

The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schiltz

Rainbow Magic: Vanessa the Choreography Fairy by Daisy Meadows

The Never Girls: In a Blink by Kiki Thorpe

The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies by Ammi-Joan Paquette

Enchanted Gardening: growing miniature gardens, fairy gardens and more by Lisa J. Amstutz

– Mikaela, Youth Services Assistant

Many children have learning disabilities that can make it harder for them to read a lot and develop strong literacy skills. There are plenty of resources available for them, though, and we’ve created a few lists to help you find books those kids will truly connect with.

To start off, audiobooks are an easy way to keep kids reading, and we have lots of popular titles available as either a Playaway or book on CD. Another route would be to check out some graphic novels. Kids who have a hard time getting through traditional chapter books often find graphic novels more enjoyable and easier to read. Part of why these kinds of books work well is because they break up the text into smaller chunks, and the pictures work as visual cues that help guide the reader through the story. Similarly, the Geronimo Stilton and Thea Stilton books are great for kids who are dyslexic because they feature a variety of font colors and sizes. Here are some other books to look out for that are printed in a dyslexia-friendly format:

Charlie Joe Jackson series by Tom Greenwald

Here’s Hank series by Henry Winkler

Geronimo Stilton series by Elisabetta Dami

Stuck in the Middle of Middle School by Karen Romano Young

Emiline: Knight in Training by Kimberli Johnson

It’s possible for every child to have a positive relationship with books; sometimes it just takes a little more work to find the right stories. Many kids appreciate reading a story with a character they can relate to, so we found ones where the main character has dyslexia or other reading difficulties. Here’s the list:

Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

Back to Front and Upside Down! by Claire Alexander

Two Minute Drill by Mike Lupica

Aunt Morbelia and the Screaming Skulls by Joan Davenport Carris

The Alphabet War: a Story about Dyslexia by Diane Burton Robb

Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco

The Art of Miss Chew by Patricia Polacco

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

My name is Brain Brian by Jeanne Betancourt

– Cindy, Youth Services Assistant

While you can’t come to story time at the library, Miss Sharon brings story time to you! Enjoy books, songs and a flannel board story exploring butterflies. Starting Monday, June 29, stop by the drive-up window at the library to pick up your own DIY butterfly craft, available while supplies last.

Butterfly Butterfly: A Book of Colors  written and illustrated by Petr Horacek

ABC Song

A-B-C-D-E-F-G
H-I-J-K-LMNOP
Q-R-S
T-U-V
W and X
Y and Zee
Now I know my “ABCs”
Next time won’t you sing with me?

Butterfly Colors (flannel board story)

The first to come to the garden bed.

Is a lovely butterfly of brilliant RED.

Then in comes another and that makes two.

Fly right in, my friend of BLUE.

“The garden is fine, the best I’ve see,”

Says the butterfly of softest GREEN.

Our garden needs a sunny fellow,

Fly on in, butterfly with wings of YELLOW.

Little friend of PURPLE, fly in too.

The garden is waiting for a color like you.

ORANGE, orange, you’re waited so long.

Fly right in, where you belong.

Butterflies, butterflies, you’re such a sight!

Flying together-what a delight!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar written and illustrated by Eric Carle

Craft

Pick up a fun foam butterfly craft kit at the drive-up window to decorate!

The Wheels on the Bus

The wheels on the bus go Round and Round,
Round and round,
Round and round.
The wheels on the bus go Round and Round,
all through the town.
(Roll hands around each other)
The wipers on the bus go Swish, swish, swish;
Swish, swish, swish;
Swish, swish, swish.
The wipers on the bus go Swish, swish, swish,
all through the town.
(“Swish” hands in front of you like windshield wipers)

The horn on the bus goes Beep, beep, beep;
Beep, beep, beep;
Beep, beep, beep.
The horn on the bus goes Beep, beep, beep,
all through the town.
(Slap palm in front of you like honking a horn)
The doors on the bus go open and shut;
Open and shut;
Open and shut.
The doors on the bus go open and shut;
all through the town.
(Push hands back and forth in front of you)
The Driver on the bus says “Move on back,
move on back, move on back;”
The Driver on the bus says “Move on back”,
all through the town.
(Point thumb over your shoulder)
The babies on the bus says “Wah, wah, wah;
Wah, wah, wah;
Wah, wah, wah”.
The babies on the bus says “Wah, wah, wah”,
all through the town.
(Rub fists in front of eyes)
The mommies on the bus says “Shh, shh, shh;
Shush, shush, shush;
Shush, shush, shush.”
The mommies on the bus says “Shh, shh, shh”
all through the town.
(Hold index finger in front of mouth as if saying shhh)

– Sharon, Youth Services Specialist