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The secrets of Egypt unveiled
"We did something very similar last time with dragon-ology," children's librarian Mary Lou Shick said. "It was very popular with the kids."
The Tuesday evening classes will be based on two separate books. The first book, titled "Egyptology: Search for the tomb of Osiris," is a hands-on interactive book, a favorite with kids of all ages. This work of fiction is based on Miss Emily Sands who led an expedition up the Nile River in search of the tomb of Osiris. The cover features a raised Horus Hawk pendant encrusted with three "jewels." The book contains information and items from Sands' expedition, and includes fun items such as a piece of "mummy cloth" the children can look at and touch; a game of Senet, which is an ancient game similar to checkers; and a section on how to read hieroglyphics.
"It will be sort of like show-and-tell," Shick said. "We'll have activities with every chapter."
The second book, also a work of fiction, is Sands' "journal" that she kept for her niece and nephew to read. It chronicles her expedition, giving them an understanding of the wonders of Egypt.
"Many of the kids that will be taking the classes already have these books," Shick said.
She added that the library does have copies of the books that will be used for the classes.
"There is just so much that can be learned," Shick stated. "We'll be taking different topics that will cover things that they would learn in school. We'll touch on topics like math, geology and geography, and they'll also be learning other skills. It's like painless learning."
The Wednesday classes will be of a different nature, rotating weekly between different art and writing activities, all with an Egyptian theme.
"The classes will alternate between art and writing," Shick said. "They'll work with Egyptian scarabs and do drawings of Egyptian gods, and then also do different writing assignments."
Students can take both sets of classes or just one if they prefer, the beneficial aspect is that the students need not attend weekly if their busy schedules conflict.
"A lot of the kids are involved with sports and things," Shick said. "The classes are very flexible. If you miss one week, you can still jump right in. All the classes stand alone."
Librarian Jamie Falo commented on the excitement generated by these classes.
"The kids are really excited about this," Falo said. "Some of them are really interested in the subject matter, and a lot of them have things that they want to bring."
In addition to the featured books, the library has an array of Egypt-related materials. A display is set up in the lobby area.
The Tuesday classes will be from 6 to 7 p.m.; the Wednesday classes, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. All classes are free.
There is also a special presentation planned for a future Saturday, which will include a public display of Egypt-related items and an oral presentation.
For information on the classes, call the library at 724-547-3850.
