Pyramids in Paint

Explore the pyramids of ancient Egypt! Travel back in time to recreate scale drawings of the Great Pyramid.

• 1.

  Most pyramids of ancient Egypt were built during the Old Kingdom from about 2664 to 2184 BCE. The pyramids were burial tombs for ancient Egyptian pharaohs, queens, and nobles. Many treasures were buried with Egyptian nobility because they believed these items would be needed in the afterlife. Hidden chambers, passageways, doors, and dead ends inside were designed to foil robbers.

• 2.

  King Cheops, also known as Khufu, had the largest pyramid ever built. It has a square base of 756 feet (230 m) on each side and is 450 feet (137 m) high. This pyramid still stands today and is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The Great Pyramid took 20 years and 100,000 men to build it. It is made of mostly sandstone, which was cut, loaded, and hauled into place. Using ropes, sledges, chisels, levers, and ramps, one layer of block was placed on top of another layer until the pyramid was completed.

• 3.

  Using Crayola® Colored Pencils, draw the Great Pyramid to scale on a piece of white paper. To draw something to scale you must make a smaller unit of measurement represent a larger unit of measurement.

• 4.

  Find out about the inside of the Great Pyramid. Draw the inside view to scale as well.

• 5.

  Ask your teacher to help you find an area of asphalt large enough to draw another, larger-scale drawing of the Great Pyramid, both inside and outside if you have space. Crayola Washable Sidewalk Paint will wash off with a garden hose or rain, but test a s

• 6.

  Measure and plan your scale drawing(s) of the Great Pyramid to fit in the outdoor space. Use the Crayola So Big Brush and paint roller in the kit to paint a scale drawing.

• 7.

  Paints wash from skin with soap and water. Normal laundering procedures remove stains from most cotton, polyester, acrylic fabrics, and their blends. For best results, wash immediately in hot water. Do not use pre-wash products as they may set stains. Sev

• 8.

  Air-dry your drawing. You may preserve your pyramid for others to enjoy, but remove the paint within 2 weeks. Wash surface with the water pressure from a garden hose. Light brushing with a broom or nylon brush may be necessary to remove some paint.

Benefits

• Children research information about the pyramids of ancient Egypt.
• Children draw a small-scale drawing of the inside and/or outside of the Great Pyramid.
• Children draw a larger-scale drawing of the Great Pyramid using Crayola Washable Sidewalk Paint.

Adaptations

• Use Crayola Model Magic to make a 3-dimensional model of the Great Pyramid.
• Research and find out about the mummification and burial process. Write a script that depicts this process and act it out for your classmates.
• Find out which items and noble(s) were buried in the Great Pyramid. Why were these treasures chosen? How were they discovered? Had robbers taken anything?