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Genesis through Deuteronomy & Ancient Egypt Links and Tips
The Links and Tips below are related to our book Genesis through Deuteronomy and Ancient Egypt. This study combines all your students, grades 1–12, for a full year of Bible, history, and geography. Be sure to check back here from time to time because we will be adding new and updated resources related to the book as we get them. If you have some resources that you’d like to recommend, let us know!
Table of Contents
Complete Year’s Book List
See the complete list of books recommended in this study by grade level and with recommendations for where to find each book.
Hands-On Project Ideas
These optional projects can be a fun addition to your study of Ancient Egypt.
Make a Salt Dough Map
Recipe for Salt Dough
Use 1 part salt to 2 parts flour. Usually 2 cups flour and 1 cup salt works well to make a decent-sized map.
Add water a tablespoon at a time until the dough takes on a stiff consistency like cookie dough. Shape and let dry.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This project will take several days to complete. A tentative schedule might look like this.
- Make the salt dough and shape it into a map of Egypt, trying to include the mountain ranges, elevation changes, rivers, lakes, etc. Use a relief map. You can determine just how detailed you want to be. Once the salt dough map is shaped, set it aside and let it dry.Tip: One elevation feature in particular is extremely helpful: make southern Egypt a higher elevation, then slope it gradually lower as you move closer to the Mediterranean Sea. This elevation change helps students understand why southern Egypt was called Upper Egypt and northern Egypt was called Lower Egypt. Without knowing that elevation change, the names sound contrary to the direction on the map.
- Make sure your salt dough map is dry. Then use poster paint to paint all the water parts blue. Depending on the scale of your salt dough map, you may need a very fine brush to paint the Nile River and the Delta.
- Once the blue paint is dry, you can paint the land portions of the map. You probably don’t need to paint all the sand; the salt dough is pretty close to the right color. But you may want to paint the more fertile areas a nice green color.
- Once your map is completely dry, you can label the different regions and water areas if desired. A fine-tip felt marker works well for labeling. If you don’t want to label your map, skip this step. Keep your map accessible while you complete your study of Ancient Egypt.
Storage: An easy way to store your salt dough map is to ask a local pizza shop for a clean pizza box. Build the map on the flat cardboard bottom inside the pizza box. When the map is complete, just close the lid and your salt dough map is protected and stackable on a shelf. You can even label the box.
Shaduf
Take a look at this picture that shows you what a shaduf looks like. You can use a swing set and a long branch or pole, rope, and bucket to make a large working model, or you can use craft sticks and a small dowel rod, string, and a plastic bottle cap to make a table-top working model.
Senet, an Egyptian board game
Here are instructions for making and playing Senet.
Paper Maché Pharaoh Death Mask
Paper Maché Recipes
Mask Instructions
Follow these instructions for making a pharaoh mask. You can use a plastic mask as described or just use a balloon to give the mask shape and pop it when the paper maché is dry. A toilet-paper tube works well for the false beard. Just tape it to the face piece then cover it and the tape with paper maché. Be sure to take pictures of your project! Paper maché doesn’t last forever.
Tabernacle Diagram or Model
Your diagram can be as simple as a sketch on a piece of paper, or you can order a detailed replica model. Check out these sources for models, diagrams, and videos.
Corresponding Maps in Deluxe Then and Now Bible Maps
If you have the Deluxe Then and Now Bible Maps edition, the map numbers will be different from those listed in the lesson plans using Then and Now Bible Maps. The list below should help you find the corresponding maps in the Deluxe version.
| If the lesson lists this map in Then and Now Bible Maps | Use this corresponding map in Deluxe Then and Now Bible Maps |
|---|---|
| Map 1, Middle East – Bible Times | Map 4, Middle East |
| Map 9, Holy Land – Old Testament | Map 11, Holy Land – Twelve Tribes |
| Map 15, Paul’s Journeys | Map 33, Paul’s Journeys |
Links Related to the Older Second Edition of Lesson Plans
Unfortunately, the Oxford First Ancient History book has gone out of print. Happily, the replacement book that Lorene Lambert wrote is much better! You can easily substitute Ancient Egypt and Her Neighbors in the lesson plans. Here are the details for this simple switch.