Egyptian Hieroglyphic Stone
Use this hieroglyphic writing craft for your unit on ancient Egypt. Children will make their own stone tablet using self-hardening dough or clay and carve out hieroglyphs onto it.

Safety Tips

  • Watch out for this sign Ask for an adult's help. It means an adult's help is needed for the particular step.
Egyptian Hieroglyphic Stone craft

Materials

  • Sand dough, salt dough or self-hardening clay
  • Plastic spoon, plastic knife or
    popsicle stick
  • Clear acrylic sealer or decoupage medium (optional)

Steps

Step 1 Egyptian Hieroglyphic Stone craft Ask for an adult's help1. To create a stone tablet on which you can write hieroglyphs on, you can either use commercial self-hardening clay or make your own sand dough or salt dough. I love using sand dough because it dries into a somewhat gritty stone-like material.

All three materials can be colored by adding a bit of acrylic paint or poster paint. Knead the dough or clay until the color is uniformly dispersed.
Step 2 Egyptian Hieroglyphic Stone craft 2. Take a chunk of dough and flatten it into a slab approximately a half-inch thick. You can use your palms to press on the dough or use a rolling pin or tall bottle to flatten a larger chunk of dough into a wide slab.
Step 3 Egyptian Hieroglyphic Stone craft 3. Cut the slab into a rectangle with a plastic knife or you may just shape the slab with your hands. You don't have to make it perfectly geometric, a little bit of unevenness around the edges makes it look more ancient!
Step 4 Egyptian Hieroglyphic Stone craft 4. Now you can try writing some hieroglyphs like the ancient Egyptians. Carve hieroglyphs onto the dough with a plastic knife, a small popsicle stick or the opposite end of a spoon. Use your little finger or the tip of a pencil to make dots and large depressions.

Below are resources to help you learn more about hieroglyphic writing and ancient Egypt:
Step 5 Egyptian Hieroglyphic Stone craft 5. Allow your hieroglyphic stone to air dry. Turn the stone after a few hours to allow both sides to dry.
Step 6 Egyptian Hieroglyphic Stone craft 6. Once completely dry, you may waterproof your work by coating the entire surface of the stone with clear acrylic sealer, clear varnish, or decoupage medium (e.g. Mod Podge). Set aside to dry.

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