I am very excited. I am going on a trip to the country of Egypt, which is in the northern part of the continent of Africa. I will be back before too long to share my adventures with everyone! While I am in Egypt, I will be meeting with other principals and visiting schools to see how children learn and teachers teach in a country so far away from the United States! The children in Egypt all speak Arabic when they start school, but begin to learn English as their second language in the first grade. I will also be visiting colleges, museums and some remarkable ancient sites, like the Great Pyramids of Giza and the temple of the mysterious Sphinx! Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this page to see some interesting photos and read some fascinating facts!



Tuesday, December 7, 2010

How to make paper from papyrus plants!

Today we learned how to make paper from papyrus plants.  Papyrus paper has been used in Egypt for thousands of years because it is lightweight, flexible, hard to tear and very easy to make!  Papyrus plants grow near the the Nile River.  This is a photograph I took of the woman who taught us about papyrus.  Read the directions on how to make paper.  Now look at the photo again.  Can you see all the tools and materials she will need to make the paper?  If you can, point them out and name them.

HOW TO MAKE PAPER FROM PAPYRUS
1.  Cut stems of papyrus lengthwise
2.  Soak in water
3.  Place strips side by side horizontally and vertically
4.  The "weaved" layers are rolled out and beaten with a mallet to bond them together
5.  Dry under a heavy press for a few days. 

The paper can be used for writing, for making mats and baskets too.
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4 comments:

  1. maldermanDecember 8, 2010 at 10:00 AM

    Dear Mrs. Napolitano,

    Before we started reading this post we looked at pictures of papyrus on the internet. It looks like it is having a bad hair day! We were able to find all the tools in the picture. Could you please bring back a piece of papyrus paper to show us?

    Mrs. Alderman told us many of the women wear those headscarves. Did you wear one too? Are you going to buy one at the bazaar?

    Thank you for sharing your pictures with us and telling us all about Egypt.

    Love,
    Room 7

    ReplyDelete
  2. Miss Walter's ClassDecember 8, 2010 at 12:01 PM

    Dear Mrs. Napolitano,

    We looked at all of your pictures today. Javano thinks it would be fun to ride a horse in the street. Sammi liked the carved animals at the bazaar. She thinks they have pretty colors. Cooper said that it is a lot of work to make papyrus. He can't believe people use a mallet to make it.

    We hope you are having fun. We love looking and learning about Egypt.

    Love,
    Room 20

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mrs. Donna NapolitanoDecember 8, 2010 at 4:08 PM

    Hi Room 7: The Muslim women here is Egypt wear head scarves for a very different reason than the men in the desert. I learned that they do not cover their heads because of their religion, but because it is the custom and the fashion. Their scarves are beautifully embroidered and very colorful and almost all women and young girls here wear them. They look very beautiful. They also always wear long sleeved blouses and long skirts or pants. I bought some scarves at the bazaar but I wear them on my shoulders! I do have some papyrus to show you all too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mrs. Donna NapolitanoDecember 8, 2010 at 4:10 PM

    Hi Room 20: Thank you for reading my blog and writing to me. Today I visited two schools in Alexandria, Egypt. Tomorrow we are finally going to the pyramids. I will also see the Sphinx, take lots of pictures and FINALLY ride a camel!!!!

    ReplyDelete

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