Discovery Centre: Egypt - Land of Pharaohs, Pyramids and Papyrus

Journey back in time with us to Ancient Egypt these school holidays!

Did you know there were female pharaohs, and that Tutankhamun was a boy king?

Step into the world of secret tombs, mummies, and everyday life in Ancient Egypt these school holidays. Explore the lives and times of the pharaohs, the building of the pyramids and the beautiful art objects made to last for eternity.

Dress up in Egyptian costume and grab a sneaky selfie or peek into the pharaohs treasure laden tomb. 

Discover how the Egyptians built the pyramids, and then try building one yourself. 

Best of all, try writing in hieroglyphs and crack the code to enter the prize draw! 

School holidays activities

Ancient Treasures | $3-$5

Create your own ancient treasure. Use your creativity to decorate one of the Egyptian plaster models to take home. Choose from a bust of Tutankhamun, an Egyptian sarcophagus, a Nile crocodile, a desert scorpion, or an Egyptian carved wall relief.

Cartouche Carving | $3

A cartouche was the way that names of Egyptian Kings and Queens were represented in tombs and on statues. Oval with a line at the bottom their name was then engraved using hieroglyphics. Egyptians didn’t use the Roman Alphabet as we do, instead they drew the words and letters with images. Using a plaster tablet, carve your name using hieroglyphs.

Egyptian Splendor | $3

It is believed that the Egyptians were among the first to use glass in their art and culture. For the Ancient Egyptians, glass was regarded as an artificial semi-precious stone and was a valuable material, most likely only for royalty, and given as presents. Create your own stained glass suncatcher to keep or give as a gift. 

Egyptian Games | Free

The Ancient Egyptians didn’t spend all their time working or preparing for the afterlife, they also liked playing board games. These games often tell us about the way the Egyptians followed their religion and lived their lives. Grab a friend and start playing senet, a game dating back to ancient Egypt. If that’s not your bag there’s plenty of other games and puzzles to choose from.

Pyramid Building | Free

The Ancient Egyptian pyramids are some of the most impressive structures built by humans in ancient times. Many of the pyramids still survive today for us to see and explore. Using a range of materials like wooden blocks, Lego and construction straws see how many different types of pyramids you can build in the Discovery Centre and learn how the Egyptians moved those heavy stone blocks into place with our interactive model.

Workshops

Papyrus, Parchment, Paper | $8 

In this workshop children will learn about the history and methods used in the making of paper. Children will make recycled paper slurry then transform it into sheets of handmade paper using a deckle. They will also explore the methods used by the Ancient Egyptians to create writing materials and the new technologies of using banana waste to create paper products.

Find out more

Participants aged 12 and under must be directly supervised by a parent or guardian.
All required materials are provided.