This week, to kick off our Under The Sea Theme for May, we made multiple uses of a mackerel in the name of both art and science. First we used our fishy friend to create Japanese "Gyotaku" prints. During the 1800's before there were cameras, Japanese fishermen created these prints to record the sizes of their daily catches.
The kids had a great time rolling ink onto the fish and pressing newsprint on its body. When we peeled the paper off, we were left with an amazing fishy stamp!
After everyone got a chance to print from our fish, we then talked about fish anatomy. How are fish's bodies different from people? What is the same, if anything? To answer these questions the students carefully gathered round while Ms. Nicky dissected our scaly friend. (If you have a weak stomach, you may want to SKIP our photos this week! The kids took it like champs, though!)
After we dissected the mackerel, we then prepared it for the Egyptian process of mummification. Ancient Egyptians would pay tribute to their dead by removing the body's organs and filling the remains with "natron". We created our own natron in the classroom by mixing 2 parts baking soda with 1 part salt. We then packed our fish's body with the substance, covered the body with even more of it, and then sealed it in a bag. In about a month, we should have a fish mummy of our own!
The kids had a great time rolling ink onto the fish and pressing newsprint on its body. When we peeled the paper off, we were left with an amazing fishy stamp!
After everyone got a chance to print from our fish, we then talked about fish anatomy. How are fish's bodies different from people? What is the same, if anything? To answer these questions the students carefully gathered round while Ms. Nicky dissected our scaly friend. (If you have a weak stomach, you may want to SKIP our photos this week! The kids took it like champs, though!)
After we dissected the mackerel, we then prepared it for the Egyptian process of mummification. Ancient Egyptians would pay tribute to their dead by removing the body's organs and filling the remains with "natron". We created our own natron in the classroom by mixing 2 parts baking soda with 1 part salt. We then packed our fish's body with the substance, covered the body with even more of it, and then sealed it in a bag. In about a month, we should have a fish mummy of our own!