Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of…You! Get Oriented Activity Index

<< Visitors examine King Tut's mask at the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Egypt. Photo courtesy of Winfield Parks

You've just been hired to design an exhibit for a local museum! Luckily, this exhibit focuses on someone you know very well—yourself! Before you plan your exhibit, you'll be studying the 2005-2007 exhibit "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," about the celebrated life of the "Boy King," pharaoh Tutankhamun ("King Tut").

The curator of a local museum has asked you to design an exhibit highlighting your life. You'll need to choose objects that reflect your life and decide upon the best way to exhibit them. But first, you'd better do some research into how museum exhibits are set up. To do that, you'll be exploring components of the 2005-2007 King Tut exhibit. After researching the Tut exhibit, you can take what you've learned and use the information to design your own exhibit.

Learn About It
Time to do your research about museum exhibits! Check out these websites to learn more about the 2005-2007 King Tut exhibit, hosted by several U.S. museums:

Information about the pieces in the exhibition
Multimedia presentation of images from the exhibition
Fact sheet—key artifacts from the exhibition (PDF, Adobe Reader required)

Think about the following questions as you explore the exhibit:

• What types of things are included in the exhibit? (Photos? Art? Films?)
• Where do most of the artifacts come from?
• What types of artifacts are included?
• Would the way the artifacts are organized impact the picture they paint?
• What various ways could these artifacts be grouped to tell different stories of Tut's life and the Egyptian world in which he grew up?
• Are there certain themes that emerge?
• What do these artifacts tell you about King Tut's life and family?
• How could descriptions of the artifacts impact their meaning?

Using your autobiography and time line, and considering what you learned about the Tut exhibit, think about the types of objects that best represent your life, both in the past, and in the present. Make notes about what types of things you feel should be included. Also include notes about how you think your exhibit should be set up. For example, do you want the exhibit set up so people view your life from birth through the present, or vice versa? Would you like them to first watch home video clips of you at different stages of life, or would you rather have them view artwork you have created? Can you think of any special items that should be showcased on their own, as exhibit highlights?

Do It
Now that you've made your plans, you're ready to design your exhibit! Grab a large piece of grid paper and draw the outline of the type of space you'd like your exhibit to occupy. (For example, would you prefer one large room? A series of smaller rooms? Hallways?) To make your drawing even more accurate, use the boxes on the grid paper to draw the space to scale, with one square being equal to one foot, or one meter, for example. Once you've got your space drawn, mark off the different areas that you will use to display various items from your life. Be sure to indicate on your diagram where the entrance and exit to the exhibit is, and if there is any particular route visitors should take through the displays. To organize the exhibit, you might want to designate different areas with the theme or timeframe of your life they will address. Remember to showcase special items in their own space, so visitors don't miss them.

Label each item and also groups of items to explain how they represent parts of your life. You might also write an introduction to the whole exhibit. If you really want to be creative, write the script for a tour guide to take people through the exhibit.

Younger Xpeditioners: Gather ten things that you feel best represent you and your life. Create a small exhibit in your room using these items. Use index cards to write brief information explaining the importance of each item and display these cards beneath the items. Invite your parents, siblings, and friends to tour your exhibit.

Make a list of five items from the King Tut exhibit and try to think of five corresponding items from your life. What do you and King Tut have in common? What things were displayed in his exhibit that you would not find in yours?

Older Xpeditioners: Consider sharing your exhibit with your class. You could do this in one of many ways.

• Create a bulletin board display with the diagram of your exhibit, the list of its components, your autobiography, your time line, and photographs or drawings of each item in the exhibit.
• Find a space in your school or library to display your exhibit (be sure to get permission, first). Gather the components from your list and set them up according to your plans.

Parents: Encourage your children to reflect upon their lives as they create their exhibits. Parents, spend time together looking through their baby books, family photos, or boxes of old toys and clothes. Educators, reflect on their growth in the learning environment. Talk about their many accomplishments and help them think of items to include.

Be sure to remind children not to include personal information (such as their address, last name, or phone number) if they will be displaying their exhibit in a public place (like the library).