Course of the Mummy: Children get a taste of University life

A mummy-making, treasure-finding activity day for 30 eager primary school children took place at St Catharine's and St John's Colleges, Cambridge, yesterday, introducing the young participants to a taste of University life. Schoolchildren from five primary schools in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk were invited to visit the two colleges and take part in a day of hands-on activities spear-headed by the University's Community Affairs team. The pilot scheme was organised in partnership with the National Education Trust, an independent foundation which works with schools on projects and initiatives intended to improve the quality of education across the country. Organisers hope the day-long introduction to the University and some of the subjects that are studied here will help to raise the aspirations and ambitions of the pupils who took part, by encouraging them to develop an interest in higher education at a relatively early stage in their school careers. The children threw themselves into an array of activities with Egyptology, anthropology and archaeology themes; mummifying each other with reams of toilet roll and making their own lucky charms at St Catharine's. They also took part in a discussion on pyramids and monuments with Sarah-Jane Harknett from the Museum of Archaelogy and Anthropology. In the afternoon, they investigated the treasures of the Old Library at St John's College, examined books over 400 years old, and saw some genuine Egyptian artefacts from the Library's special collections, including the ushabti, ancient funerary figures, a scarab ring and papyrus fragments.