In preparation for our big field trip to the California Science Center for the Mummies of the World and Ecosystems exhibits, we did some experiments with mummy making of our own right here in room 27.

The first experiment was using a rose.  We kept one rose moist for two weeks, while the other rose was buried in sand.  Using your knowledge of how mummies are made, which would you expect to be better preserved?  Here are the pictures:

That’s right!  The rose buried in the sand was better preserved than the one that stayed moist.

Experiment #2 was using peaches.  One peach went into the freezer for two days, then we took it out and left it side-by-side with another peach that had not been in the freezer.  When we checked on them in two weeks, what do you think we found?  Which peach was more mummy-like–the regular peach or the frozen and defrosted one?

That’s right!  The peach that was put in the freezer and then defrosted was more mummy-like!

The third and final experiment was awesome!  We cut open two lemons and rubbed salt inside of one but not the other.  Which lemon do you think was better preserved–the one with salt or without?  Take a look:

Isn’t that a thing of beauty?  I mean, really, who but nature could make such beautiful mold???  Okay, it didn’t smell all that good, but look at those polka dots!  You know this one didn’t have the salt to preserve it.

Both lemons side by side:

So that was it, our fantastic mummy-making adventures in room 27.  Did it whet your appetite to go to the museum and see some real mummies?

YOUR TURN:  What did you learn about mummies or ecosystems on our field trip?  Which items did you most enjoy studying?  Which activities did you most like doing?