I recently re-read the Biblical story of Joseph, who eventually became the Pharoah’s advisor in Egypt. I’ve never been to Egypt, but the images the story evoked – the ornately embroidered robes and jewelry, gold plates and cups, the hot desert, and camel trains – inspired me to teach my kids about this exotic African country.

“And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck. And he made him ride in his second chariot.”  – Genesis 41:41-43

For World Geography Wednesday, we started by watching “Egypt: Mummies – Travel Kids in Africa” about two kids visiting the capital city Cairo. My son and daughter were wide-eyed watching them mummify a toy cat after buying all the spices they needed in the bazaar. I’m not sure they’ll ever look at their own stuffies the same way again!

(If your kids are old enough, you could also watch “The Mummy Returns”, rated PG-13. It’s fictional but has beautiful imagery of Egypt.)

Then we looked at Arabic letters and pulled out our maps of Northern Africa, Egypt, the Nile River, and Cairo. One book I highly recommend for kid-friendly geography facts is “The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid”. Before bed, we read “Mummies in the Morning” by Mary Pope Osborne.

Here are some random facts about Egypt:

1. Honey was used as currency in ancient times.

2. Watermelon was Egypt’s first recorded crop (hence the dessert we chose).

3. Archaeologists recently discovered the coastal city Heracleion which had sunk into the Mediterranean Sea.

4. Cleopatra was actually Greek.

5. The 365-day, 12-month calendar was invented by Egyptians.

Egyptians also invented eyeliner. Both women AND men of high status wore it, not just to look better but also to protect them from wrinkles formed by constant exposure to the desert sun, wind, and heat. (I’m not sure how it would accomplish that, but OK.)

Enough research, it’s time to eat! I dusted off my “jeweled” goblets and “gold” chargers for this meal, and the kids got a kick out of it! They even volunteered to help me cook, which they don’t normally do.

Foodie Police Disclaimer: I usually simplify recipes to make it possible to prepare these meals on a school night. Have mercy on me! The idea is just to give my kids a general understanding of Egyptian food.

Drinks and Nibbles

Mint tea is a staple in Northern Africa, so I made iced mint tea.  Considering I normally serve them water with meals, they loved this sweet, fresh drink.

Our starter was baked feta-cheese balls, called gebna makleyah. They were fiddly to make and the cheese I used wasn’t very strong, but they were good. I served them with honey-nut pitas, which my kids made me promise to make again soon.

Main Course

The main course was beef shish kebabs. We marinated the beef overnight in Egyptian spices and onions. My kids helped with the assembly the next day and got to choose their own kebabs for supper. It was fun! I made biram ruz on the side, a rice dish baked with heavy cream.

I served the kebabs with basil pesto hummus, mostly because we grow our own basil and the kids adore it. You could always just use regular hummus – it’s all good! I’ve included the recipe below in case you’re interested.

Dessert

After the heavy beef, rice, cheese, and hummus, it was refreshing to have a light watermelon sherbet for dessert.

Basil Pesto Hummus

INGREDIENTS:

bunch of fresh basil leaves

handful of pine nuts

olive oil

salt

store-bought hummus

TOOLS:

small food processor

rubber spatula

PROCESS:

Pull all the basil leaves off the stems and discard the stems. Wash the leaves and pat them dry with paper towels.  Put the leaves into the food processor, being careful not to cut yourself when you push them down.  Add a handful of pine nuts, a drizzle of olive oil, and salt.  (If you’re making pesto for pasta, you would also add parmesan cheese at this time. I don’t use it with hummus.)

Turn on the food processor and chop everything until it’s finely minced, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed. Add a little more olive oil if it gets too pasty.  Taste it and add more salt if necessary. Once it’s ready, spoon it on top of your hummus and serve.

I hope you enjoyed this article on teaching kids about Egypt! Follow me for more kid-friendly geography ideas.