Weston Park Museum

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Last Friday, Dad, Mum and I went for a trip to Weston Park Museum and Weston Park because I wanted to learn about Ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egypt

First, we visited the exhibit about Ancient Egypt, which lasted from 3050 BC- 30 BC. We studied the artefacts including a painted wooden coffin mask, perfume bottles and the scarabs. At first we thought the scarabs were the amulets that protect someone during life and death, but later we found out that the amulets were in the shape of the scarabs which were beetles. Then, we investigated the map of the River Nile, which provided water in Ancient Egypt. Next, we looked at the x-ray of a mummy, whose internal organs had been taken out during mummification. Then, we read about the religion of the Ancient Egyptians. They had over 2000 gods, each having their own symbol. Many gods were half animal and half human. I was very excited when I found out that cats are associated with an Egyptian god because I have a pet cat, Merlin. To finish learning about Ancient Egypt, we looked at the coffins. They both had hieroglyphs and one had two more coffins nested inside and a black liquid stuck to one of the nested coffins.

A photo showing some artefacts on display, including a small turquoise jar and a wooden mask.
A map of the River Nile.
A photo of a boy studying a wall-mounted x-ray.
A photo of some information about Ancient Egypt religion.
A photo of Mum and I looking at a brown coffin.
A photo of the side of a wooden coffin with hieroglyphs, displayed in a glass cabinet.

Peregrine Falcons

After looking at the Egyptians, we went to see the exhibit on my favourite animal, peregrine falcons. These fascinating creatures were virtually wiped out from the UK, but they are making a comeback. In 2012, an artificial nest for peregrine falcons was placed at the top of St George’s Church, Sheffield. This animal is my favourite because it dives faster than any other animal in the world. On our trip, I found out that their dive is called the stoop and that the speed of this dive kills the prey on impact. Next, we read about the peregrine’s flight feathers, which are stiff to stop them changing shape while flying. Then, we looked at the peregrine’s skeleton and its extra large breast bone, which helps the bird to fly extremely fast because large wing muscles can attach.

A photo of a stuffed peregrine falcon in a glass cabinet.
A photo of the model of the artificial nest, showing the gravel base with eggs placed in a dip.
A photo of the six different dark brown, light brown and white wing feathers of a peregrine.
A photo of a peregrine falcon skeleton with the breast bone hanging down.

Weston park

Finally, we went for a walk in the park. We saw some ducks and I raced Dad twice. On the first race, Dad won, but on the second it was a tie.

My Thoughts

I feel like I learnt quite a bit about Ancient Egyptians and their culture. To expand my knowledge of their culture, I am going to research their gods. Also, I now know more about how peregrines are adapted for diving and how their population in the UK has changed. It was a very enjoyable trip; I would definitely like to do it again.