We thought this would be something he could do himself with minimal assistance from one of us as it was clay. It wasn't. The "clay" was very hard and I had to do most of the digging with the blunt end of the included tool. My son had a ball using the brush to help (and that was actually very useful we got a slightly larger paintbrush and things went a little faster). The items were all stacked together so they were difficult to remove. While I was annoyed with the process, the little guy thought the whole thing was fantastic and spent an hour with the brush cleaning everything off and looking at his treasures. We "translated" hieroglyphs that were on the tablet we'd uncovered, which was kind of cool too.
You can save the clay, mash it up, and recast it as a pyramid or a sphinx (the kits come with different doo-dads in the clay and different molds I'm assuming it's a "collect all three!" type deal). We're looking forward to that. This is why I gave it a high "durable" rating you can recast as often as you wish.
When we were done, my son looked at the box and saw the ad for the "Mayan Dig!" and asked what that meant. We went to the internet and looked up the Mayans and now he's asking to go to the library to get books. In and of itself the toy isn't very educational, but it does lead to questions and looking up answers, so I gave it a high rating there.
If you have an inquisitive kid with an interest in ancient cultures, this is a worthwhile item.
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We went to the King Tut exhibit this summer, and I thought this would be a good addition to what my daughter had learned. She really enjoyed it, it just went very quickly. The only negative thing she said was that they buried all the stuff together. The book was informative, the artifacts were interesting, and she enjoyed chipping away at the items in the block. If archeology is your child's "thing" this is a good toy to check out.Best Deals for GeoSafari Buried Treasure Digs: Egyptian Dig.
Our grandchildren, ages six and 13, were delighted to "excavate" their sand blocks and find the four Egyptian "artifacts" hidden inside. They learned new words; were introduced to a remarkable civilization that existed for thousands of years, and loved the treasures they found.This product was a fun way to peek their interest in the Egyptians, and when this subject comes up in school they will already have some positive experience that I am sure will boost their interest to pay attention!
For a more extensive Egyptian project try the Slinky Brand Experiment #156, "Our Amazing Mummies". This kit has a very informative brochure, and the project involves using a plaster-of-Paris mould to make two mummies, a small amount of sanding, painting, measuring and cutting small strips of linen. Kids get to practice several skills, which makes this kit is a favorite mine.
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I just have to tell you how wonderful this product is! I gave it to my 8 ½ year old daughter for Christmas (as she is a huge fan of all things ancient Egyptian) and she chose to do it right away over Christmas break. I expected the "buried treasure" to be little plastic trinkets how pleasantly surprised I was to see the quality of the artifacts. The background booklet was well-written and provided just enough education to keep it interesting, but not so much that she was rolling her eyes at the end. Her enthusiasm as she discovered each piece was so exciting to watch, my husband and I kept being called in to see the latest "find". Then she completed the data cards, telling the rest of the family all about her find. The best part was the hidden messages within the hieroglyphics that appeared on each piece! What a bonus.I only downgraded it a little on durability as some children may have trouble using the tools to dig out the artifacts since the tools are plastic. However, had they been stronger, I could see some parent writing in complaining about providing a weapon to kids. The tools worked well for the job and may even have created more anticipation.
The entire excavation, data collection, research/background and translation filled the better part of an otherwise grey rainy morning. The next day, she and Dad re-cast the sand into the included forms of the Sphinx and pyramid, which provided even more discussion and educational, hands-on activity while school was out. Overall, this wonderful little box provided hours of excitement. I was very impressed at the quality and value of this purchase.
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I purchased this set for my 7yr old grandson. I love ancient history, and wanted to share my passion with him. He loved this kit, and we had great fun 'digging' for the artifacts. Now he wants to know more about Ancient Egypt. Worth the cost and more. Love that you can reset the artifacts and dig again!
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