Virtual Book Tour: Day 23

Black pharaohs in Egypt, ancient empires of gold,
royal caravans to Timbuktu;
R is for African Roots
and the glories that Africa once knew.
-from D is for Drinking Gourd: An African American Alphabet






In great cities such as Timbuktu, many people were well educated and enjoyed a wealthy lifestyle. Kings and rulers were among the wealthiest of all. They dressed in splendid clothes, wore beautiful jewelry, held fancy swords, and sometimes carried scepters made of gold.




MAKE A KING'S SCEPTER
Materials
(Adult supervision required)
Scissors
2 paper bowls (plastic or Styrofoam do now work as well)
2- or 3-foot long cardboard tube from gift wrapping paper
Glue
Styrofoam ball about 2 inches in diameter
Gold acrylic craft paint
Paint brush

Use the scissors to carefully cut a hole in the bottom center of each bowl. The holes should measure the same size as the diameter of the cardboard tube. Slide the two bowls, rims facing each other, onto one end of the cardboard tube, about 1/4-inch down from the edge. Use a small amount of glue to hold them in place. Glue the rims of the bowls together. Allow to dry.

Glue the Stryofoam ball onto the cardboard tube, just above the bowls. Paint the entire scepter gold.
-from A Kid's Guide to African American History

Coming tomorrow:
On Day 24 of my Virtual Book Tour, I'll post photos of the African Burial Ground in New York City. My family and I visited this historic site last June, while the memorial was still under construction.