This week we visited the Museum of Man in Balboa Park in San Diego with our unschooling group, the Funschoolers. It was great fun exploring the museum with friends and enjoying a picnic in beautiful Balboa Park afterwards. Currently, the museum has a special exhibit, Modern Day Mummy. The Museum has an actual "modern day mummy" called "Mumab", which is a mummy preserved recently in the 1990s using a donated cadaver of a 70 year old Baltimore man who had donated his body to science. Dr Bob Brier from Long Island University and Ronn Wade, Director at the University of Maryland used the ancient Egyptian techniques of mummification on the body and replicated results similar to those of Tutankhamen.
There are several other fascinating exhibits including an ancient Mayan exhibit, an exhibit about evolution, an ancient Egypt exhibit, one called Strange Bones, a modern science area which includes information about DNA, robotics as well as replicas of early humans in the Footsteps Through Time exhibit.
By far, one of the biggest hits with the kids was the interactive "Discover Egypt" Discovery Center. Lots of great hands-on fun for the kids to play and learn more about Egypt like hieroglyphic puzzles, wooden pyramids, a marketplace, and Egyptian ship and more. We probably could have spent all day in there!
There was a lot to see and it will require a 2nd trip for my family to better take our time and see some of the interesting artifacts that we missed.
The Museum is open daily 10am to 4:30pm. Docent led tours are available as well as homeschool/school and scouts programs.
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