Farmers in ancient Egypt used shadufs to help them lift water from the Nile. Fifth graders made working models of shadulfs.
The Nile River helped Egypt become the richest civilization in the ancient world. As part of their study of ancient Egypt, fifth graders have been studying how irrigation in Egypt worked. Using sticks and rocks gathered in the Pine Grove, modelling clay, string, paper cups, and cardboard, they created models of the shadufs that were used by farmers in ancient Egypt. Working in pairs or in groups of three, the students built the shaduf and then tested it. The hardest parts were making sure the sticks would stand up and that the cup/bucket could reach the water. Using a tub of water the models were tested and improved if necessary.