The ancient Egyptians believed that after death, your body would travel through the spirit world to a new life. Mummification was a necessary part of preserving and protecting the body to guide it through the spirit world to be reunited with its soul for the next life. During the process, the ancient Egyptians would remove the organs and preserve them in canopic jars before drying the body with a substance called natron. After 70 days, they wrapped the body in linen and covered it with a canvas shroud. The body was placed into an intricately carved sarcophagus and the face covered with a mummy mask, said to resemble the person in life, in preparation for the ceremony to start the person on their journey through the afterlife.
To create a mummy, you will need to make your own batch of natron. Mix 1/2-cup salt, 1 cup powder bleach and 1 cup of baking soda in a large plastic food storage bag. This should make plenty for an "apple mummy," but if you choose to try a chicken or game hen instead, multiply the recipe as needed. A craft stick or rubber gloves come in handy for handling your mummy.
If you are using an apple, carve a face on one side of it and poke a craft stick in one end as a handle. If you are making a poultry mummy, put on your rubber gloves. Place the apple, chicken or game hen into the bag of natron and roll it around in the mixture until it is well-coated, inside and out. Bury it completely within the natron and set the open bag in a warm dry place. Watch it for two weeks (or more for the poultry) to observe the drying process.
Take pictures at each stage of preparation to document the changes that take place with your apple or poultry. Write a paragraph explaining that the natron eliminates the moisture that normally causes bacteria growth and decay. Remember that after undergoing this process the food is no longer edible. Wrap your dried mummy in cloth strips as the ancient Egyptians and make a mummy coffin in which to display the "body" at the science fair.