Aztec WOW Day – Tuesday 16th March 2021, or in the sacred Aztec calendar, the tonalpohualli, eight deer of the flower, in the solar year of nine house!
(Did you know that the Aztecs had two calendars? An agricultural calendar of 360 days plus five very unlucky days, and a sacred calendar of thirteen months, each with twenty days!)
Pialli! And for those of you that do not speak Nahuatl – Hello!
Year 4 had a great time on our amazing Aztec WOW Day, and we have certainly whetted the children’s appetites for the Trinity Term when they will be finding out more about these fascinating people. The day began in a riot of colour as the children entered the House in their bold and bright outfits. After greeting each other with cualli tlanecic (good morning) we headed down to school in an orderly manner, of which the Aztecs themselves would have been very proud!
And so the carousel of activities began:
– An overview of the Aztec civilisation with Mr. Newman.
– Creating headdresses with Mr. Hegenbarth and Miss Ward, using an array of colourful feathers and Aztec patterned ribbon.
– Outside for Aztec warrior drills and a game of ullamaliztli with Mr. Melia.
– A lesson on Nahuatl, the Aztec language, with Mrs. Newman.
– Mr. Moss, Mrs. Stockton and Mr. Brown led the Aztec totem pole building with marshmallows and fruit which was then dipped in Aztec chocolate!
– Aztec calendar making with Mrs. James and Miss Timmins.
It was such a great day, and the children were fabulous. So fabulous in fact, that none of the teachers needed to use the Aztec punishments of pricking children with cactus spines, or holding them over a fire of burning chillies!
Mrs James
