The Maya

After a fortnight of studying the Aztecs we spent a happy week looking into the Mayan civilisation and their city-states.

Mayan heiroglyphics

The Mayan number system - in lots of twenty.

Lego temples

Learning about the Mayan sun calendar.

"The cycles of celestial bodies, particularly the Sun, form the basis of the Maya calendar. It is no coincidence then that the word for Sun, day, and time are the same, or are very similar to each other in all Mayan languages. To keep track of time, the Maya observed and recorded the yearly cycles of the Sun; including the times of equinoxes, solstices, and the zenith and nadir passages. Sunlight and shadows, as well as the position of the Sun during sunrise and sunset, are recorded in the architecture of the magnificent pyramids, palaces, and other structures of ancient Maya cities to this day. These special times of the year were celebrated with pomp and ceremony in ancient times; and, today, thousands of people, both Maya and non-Maya, visit archaeological sites and witness the relationship between the Sun and the structures of these monumental cities"

Sun temple

Sun snake

We used this website for some brilliant info!

Aztec Chocolate and the Mexican Flag

We've had a busy Aztec sort of week.

We looked into the origins of the Mexican flag: 

Green for Independence and Hope

White for Catholicism and Unity

Red for Unity and the spilled blood of fallen heroes

The eagle on a cactus with a snake in its mouth represents the Aztec origins of Mexico city.

We had a go at the Aztec ball game - only knees, elbows, hips and head to get the ball through a hoop.

After our chocolate tasting fun last week, we delved further into the chocolate world, so valued by the Aztecs, to help with...

...sums...

...Aztec pyramids...

...fractions...

 ...a chocolate survey...

 ...chocolate lollies...

...and chocolate brownies.

YUMMA!!

The Aztecs

We started a new, fun project on the Aztecs this week. The children made super lap-books to gain an initial, basic insight into the culture and timeline of the civilisation.

Chocolate! The Aztecs viewed chocolate as a food for the wealthy in their society. In its liquid form, they poured it to make it frothy, rather than stir it and added honey or chili for flavour. 

We clearly had to try this and the kiddies had a whale of a time creating their own chocolate flavours.

Some of their concoctions were not so nice!

 Tortillas, invented by the Aztecs, for lunch.

The Aztecs used metals in their decorations, masks and jewellery. We made some with plasticine and foil.

We've also tackled Mapwork, History, Maths, Science, English, Spanish and Nature Study this week.

The Aztecs had detailed calendars and timekeeping devices. We made clay sundials, using Aztec patterns and their sungods as a design.

The children spent the rest of the morning making Aztec artifacts.