The Norman Church of England Primary School, Northwold

The initial theme for Northwold was the chalk that many of the houses in the village were made from. The idea of quarrying for chalk as a building material also made us think about flint, with stimulus from the nearby Grimes Graves. Limestone caves were a natural cross-cultural association, with reference to the extraordinary geology of Mexican cave systems and Mexico's heritage of ancient Mayan mythologies - ancient stone cities, rain gods, and the watery underworld.

The programme for Northwold included a walk through the village to the grounds of a house belonging to one of the school governors, where the children could study different forms of chalk and other building materials and textures. The art activity involved carving chalk fragments with the children's own designs.  For the return visit, artefacts from ancient Mexico were studied, and connections made with Mayan mythology. These were related to the ideas and beliefs of Anglo-saxon times, especially the tradition of ritually depositing treasure in lakes and rivers. In response to this, the children made large 'coins' from press-moulded clay, which they piled on a plate and placed on a ceremonial bier. A 'high priestess' was appointed, and the coins taken to a local stream, where they were thrown in the water with due respect and ritual.

http://www.norman-pri.norfolk.sch.uk/