Articles

In July the centre’s focus was on learning more about Matariki, the Māori New Year. Matariki is a time of remembrance, to come together and celebrate and share kai. At the centre, Kaiako were supporting children’s sense of culture and identity through each room learning more about Matariki and what Matariki means.

This year was the second year of the centre hosting a Matariki Disco and the Tamariki were excited for our Disco! Kaiako asked whānau to bring in a vegetable so the Tamariki in Pohutukawa Room could make vegetable soup for our Disco night. The Tamariki took great pride and sense of responsibility as they helped Teresa our cook peel the vegetables that were going to be made into a soup that they and their families were going to be able to enjoy.

We have been reading stories about sharing food and coming together as whānau, which has stemmed great conversations between Kaiako and Tamariki around who is coming to our Matariki Disco.

In preparation for the disco, ngā Tamariki have been making Matariki Lanterns for us to hang up on the night of our Disco. To make these, Tamariki used tin cans, water hammer and nails. Children filled the cans with water, and when frozen, we were able to use hammer and nails to create holes for the light to shine through.

We have also been exploring the Māori legend, ‘The Seven Sisters of Matariki’, and ngā Tamariki have been able to retell the story through making their own kites using popsicle sticks and match sticks. The Tamariki were so proud of their mahi.

Our Matariki Disco was a great success, ngā Tamariki, danced, sang, enjoyed kai together and celebrated together with whānau. Having moments like this where Tamariki and whānau can come together at the centre is apart of our philosophy, with the importance of whanaungatanga. We cannot wait for our next whānau event!