2264 days ago

Tamariki celebrate Matariki

Barnardos Home-Based Early Learning - Upper Hutt

Matariki, the Māori New Year, is an important festival that is both the name of the Pleiades star cluster and also a marker of the beginning of the new year. We have been celebrating this awesome event through our group time at playgroup and music group.
As we did our weaving with natural materials, we talked about the role that the stars play and how they can be used to tell us when to harvest our crops. We talked about if the stars were bright next seasons crops would be plentiful because it would be warmer.

As tamariki worked with their own creations, we were able to talk about Matariki. We shared the lovely wisdom of this celebration and what this was about – how Matariki means the eyes of God and by flying kites/pākau. Flying kites was seen as a way for them to reach out to the Gods.

We talked about the cluster of stars and the celebrations in the community for Māori New Year as the tamariki manipulated their ow created star mobiles while other had fun with black starry playdough.

More messages from your neighbours
3 hours ago

Can you crack Today’s neighbourhood conundrum?

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

Without a bridle or a saddle, across a thing, I ride a-straddle. And those I ride, by help of me, though almost blind, are made to see. What am I?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

Image
14 days ago

This one was sent in by your fellow neighbour, can you figure it out?

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

What is first white then red and the plumper it gets the more the old lady likes it?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

Image
21 hours ago

Hutt Heritage.

Sandra from Normandale

Hutt River Lower Hutt NZ.

Image