Tamariki celebrate Matariki
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.
Poll: Is it rude to talk on the phone on a bus?
Buses can be a relaxing way to get home if you have a seat and enough space. However, it can be off-putting when someone is taking a phone call next to you.
Do you think it's inconsiderate for people to have lengthy phone calls on a bus? Vote in the poll, and add your comments below.
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64.4% Yes
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33.2% No
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2.4% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite recipe for gooseberry?
Love gooseberries? Share your favourite way to enjoy them. We're looking for our readers' favourite family recipes for this delicious crop. Send yours to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the magazine, you will receive a free copy of our December 2024 issue.
Lucky Lips performed by Koraunui & Shona Ukulele
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