LATEST STORIES
Embracing the Legend of Okatia
Following on from Matariki, the tamariki in the centre have continued to be fascinated by our Māori myths and legends. We wanted to expand on this great passion for te ao Māori that our tamariki have been expressing.
Our centre thought that a fun and interesting way to encourage and expand this interest was to create a provocation around a myth from our local iwi Rangitāne about the Tupua Okatia who in his journey to reach the sea carved the Manawatū Gorge. We decided to create a set of resources for each of the classrooms in our centre, where each room would have its very own Okatia made from driftwood sourced from the Manawatū river, the faces sculpted with modelling putty, and then painted.
It has been amazing to see how the tamariki have responded to these resources! The tamariki have loved exploring the story of Okatia through these resources and learning about the Manawatū and has sparked a passion not just for te ao Māori in many of our tamariki, but also a passion for artistic mediums like clay sculpting and woodwork as well.
These resources have also garnered an incredible response from our whānau who love that their tamariki are getting exposed to te ao Māori and that the myths and legends that make Aotearoa New Zealand such a unique place are being brought to life.