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Matariki at BestStart Morrinsville
We have been rather busy lately preparing for our Matariki celebrations. We have been busy making some pretty magical decorations, preparing vegetables, making invitations, and talking about what Matariki means to us. All of the kaiako planned a range of experiences leading up to the Matariki evening that represented each star of the Matariki cluster. We had experiences where the tamariki made some yummy fruit and hung them on the beautiful tree in our window. This tree also acted as our remembrance tree where whaanau could write the name of their loved ones on a pohutukawa leaf to then hang on the tree.
On the day of the Matariki evening, tamariki had the opportunity to make a yummy pumpkin soup with the veges that our whaanau donated. Tamariki also had the chance to prepare the vegetables before they got put into the haangii to be cooked. The tamariki were so excited to tell their whaanau about the soup and haangii they helped make at dinner time! Over the evening, tamariki were excited to watch, share, and talk about a slideshow that was created to show what we have been doing over the past year. This has allowed tamariki and kaiako to share the fun times with whaanau and the memories we have made over the past year.
The tamariki also had fun exploring a rain and wind room that was created for the event as well as generally playing with their friends and older siblings. This Matariki event was a fantastic opportunity for whaanau to come together and celebrate the upcoming Maaori New Year and reflect on the year that has been.