The learners in Year 2 celebrated Matariki, through new learning about the special occasion, the cultural significance of the celebrations and by adding to their Te Reo vocabulary.
We read lots of Matariki stories and legends and we learned about all the individual stars in the cluster. Children talked about their families and how they celebrate Matariki or other special events, about traditions and special kai shared with the whanau.
We have explored Matariki through Art and children practised drawing koru patterns, they learned about the meaning behind special Maori patterns and drew symbols representing the connections between the stars and our environment. We had lots of fun learning and performing the Matariki Macarena, the best way to remember the names of the seven stars.
Matariki is a time for new beginnings, and we took the opportunity to reflect on our learning so far and to set goals for the rest of the year. Learners have discussed and written about what they would like to achieve in terms of learning and what are some of their physical and social goals (being fit and healthy, making new friends, showing care and kindness towards others).
Learning about and celebrating Matariki was one of the highlights of the term for our students in Year 2. Happy Matariki!
