Waiti and Waita

 Waitī & Waitā

Waitī is a whetū in the Matariki cluster. It is the star connected to freshwater: springs, streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands and the plants and animals that live in freshwater.

Waitā is a whetū in the Matariki cluster. It is the star connected with the oceans and marine conditions and represents the many types of food gathered from the sea.

Matariki, Pōhutukawa and Hiwa-i-te-rangi

The three stars we are learning about is:

Matariki, Pōhutukawa, and Hiwa-i-te-rangi.

• We learned that the Matariki star cluster is visible in other countries too. They just have a different name.
• Matariki is known by many other names around the world, such as:

• • Pleiades (Greek and English speaking countries) 

  • Seven Sisters (Greek mythology) 

  • Messier 45 (Croatia) 

  • M45

  • Krittika (India) 

  • Subaru (Japan)

  • Mao; The Hairy Head of the White Tiger (China)

  • Mul Mul (Babylonian)

  • Freyja’s Hends (Norse mythology the Vikings

We learned about the mum star and decide to link it to a whakataukī : 

Tukua kia tu takitahi nga whetu o te Rangi

Let each star in the sky shine it’s own light

Look at our beautiful art!!

We have learnt that the star in the cluster of Matariki named Pohutukawa represents those who have passed away. At Matariki we remember them. This is what we have made to remember our loved ones. Weaving stars.

Hiwa-i-te-Rangi is the youngest star in the Matariki cluster.

Hiwa-i-te-rangi is the star that is connected to the promise of a prosperous season. It is also known as the wishing star. Māori traditionally would use this star to set their desires and dreams for the year, commonly known now as New Year’s resolutions.
You can look upon this star to set goals and resolutions for the year to come.

We made a wishing tree and everyone wrote their wishes on the tree. 

Play dough, Robots, and Sharing the Joy of Creativity

Learning all about letter Rr

Learning the alphabet can be a lot of fun, especially when you're exploring a cool letter like 'R.' We recently had a great time learning about 'R' at GTS, and here's how we did it! 

To begin our 'R' learning journey, we incorporated a hands-on approach using play dough. Play dough is not only a fantastic sensory experience but also a fantastic tool for reinforcing the shape and formation of letters. We rolled, moulded, and manipulated the play dough to create the letter 'R.'  This helped us understand what 'R' looks like and how to write it.

 

But we didn't stop there! We wanted to be super creative, so we decided to make robots using recycled stuff like old cardboard boxes, bottle caps, and a variety of other recycled materials. It was like a big arts and crafts project. Each robot we made had something special about it.

After we finished making our unique robots, we wanted to show them off to everyone in our school. So, we had a little walking exhibition where we displayed our cool robots to each class. It was awesome to see how different and creative our robots turned out to be.

Perhaps the most heartwarming part of this journey was the involvement of our senior students.  Their genuine interest in the projects, the thoughtful questions they asked, and the encouragement they provided made the little ones feel like amazing artists. 

In the end, learning 'R' was not just about reading and writing. It was about having fun with play dough, using our imaginations to create robots, and sharing our creativity with others. Learning can be exciting when we get to be creative and share with friends. The letter 'R' is now our favourite letter!

 

 

Exploring the Stars: Matariki-inspired Star Patterns

 Stars have always fascinated humans with their twinkling beauty in the night sky. For generations, people from various cultures have looked up to the stars for guidance, inspiration, and storytelling. In New Zealand, the Māori culture celebrates a special cluster of stars known as Matariki, which signals the start of a new year and the winter season. 

During Term 3 will explore the Matariki star cluster, its cultural significance, and how we can use it as a foundation for teaching and learning. We'll also share a fun activity of creating star patterns and extending them further, allowing young minds to engage with math and cultural awareness.

For the Māori people, Matariki holds immense cultural significance. It's a time for reflection, celebration, and connecting with the land and community. During this time, families come together, share stories, sing songs, and learn about their ancestors and traditions.

Matariki offers a rich platform enabling young learners to explore multiple facets of learning.

Mathematical Thinking: Creating star patterns involves spatial reasoning and geometry. Students can experiment with shapes, sizes, and angles while developing problem-solving skills.

Creativity: Students can express their creativity by designing unique star patterns, enhancing their fine motor skills and imagination.

Creating Matariki-inspired Star Patterns

Materials Needed: Geometrical shapes

While they work on their star patterns, discuss the shapes they are creating (e.g., triangles, squares, pentagons) and how these shapes relate to the stars in the night sky. How can you extend the pattern further?

Finally, students share their star patterns, talk about what they learned.

As educators and parents, let's continue to inspire our youngest learners to reach for the stars, both in the sky and in their quest for knowledge and understanding. Happy Matariki!

    

This little learner struggled with the more structured learning environment, he often does not participate in learning activities. Celebration time!!! He participated and did an amazing job!!
So proud of him - just goes to show the importance of hands-on activities and learning through play is.