Kawakawa tea

For the last two weeks our tamariki have been learning about the many medicinal properties of the Kawakawa plant. It grows in abundance in our Rongoa garden, and we have been lucky enough to use it to make Kawakawa tea! Kawakawa tea is a gentle, refreshing drink which is very simple to make.

The kids recognise that, as kaitiaki (guardians), we must respect the tikanga around our plants and ensure that we look after them in the correct way. This includes doing a karakia to give thanks before harvesting; choosing leaves carefully and not taking the younger ones; only taking what we need; and returning anything that may be left over to the bottom of the plant to provide it with nutrients to keep growing.

The verdicts on the tea were mixed - half the children loved the little taste they got, while the other half weren't too sure at all about it!

Whanau koru art

Over the last few weeks in Nga Ringa Awhina, we have been learning how to introduce ourselves in Te Reo Maori. As part of this we have been creating art based around our whanau. We have used koru to represent different members of our families, and included small mihimihi (introductions) with our work. 

Here are a few from one of our Kauri classes - ka mau te wehi Room 22!

Traditional karakia

We begin each wānanga (time for learning) with a traditional karakia, shared with us by Whaea Shannon. It is a karakia which acknowledges the world around us, and brings us all together. We are currently learning to sing it, and will include a clip when we feel we're good enough at it!