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Celebrating Matariki at BestStart Cranford Street
We were very lucky here at BestStart Cranford street to have some of our parents come and join us for a Matariki Feast/Celebration last week. In the Extension room the children made a vegetable soup together, which they shared with their parents for an afternoon tea, while in Preschool all of the parents bought a plate of food that represented their own culture and everyone shared in this feast for afternoon tea.
During the preschool celebration each of the teachers held a short 5 minute mat time so the parents could see how each teacher did their own mat times, and what they were most passionate about. Winnie engaged the children in meditation, while Jess engaged the children in some songs and a story about mindfulness and Melissa did a few of the preschools favourite songs and stories with the children too.
Here at BestStart Cranford street, we pride ourselves on our determination to promote a wide range of cultural celebrations and understand the meanings behind them as we teach our children about the wider world.
Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. It rises in mid-winter and for many Māori, it signals the start of a new year. Matariki is a celebration of people, culture, language, spirituality and history. Quite often the celebration will involve a Matariki feast, where whānau come together to share stories, songs, and food.
Throughout the centre there are displays from what we did during the week of Matariki celebrations so that anyone who visits our beautiful centre are able to see what the children created and learnt.