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Hauora at BestStart Lemon Street!
Over the past month ngā tamariki me ngā kaiako have had the privilege of making some rongoa kawakawa - healing kawakawa medicine; from our Rākau Kawakawa (kawakawa tree) in our māra (garden). A story that was read at wā whāriki (Te Rūma Rākau mat time) sparked the interest of our centre.
Tamariki walked through our papa tākaro (playground) looking for heart-shaped rau (leaves) like in the story and luckily enough they found a well-established rākau in our back māra. Making sure the rau were heart-shaped, the tamariki were asked to help perform a karakia (Māori prayer) before taking the rau. Once the karakia was complete, the tamariki remembered from the story that you could only pick the grandparent leaves as one of the tamariki said, "You have to let the mum, dad, and the baby grow".
Once we had enough to fill the jar, tamariki broke up the rau and added some olive oil before putting the lid on the jar. The Kawakawa was left for 5 weeks before the oil was separated from the rau into smaller bottles for ngā tamariki and their whānu to take home. Ngā tamariki develop and gain new knowledge and understanding by actively participating in opportunities that are available to them. The strand of Mana tangata Contribution draws on tamariki's abilities to contribute their own strengths and interests. Looking after our tinana and our hauora using rongoa from our māra has given Tamariki confidence and a positive attitude towards self-care skills and a sense of responsibility for their own well-being.
One of our priorities for learners at BestStart Lemon Street is hauora, as we believe it is imperative for our tamariki to know how to take care of themselves and their bodies.