Last Thursday, our Jones Crescent Kindy community came together for a joyful and meaningful Matariki celebration filled with waiata, dancing, games, laughter and delicious shared kai.
Our tamariki warmly welcomed their whānau with “Tēnā Koutou”, followed by wonderful performances including “I Saw a Taniwha,” “Kina Kina,” “Ururangi,” “Tāwhirimātea,” and “The Night Stars of Matariki.” They had practised for many weeks and were so proud and excited to perform for their families. It was beautiful to see their confidence, concentration and happiness shining through.
We were also lucky to enjoy some sunshine, which allowed us to move outside for our exciting games. The tug-of-war brought lots of fun and friendly competition, with the girls’ team taking the win this year!
We also had a great challenge between our mums and dads, with plenty of cheering and laughter from everyone.
Another highlight was our te reo Māori colour-picking game. Each whānau was given a colour in te reo Māori and worked together to find five matching pebbles around the playground. This was a fun way for tamariki and whānau to learn and use Māori language while strengthening teamwork and communication.
Through this celebration, our tamariki were supported to use language to connect and communicate with others, while also building caring relationships with their friends, kaiako, whānau, and wider kindy community.
We finished our celebration with a beautiful shared lunch, enjoying delicious food and precious time together.
A huge thank you to all our amazing whānau for joining us, supporting our tamariki, and making this celebration so special.