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Matariki Wishing Stars
Today as part of our Matariki celebrations we made wishing stars to hang on our tree. Hiwa-i-te-rangi 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.
First we chatted about Hiwa-i-te-rangi being one of the nine Matariki stars and talked about what some of our wishes might be. I loved listening to all the ideas of the tamariki, and writing everyone’s wishes on their stars. The next step was using dye to decorate the stars and then cutting them out. Once done, we threaded some ribbon through the star and then you proudly hung it on our wishing tree. We will share the stars with our whanau during our upcoming Matariki shared dinner.
Exploration/Mana Aotūroa: will demonstrate an understanding that trying things out, exploring, playing with ideas and materials, and collaborating with others are important and valued ways of learning. Matariki is a group of stars that appears in the night sky in midwinter and shares its name with the celebrations that take place around this time. In the traditional Māori lunar calendar, called the Maramataka, the new year begins with the first new moon after Matariki appears in the sky. It is important for us at Best Start Lynnore that we acknowledge, learn, and teach these wonderful and special times.