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Planting in Matariki
At BestStart Murphy's Park, we celebrated Matariki (Māori New Year). Matariki is a time of transition and remembrance. Our Tamariki were engaged in a variety of learning experiences to learn about what is Matariki and why we celebrate it.
One of these experiences was gardening and planting. We did this to acknowledge Matariki, which is a star cluster that indicates it is the start of planting season. Traditionally, if the stars overhead are bright and clear, it indicates a favourable growing season. We planted kumara, cabbage, and carrots.
During this, tamariki learnt to take responsibility while caring for plants and developing an understanding as they learnt about cause and effect (for example, plants die without water and weeds compete with plants). They also developed self-confidence by achieving their goals and enjoying the food they have grown. Through this activity, tamariki grew a love of nature and experienced a chance to learn about the outdoor environment in a safe and pleasant place while respecting Papatuanuku (our mother earth) and their natural environment.
Beststart Murphys Park is a centre that gives tamariki the opportunity to ignite their curiosity and explore our safe natural beautiful outdoor play space.