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Poipoia te Kakano kia Puawai

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With the arrival of February, Waitangi Day was fast approaching at Best Start Cornwall Street. The kaiako in the toddler room decided it was important to recognise and celebrate Tiriti O Waitangi. What better way than offer the toddler tamariki a chance to create their very own treaty!

To begin this project, the kaiako held a mat time around the topic: A brief discussion around Tiriti O Waitangi and the importance of this day for Aotearoa, New Zealand. The tamariki were then encouraged to come up with some ideas that they would add to their treaty: ways they treat their friends and what they do/don’t do in the environment. It was fantastic to hear the wonderful ideas the tamariki had. Some of these included being gentle to their friends, using walking feet inside and taking care of their belongings.

Following on from the mat time discussion, the tamariki got to work creating a large paper scroll. Using brushes, sponges and tea stain, they covered the paper from top to bottom. This gave our scroll an old-fashioned look – a perfect replica of the original! Next, the kaiako carefully wrote out the children’s ideas onto the scroll. It was important to the kaiako that Te Reo was included so that this document reflected the centre’s commitment to tangata whenua.

As well as promoting self-expression and creativity, this project allowed the tamariki to begin to gain an understanding of Tiriti O Waitangi. They were able to build on their skills in working with others while also develop the knowledge that their ideas are recognised and valued. What a fun project this was and a fantastic way to celebrate our special national day.