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Waitangi Day 2020
We have been hard at work in the Manata and Tahuna rooms exploring what Waitangi day means to us, and different ways in which we can celebrate it, even from such a young age.
Every year on 6 February, New Zealand marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. In that year, representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Māori chiefs signed what is often considered to be New Zealand’s founding document. The day was first officially commemorated in 1934, and it has been a public holiday since 1974.
We decided to make our own treaty, and sign it with our hand prints to show what is important to us as a team. We used different phrases and words that we often use, and Edith has done an amazing job in translating these to Te Reo Maori. Alfie's Mum loved that his treaty was based around Kai (his favourite time of day) and Brixton's Mum said that he is understanding more and more Te Reo Maori, and responds to e noho (sit down). Ka Pai to mahi Tamariki!
All of the learning experiences not only give us a strong sense of NZ culture, but link to The Early Childhood Curriculum Te Whariki strand 'Communication' (Mana reo) Children experience an environment where:
» They develop non-verbal communication skills for a range of purposes
» They develop verbal communication skills for a range of purposes
» They discover different ways to be creative and expressive
We also made our own treaties, on authentic paper, just like the treaty of Waitangi was signed on. We made these by dipping tea bags into water. Then we added national New Zealand symbols, such as the Maori flag, using glue sticks.