Connecting Matauranga Māori to our living world science learning.

All the stars in the Matariki cluster have a special meaning.  Auckland University of Technology have a page that explains the meanings of all the stars.  The ones that are pertinent to our learning this term are described below.  

Matariki, the first star.  This star is connected to health and wellbeing and is often viewed as a sign of good fortune or health to come in the following year.  If the cluster and the Matariki star is bright and high in the sky, it is a signal of wellbeing, peace, and good luck for observers.

You can look upon this star to set your intentions of prioritising your health and wellbeing.

The third Matariki star is Tupuānuku which is associated with food grown in the ground. This star is looked upon during the month of May to indicate that the summer harvest has ended, and winter is near.

You can look upon this star and set an intention to get out into your vege garden.  June is a great time to plant winter vegetables such as spinach, silver beet, lettuce, onions, and peas.  Homegrown kai that can be shared with whānau and friends.

Room 2, 9 and 1 have begun planning their vege gardens in the school grounds so there will hopefully be plenty of kai to share!

The fifth Matariki star is Waitī which is connected to fresh water and living creatures in the rivers, streams, and lakes. 

You can look upon this star as recognition and appreciation of our fresh waters in Aotearoa.   It is a great time to set intentions to help preserve our freshwater ways, such as not wasting water or joining community stream cleaning events.

The seventh star is Waipuna-ā-rangi which is connected to the rain. The name itself means "water that pools in the sky".

You can look upon this star in reflection and recognition of how vital fresh rainfall is to life on earth.

  
Rooms 7 & 8 are learning about the water cycle and how it is vital to all life on earth. They are also investigating the life cycle of the Pūrerehua and the plant life cycle.

The fourth star is Tupuārangi which is associated with food that comes from the sky and is linked to birds.  Traditionally kererū were harvested around this time.  Rooms 6, 5 and 4 are looking at native fauna and flora.  We are blessed to have many native birds around the kura for them to observe!