Kowhai Kindergarten recently learnt of the story of Aoraki and his brothers.

The children at Kowhai have been revisiting the pūrakau/story of Aoraki and his brothers. We have been learning this story through story-telling with board stories and then acting it out in the playground. 

The children built the waka with big tires, explored the forests, went fishing like Aoraki and his brothers and then tried to return home. The waka crashed into the earth and the brothers were stuck on the upturned waka. They eventually turned into stone and became the mountains of the Southern Alps as we know them today. 

Children at Kowhai have a strong connection to the mountains, being able to see them from our playground. This story allows them to make connections with the world around them through a kaupapa māori approach. Kaiako at Kowhai share these pūrakau to enhance childrens sense of identity and culture, and sense of belonging at Kindergarten. This learning links to our learning priority of whānaungatanga, where ākonga have a sense of belonging at Kowhai.