Room 1 have been integrating Maori culture and language into several learning areas and are excited about Maori Language week, next week.

Ko te aha tenei ra?  The children begin each day by asking what day it is and then answering in te Reo.  They have learnt to respond to many Maori commands by playing Simon Says, for example horoi o ringa ringa (wash your hands) and whirihia o ringa (fold your arms).  Together the children have decided on two Whakatauki, or sayings that they think will be good to work on as a class. One is, He waka eke noa (A waka which we are all in together without exception) and the other one is, He rau ringa e oti ai (Many hands make light work).

As part of Reading, the class listened to two versions of the Paikea and the Whale legend.  Using description and action verbs, they retold the two stories in their own words as part of Writing.   

During Art, they learnt to draw korus and how to develop them into interesting kowhaiwhai patterns.  Some children decided to use bright colours like the illustrations in books we saw and others preferred to use traditional Maori colours of red, black and white.

Tahi, Rua, Toru, Wha and what comes next?  The children can now count to 20 in Te Reo after working hard to practice saying the words, playing matching games, watching videos and completing cut and paste activities.

It has been rewarding to see the children adding korus to their work and noticing korus on everyday objects.