I have included a quick run down of the highlights of Matariki plus some links to free and paid resources that may be of use for your class or community group such as Scouts or Guides.
KEY MATARIKI POINTS
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Matariki is celebrated by different iwi at different times.
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Matariki signifies the beginning of the new year. This may be a good discussion point with children about the concept of a year and calendars. Children may also be interested in the Chinese year or the Islamic year.
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Matariki is a constellation. One of its other names is Pleiades. While many people say Matariki is a constellation of 7 stars others say it is a constellation of 9 or more stars.
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Matariki happened just after the harvest.
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One proverb said If the stars shone brightly it would be a good year would be warm and good for growing crops.
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Matariki was a time to remember people who had died in the previous year. Other ways of celebrating Matariki included feasting, flying kites (kites reached to the heavens and so honoured and remembered people who had died) and singing.
IDEAS FOR TEACHING OR INQUIRY
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Constellations and their use throughout time. This could be linked to Pasifika culture too!
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Calendars of different cultures and how they came to be.
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Celebrations and their similarities and differences. Children could compare Matariki to another celebration inside or outside of NZ
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Matariki could be a good time to learn more about your local Iwi and its history. As part of that study you could find out about Matariki celebrations.
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Change over time, for example how Matariki celebrations have changed since colonialisation.
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Feasting or Kai. At my last school we had a school wide shared lunch each Matariki. You could do something similar or may like to look at the importance of feasting across cultures. In 2017 Matariki is near the end of Ramadan, the Islamic Holy Month, this could be an interesting comparison.
FREE RESOURCES
Sign up for my free Matariki Collaborative poster
Stars are a key feature of Matariki. You may find activities related to the stars a good starting point.
Check out this site for generic star activities for juniors
There are a few Matariki books in the Ready to Read series and in the School Journals. Use Journal Surf to have a look for articles. 'Connected' also has ideas too.
Te Papa has a good resource which is linked to the NZC. There are some print and go activities however most of the activities require some teacher preparation.
Green Grubs has a great Matariki book blog post with free printables linked to Matariki books here
Top Teaching Tasks has a quick Matariki reading work stuff here.
Pinterest has a great selection of ideas. I have a collection of easy to integrate ideas on Pinterest here.
PAID RESOURCES
Green Grubs has an awesome set of Matariki clip art which you can adapt and use for displays or art work.
If you are looking for Print and Go downloadable activities that can be adapted for any age level check out
my matariki resources here - you can pay in NZD
or you can pay from Teachers Pay Teachers here
Including:
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Reading and comprehension activities
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Information about constellations and constellation activities
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Art activities
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Activities for children to reflect on looking after the earth and their own goals
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Comparing Matariki to another holiday
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Making a Matariki celebration and planning a special meal
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Vocab activities
Here are some of my Matariki resources, click for a closer look!
