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Paitu Ponderings

Wooden peg dolls inspiration ideas

Wooden peg dolls inspiration ideas

Painting wooden peg dolls at a busy time of year is probably not what I needed to be doing. I don’t know why I do this to myself...

What is Matariki?

What is Matariki?

Matariki is a season. That's how we celebrate in our home and that's the essence of what I was taught. A festive season with...

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Matariki and grief

Matariki and grief

A goodbye brought Matariki to me. A winter good bye. A tragically unexpected goodbye. I was a mama. Or due to be.Our first baby. A full term healthy pregnancy. A naturally starting labour...   ... then ...   ... A baby in trouble. A mishmash of care. An...

Winter Solstice Celebration Ideas

Winter Solstice Celebration Ideas

Looking for family winter solstice inspiration? There is a chill in the air, the mornings are darker for longer and we return home in the dark on our evening walks. Winter has been approaching slowly, in the North, small tohu (signs) have been marking a shift in the...

Easter in Autumn

Easter in Autumn

Traditionally, Easter is a Northern Hemisphere spring festival based on Christian faith and Pagan origins and so celebrates springtime signs of rebirth and bunnies and chicks. But here in the Southern Hemisphere we are moving through Autumn - and Easter is when leaves...

What is the Harvest Moon?

What is the Harvest Moon?

Harvest Moon (in the Southern Hemisphere). Tonight marama again offers us her full moon glow. This full moon is also known as the Harvest Moon - a residual name adopted from the Northern Hemisphere.   Unlike other full moon names (which don’t apply in Aotearoa), the...

Autumnal Equinox Celebration Ideas

Autumnal Equinox Celebration Ideas

Looking for some Autumnal Equinox Celebration Ideas? Ngahuru / Autumn celebration vibes are calling out… a full moon on Friday is followed by Autumnal Equinox (for us in the Southern Hemisphere) on Monday and has me feeling like it's time to play. We are well, we are...

Autumn Nature Hunt

Autumn Nature Hunt

Seasons of Aotearoa : Autumn Nature Hunt Ngahuru / Autumn offers up such a visual account of how the seasons change and an opportune time to talk to our tamariki about the seasons. A magnificent display of autumn leaves will soon colour the landscape on our land and...

New Zealand Seasons for Kids

New Zealand Seasons for Kids

Daily walks. That’s how it all began. Having a high energy, young pup, we had an obligation to walk him and let that energy out somewhere. Building an earth house at the time left us little energy ourselves for those walks, but we did - exhausted or not, rain or...

How to help kids to eat their veggies? Grow a garden!

How to help kids to eat their veggies? Grow a garden!

Time in the garden has always been part of our kids lives. From a young age, it provided a place to sleep in the shade nestled in the hammock or pram, a place to play in the paddling pool or help dig potatoes. We'd bring lunch boxes with extra snack as we all know...

Nature kids seasons: Spring

Nature kids seasons: Spring

I see you spring – creeping in. The mornings are lighter and the sun is sharing more warmth on the days that it hasn’t been raining and raining. My children and I have been walking when weather allows, balancing the home school, indoor device time from lock-down...

Maramataka calendar for schools

Maramataka calendar for schools

What is the Maramataka calendar? Many schools and ECE's in NZ are taking interest in the Maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar.   Maramataka translates to the turning of the moon. It observes the phases of marama (the moon)...

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