YOUR MATARIKI KETE PRESCHOOL EDITION. Learn about Matariki. Includes pull-out poster. How do you find it in the sky and why is it important?

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1 YOUR KETE Learn about Matariki. How do you find it in the sky and why is it important? 2018 PRESCHOOL EDITION Includes pull-out poster.

KIA ORA, We want all Kiwi kids to know how important Matariki is in New

In this booklet you ll find information for you to use to teach your class

Ngā mihi nui, THE EDUCATION TEAM AT STARDOME ABOUT MĀORI NAMES OF PLANETS

There are about a thousand stars in Matariki but only seven can be seen with

For some iwi, Matariki resets the Māori lunar calendar (maramataka).

The cycle of the Moon around Earth (lunar cycle) doesn t fit evenly into the

Each year, the Moon cycle is around 11 days shorter than the solar cycle,

to the same position in its orbit around the Sun.

maramataka has been reset and a new year begins again.

2 KIA ORA, We want all Kiwi kids to know how important Matariki is in New Zealand culture, and how to find it in the night sky. In this booklet you ll find information for you to use to teach your class about Matariki. We hope you find it useful. Ngā mihi nui, THE EDUCATION TEAM AT STARDOME ABOUT MĀORI NAMES OF PLANETS Matariki is a cluster of stars in the constellation Taurus. There are about a thousand stars in Matariki but only seven can be seen with the naked eye. For some iwi, Matariki resets the Māori lunar calendar (maramataka). Calendars use the Moon to set the months and the Sun to mark the seasons. The cycle of the Moon around Earth (lunar cycle) doesn t fit evenly into the cycle of Earth around the Sun (solar cycle). Each year, the Moon cycle is around 11 days shorter than the solar cycle, meaning that after 12 months there is still about 11 days until Earth returns to the same position in its orbit around the Sun. Stars can be used to reset the calendar because they appear in the same place at the same time every year. When you see Matariki rising in the east at early dawn, you ll know the maramataka has been reset and a new year begins again. The Māori New Year is traditionally celebrated at the first crescent Moon after the first appearance of Matariki in the morning sky. This occurs between early and late June and this year is on the 15th June. Saturn Rongo Mercury Apārangi PLUS Neptune Tangaroa Uranus Whērangi Jupiter Pareārau Mars Matawhero Earth Papatūānuku Venus Kōpū Milky Way Mangōroa Orion Tautoru Sun Tamanuiterā

3 ACTIVITIES HANGING CLUSTER YOU'LL NEED Popsicle sticks Colouring pens Coloured string Glue or tape Glitter, buttons, beads anything for decorating! INSTRUCTIONS 1. If you have plain popsicle sticks, get the children to colour in both sides of five sticks each. 2. Help the children stick together each end of their sticks into a star shape. 3. Wrap coloured string several times from one point of the star to the opposite point of the star. Do this all over the star. Leave enough string at the top to hang the star. 4. Lay a selection of decorating items out for the children to stick onto any spare space left on the popsicle sticks. 5. Put the stars in groups of seven and hang from the ceiling or window to make Matariki star clusters. BE CAREFUL NOT TO WRAP YOUR STRING TOO TIGHT OR THE ENDS OF THE POPSICLE STICKS MAY NOT STAY PUT

Taygeta Tupu-ā-rangi Sky tohunga Pleione Tupu-ā-nuku Earth

were formed around 100 million years ago that s only 1/50th

Electra Waipuna-ā-rangi Sky spring Merope Ururangi Entry to

the stars were, the warmer the coming season would be for

Atlas Waiti Sweetwater Maia Waita Sprinkle of water IT

4 Taygeta Tupu-ā-rangi Sky tohunga Pleione Tupu-ā-nuku Earth tohunga Alcyone Matariki Small eyes The stars in Matariki were formed around 100 million years ago that s only 1/50th CLASSROOM RESOURCE Matariki is in the constellation of Taurus. Electra Waipuna-ā-rangi Sky spring Merope Ururangi Entry to the heavens Traditionally, Māori believed that the brighter the stars were, the warmer the coming season would be for growing crops. Atlas Waiti Sweetwater Maia Waita Sprinkle of water IT CONTAINS ABOUT A THOUSAND STARS, BUT ONLY SOME ARE VISIBLE WITH THE UNAIDED EYE. The seven brightest stars are also called th

SCORCHING. THEY ARE MUCH HOTTER THAN OUR SUN! STARDOME.ORG.

They are sisters because they are positioned close to one another and were

5 the age of our Sun! THE CLUSTER, ALSO KNOWN AS THE PLEIADES, IS DOMINATED BY BLUE STARS WHICH ARE SCORCHING. THEY ARE MUCH HOTTER THAN OUR SUN! STARDOME.ORG.NZ e Seven Sisters. They are sisters because they are positioned close to one another and were formed from the same gas and dust cloud! Astronomers estimate the cluster will survive for about another 250 million years before all the stars drift apart. CAN BE SEEN FROM ALMOST EVERY SINGLE SPOT ON EARTH.

6 ACTIVITIES PAPER PLANETS Play with pieces of torn paper to create a planet. YOU'LL NEED Black card Scrapbooking or coloured paper Glue sticks Paper plate or another circular object Crayons, glitter, pens, star stickers. Anything crafty you want to use to decorate! INSTRUCTIONS 1. Use the paper plate to trace an outline of your planet on the black card. 2. Tear up the paper into strips and squares. 3. Cover the circle in glue and stick the torn paper within the circle to create a planet. Once you ve covered the base of the planet, put more glue on top and add even more layers of torn paper. Make some that look like real planets in our Solar System and make others that are crazy! 4. Decorate the black background with stars, stickers or glitter. TIP THE MESSIER THE STRIPS ARE THE BETTER!

STAR JAM COOKIES Preparation 40 min / Cook 20 min / Ready

temperature 75 grams caster sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla

flavour of jam Icing sugar for dusting DIRECTIONS 1.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

bake or 180 C bake and line two trays with non-stick baking

Dust the benchtop with a little flour, remove the chilled

Use star cookie cutters to cut out an even number of stars.

centre of half of your stars (these will be your top

7 STAR JAM COOKIES Preparation 40 min / Cook 20 min / Ready in 60 min INGREDIENTS 150 grams unsalted butter at room temperature 75 grams caster sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 medium egg 300 grams plain flour Favourite flavour of jam Icing sugar for dusting DIRECTIONS 1. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Add the eggs and mix until combined. 2. Gradually add the flour and mix until you have a soft dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. possible activities LAST YEAR maze crossword word search baking 3. While the dough is chilling, pre-heat the oven to 160 C fan bake or 180 C bake and line two trays with non-stick baking paper. 4. Dust the benchtop with a little flour, remove the chilled dough and roll out to approximately 5mm thickness. Use star cookie cutters to cut out an even number of stars. Use a thimble or small hole cutter to create holes in the centre of half of your stars (these will be your top cookies and the ones without the holes will be your base cookies). 5. Bake for around 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack. 6. Once cooled, place a small dollop of jam in the centre of the base cookies. Place your top cookies over the bases and dust with icing sugar. Enjoy! THE NUMBER OF COOKIES YOU END UP WITH WILL DEPEND ON HOW BIG YOUR CUTTERS ARE AND IF YOU MAKE YOUR COOKIES ALL THE SAME SIZE. THE ABOVE QUANTITIES WILL MAKE AROUND 35 SMALL COOKIES.

HOW TO FIND AUCKLAND NORTH-EASTERN DAWN SKY 25 JUNE 2018 / 6:30AM Matariki is visible most of the year except in late autumn when

In New Zealand it rises in the northeast and sets in the northwest, travelling across the northern sky in between.

8 HOW TO FIND AUCKLAND NORTH-EASTERN DAWN SKY 25 JUNE 2018 / 6:30AM Matariki is visible most of the year except in late autumn when it is too close to the Sun. In New Zealand it rises in the northeast and sets in the northwest, travelling across the northern sky in between. This movement, as with all other stars, is not caused by the stars themselves moving but by Earth turning, making it appear to move across the sky. Matariki appears further and further away from the eastern horizon as the year goes on until it sets again keep looking for it using this method. 2 1 ORION S BELT 1 To find Matariki, look for Orion s belt Tautoru 2 Follow a line through the three stars of Tautoru towards north and you will see a small cluster of stars. You ve found Matariki! STARDOME.ORG.NZ

YOUR MATARIKI KETE PRIMARY EDITION. Learn about Matariki. How do you find it in the sky and why is it important?

YOUR MATARIKI KETE PRIMARY EDITION. Learn about Matariki. How do you find it in the sky and why is it important? YOUR KETE Learn about Matariki. How do you find it in the sky and why is it important? 2018 PRIMARY EDITION Includes a competition and pull-out poster. WHAT IS? Matariki is a cluster of stars in the constellation