Meri Kirihimete e ngā mihi o te tau hou! Merry Christmas and all the best for what comes next!

Kia ora koutou!

We have had such a tino toritori year! Like many of you will be, we are wondering where the time went? Remember when we launched our 2nd series of pukapuka early on in 2017 in our very own city of literature! Here we are sharing a waiata with the fans :) at the launch. Remember how Kirsten made me wear that floral kimono?!

Rua went down very well with our audience and seemed to be a good news story for the media too! Kirsten and I were out there in The Herald, Kia Ora Magazine (pictured), Oh Baby, The Sapling, Little Treasures, Mana Magazine, Te Karaka and even Maori TV! Wū Wū! We had to reprint just a few months after publishing!

Te Puaka Matariki was a busy time for us creating resources for our Reo Pēpi Whānau to share and telling paki waitara-old stories to captivate imaginations :) Such fun!

We love getting together for hui-look out for our taua years! This year our mission was to get to Te Rito Maioha-The NZ Early Childhood Educators Conference. We had such an epic time connecting with our greatest champions-kaiako!

We always make a fuss and have a pāti for Te wiki o Te Reo Māori! This year we practised storytelling and waiata for weeks before visiting libraries to meet our Reo Pēpi audience kanohi ki te kanohi :) Of course Kirsten created a mīharo pungawerewere costume-she was very scary!

Here's our gorgeous kōtiro Mihiata who helped us with so much mahi this year. Including packing up this crate of pukapuka for whānau working with Brainwaves Trust.

A pīki highlight this year was creating a bilingual calendar with all the NZ dates and holidays in both English and Te Reo Māori! Our tino ataahua editor Kristin Jerram helped us suss all the right kupu. It felt really great to put out something we have always wanted to see avaialable!

Heoi anō...So on it goes. Kirsten has been working on some sketches for development into illustrations for our upcoming third series-which we hope to launch in 2018! A sneaky piki below for you if you made it this far! Thanks for all your tautoko this year! Have a safe and Meri Kirihimete from all of us Reo Pēpi Whānau.

Ngā Pēpi, Ngā roro me Ngā pukapuka! Babies, Brains and Books!

Nō hea kākano iti, e puawai ana he Kauri.

From a small seed, a tall tree will blossom.

A baby's brain is only 15% formed at birth-further development of the remaining 85% happens in the first 3 years. So the early experiences of children are critical to connections made in their brains. Healthy, positive experiences lead to healthy, positive brain connections.

Reading with pēpi from birth lays the groundwork a child's later abilities in literacy. Encouraging positive associations with books and reading in our tamariki, supports understanding of and access to the world of literature. AND sitting cosy with a child and sharing a book is arguably the most rewarding activity one can engage in!

We believe in creating positive pathways for all tamariki! We support The Brainwave Trusts mahi delivering these important brain development messages to whānau who need them most. We sent along 100 copies of Kanohi-My Face to be distributed to whānau through their networks within programmes that support parents as first educators. Here are some of the pictures form one of the sessions-thanks to the whānau and the team at The Brainwave Trust for sharing :). Arohatia tō mahi! Love your work!

Reo Pēpi Calendars 2018!!!

E hika! We are very excited to present Reo Pēpi Calendars for 2018.

We have included NZ holidays and dates in English and Te Reo Māori, guide symbols to the phases of te marama the moon and of course a signature Reo Pēpi illustration for every month of the year.

The pages are a handy A5 size, printed on thick 210gsm paper, with a hole drilled for hanging. They’re just in time for planning the new year and the perfect Christmas koha! We are printing a limited run of these pēpi so get yours i tēnei rā!

Ehara i te tī! You only live once!

Ehara i te tī! Draws from a whakatauki about Tī kouka-Cabbage trees which almost always grow again when cut back. We, unlike the mighty Tī, we only get the one life.

Heoi anō-However we do feel some whakawhānaungatanga with our beloved cabbage tree in our journey with Te Reo Māori. Kirsten and I are life long learners of Te Reo Māori and we are, to date, eternal beginners! We have been "cut back" on our missions with te reo, through long periods absence, busy (disruptive) life events and times when our emphasis was just elsewhere. But we always returned to the security of our culture, we feel reassured- not by our fluency and prowess with Te Reo but by our own dogged commitment to learning a beautiful language.

Like the Tī kouka that has been cut back we really started to thrive with Te Reo Māori when some new shoots appeared! Our tamariki are the impetus and the constant reminder to us to keep learning, keep trying and keep using Te Reo Māori in our lives.

Te Reo Māori should be normalised in every single day but we think Te wiki ō Te Reo Māori is the pīwari-perfect time to take stock and renew commitments. This year we were blown away by the out pour of aroha for Te Reo on so many fronts. It seemed that everyone had been saving up their best ideas and mahi for te wiki. The media was awash with initiatives to whakamana te reo, new business idea's were launched, books were released, exhibitions were hosted, performances were enjoyed, hui were attended, noho were enjoyed! We felt the potential, we recognised the uplift. A momentum is certainly building. Even when cut back the Tī kouka grows and it's growing whānau-its growing! Whakatipua Raki!

This year for Te wiki o Te Reo Māori Kirsten and I got together to celebrate. We took our waiata and pūrakau stories to the Selwyn District where the libraries had invited us especially to share with their communities. We are always VERY nervous about appearances like this! What if really amazing Reo Māori experts are there critiquing us?! What if we stumble? Mix up our ō's and our tō's?! But we practice, and research and practice some more. We rely on our humour, our (iffy at best) singing voices and pretty illustrations to help us charm the crowds! And you know what? It is a beautiful thing, an honour to get out there and share some Te Reo Māori and to have the efforts and earnest attempts of others shared with us.

Te Rito Maioha-Early Childhood NZ conference 2017

Te kōhungahunga pūtake taiao, he ngakau hihiko

Nature based ECE. Vibrant and Vital!

Kirsten and I were honoured to be part of Te rito maioha-NZEC conference 2017.  We would like to sincerely thank Te pūtahitanga Te Waipounamu for making it possible for Reo Pēpi to attend. The theme for this years gathering was Te kōhungahunga pūtake taiao, he ngakau hihiko-Nature based ECE. Vibrant and Vital!

First up we heard from Rangimarie Naida Glavish, who spoke on Mokopuna, Our Natural Born Teachers. A national taonga herself, Rangimarie explored with us the enormous opportunities available to enhance the wellbeing of all society through the nurture of our mokopuna as our taonga. Our leaders to be treasured by us all. She reminded us that when we call "Haere mai, haere mai, haere mai..." we repeat three times to acknowledge and invite te hinengaro, te tinana, te wairua-the mind, body and spirit. And that we should all consider these three aspects when working holistically with tamariki.

Respect and treasure tamariki. Āe marika!

The amazing MRI brain scan images from Louise Dorrat, showed us the extremely rapid growth of the human brain from 0-3 and relatively gradual growth from then on. We saw the vital importance of nurturing our youngest people in their early years!

Make sure those first three-five years are nurturing, stable and stimulating. Āe marika!

David Spraggs from the Gisborne Kindergarten Association shared his memories and learning from time he spent in the Forest Kindergartens of Europe and Scandinavia. His assurance that children are best educated naturally and outdoors was compelling. Research evidence shows children educated predominantly outdoors are better communicators with advanced intellectual and motor skills, fewer difficulties sitting still and concentrating, less aggression and fewer illnesses than their indoor educated peers!

Take tamariki into te taiao-the natural world as much as possible! Āe marika!

Mr. Spraggs also presented the research findings of Ken Rowe an Australian researcher in ECE who found that variances in educational performance are influenced by the following factors: 5.5% Building and resources, 35% social interactions with other children and a whopping 59% by the teachers! Even though we are in the business of providing education resources to educators...We can see that many of our ECE organisations may have reverse priorities in their budgets. As always that is a bit disturbing.

Pay teachers more? Āe marika!

Sandra Tuhakaraina presented on her research into sustaining kaiako use of Te Reo Māori in their practice post teacher education.  Sandra is a 2nd language learner who earned her stripes first and foremost with Te Kōhanga Reo in the early 80's. She told us about the kaumātua who taught her then, how they would stand at the Kōhanga door every morning and karanga..."Haere mai, haere mai, haere mai..." inviting the mātua again and again to answer the call and bring their tamariki foward.

Sandra reminded us that Te Reo Māori is recognised as a protected taonga under te tiriti o waitangi and that all ECE kaiako have a responsibility to support tamariki to experience te reo as a living and valued language. Her research findings showed resoundingly the depth of feeling and understanding among kaiako of their role to uphold the treaty and present our children with rich and consistent experiences of te reo me ona tikanga Māori.

Throughout the hui we saw the love of te reo that was instilled in the kaiako Māori and Pākeha alike, everytime one of them stepped up to our display and smiled at our pukapuka. We recognised the depth of feeling the kaiako have for Te Reo Māori, Te Ao Māori in our exchanges with them. We were able to connect meaningfully with educators, we learnt about current ECE research and current best practice. We were inspired by whakaaro-ideas for the future face of education, for our tamariki and mokopuna.

Te reo me ona tikanga Māori are upheld and championed within NZ Early Childhood Education! Āe marika!

Porotiti!

Ngā Āhua-Mahi toi. While exploring for ways to extend learning with our new pukapuka we have been crafting up a storm! We had a go at making these porotiti, which were really easy and fun. Porotiti are a spinning disc suspended on a loop of string which you can really get spinning. Porotiti traditionally were made from bone, stone or wood and were used as an instrument of healing, sound, music and fun.

We made ours from a cardboard box and string and we painted them with racing colours! You can experiment with shapes other than the classic porowhita as you can see from the pic and our angry manu model!

Trace or draw your shape (we used a big coffee cup), cut it out.  Make two holes evenly spaced about 1-2cms apart. Decorate your discs as you like. This is a good chance to kōrero about ngā tae as you work. Thread the string through one hole then the other and tie the ends together.

It takes a bit of practice to get the hang of spinning the porotiti, a quick google will yield some video's of tamariki doing it well. Once you get it going the porotiti should make a satisfying humming sound and spin with little effort from the operator.

Heoi anō, and so....have fun creating and spinning :)

Matariki

“Matariki ki tua o ngā whetū - Matariki of endless possibilities”

— Dr. Rangi Matamua

In the Northern hemisphere they celebrate Christmas and New Year in the depths of winter.  In Aotearoa we have a wonderful reason to mark mid-winter-Matariki. We see so many ECE centres, playcentres, kura and kōhanga making the most of Matariki and the opportunities for learning. Here we share some answers to pātai about Matariki based on our own recent learning. We hope it encourages you to celebrate our unique NZ culture in your own way this (new) year.

What is Matariki?

Matariki is a cluster of stars traditionally associated with and celebrated as the dawning of the new year by Māori.

Why do we celebrate Matariki?

The first and foremost purpose of celebrating Matariki is to acknowledge tīpuna. The mauri and the wairua of those gone from this world before us, both in the year past and their ancestors too, right back to the beginnings of whakapapa. So whatever our plans for Matariki we should remain mindful of this and keep aroha in our hearts.

How was Matariki traditionally observed?

Traditionally a sacrificial feast would be ritually prepared in a special oven. Selected food symbolically charged and corresponding to the stars would be included. On the night Matariki rose in the sky the names of the e ngā mate-the years dead would be chanted through the night, memories of them reviewed, as they symbolically released to the eternal cosmos. When the  the steam rose from the cooking process it acted both as a cleansing process for the years concerns while also carrying hopes and aspirations for the coming year to the heavens.

How was Matariki tradionally celebrated?

Matariki rose at a time when the hunting, gathering and harvesting of food was completed for the season. Then people had time for remembering, reflection and celebration during Matariki. Festivities were held which included kai, waiata and haka. The timing allowed people pause to enjoy pleasurable pastimes including games, arts, stories and connection to the natural world.

How is Matariki celebrated now?

Since the 1990’s New Zealanders have been reviving the ancient practice of celebrating Matariki in many and varied ways. Celebrations with food, singing and dancing. Activities that bring people together, to observe the stars and the Winter night sky. Creative fun, such as  making kites or lanterns, storytelling, music and arts.  The SKY is really the limit in planning for marking Matariki-an ancient tradition that feels wonderfully unique in modern times.

How do we know when Matariki is?

Māori based their lives on a Lunar calendar while we now observe the Solar calendar, the complexities of this system mash up explain the perpetual mysteries and confusion around modern day Matariki timing. Dr. Rangi Matamua (author of Matariki-Star of the year) has said that for 2017 Matariki will be visible in the night sky from around the 17th of June-his astronomical know how points us in the right direction for timing our celebrations well.

How can we find the Matariki stars

From mid-late June, just before sunrise, look to the north-east horizon. Find the constellation Tautoru, sometimes called ‘The Pot’ or ‘Orion’s Belt’. Trace a line northwards from the three stars of Tautoru. Look for a faint sparkle of tiny dots, about the same width as Tautoru is long. This is the Matariki star cluster.

Tīramarama ngā whetū

Ngā tuāhine e iwa

Tiramarama Matariki ē

Ka kitea i te moata ē

Hei whakanui i te Tau Hou

O te iwi Māori e Matariki ē !

 The bright shining stars

The nine sisters

Shining bright for Matariki

You’ll see them early morning

Celebrating the Māori New Year

It is Matariki e!

Download Reo Pēpi Matariki rauemi colouring sheet here

Download Reo Pēpi Matariki rauemi story here

Download Reo Pēpi Matariki rauemi story 2 here

Matariki-The Star of the Year

“Matariki ki tua o ngā whetū-Matariki of endless possibilities”

— Dr Rangi Matamua

Dr Rangi Matamua says the first and foremost purpose of celebrating Matariki is to acknowledge tīpuna. The mauri and the wairua of those gone from this world before us, both in the year past and their ancestors too, right back to the beginnings of whakapapa. Ensuring their memory in the stars. With Matariki-The Star of the Year Dr Matamua confirms the work of generations of his ancestors. Timi Rāwiri passed an incandescent legacy via a line of tohunga kōkōrangi, to his grandson Dr Matamua, after 20 years of his own study, he shares that knowledge now in this captivating and important book.

It is not an imposing tome, at just 100 pages I consumed it in an evening (the night I received it, the day after ordering-thanks Huia-tino pai tō mahi!). Matariki-The star of the Year explains much of the astronomical science of Matariki in a straightforward manner which demystifies the kaupapa and makes it accessible. At the same time Dr Matamua retains the spellbinding allure of astrology, the stars and the legends they shelter. I loved reading the names of the stars, learning their ancient identities, making the stellar connections from their world to mine.

The history of Matariki traditions are presented, their loss examined. Again its straightforward stuff, told without regret. We learn about kai, weather, navigation. Our ancestors based their lives on a Lunar calendar while we now observe the Solar calendar, explaining the mysteries of modern day Matariki timing. Ideas for getting it right are thankfully proposed.

I feel empowered by this book to install some modern day Matariki custom with my whānau and I think that's just the point. Dr Matamua advocates a collected and directed approach to modern day celebrations. He hopes we can all understand the concepts of Matariki. And looks forward to a time when Kiwis take firm hold of the meaning of Matariki and make it our own unique national celebration. Ka wani kē!

Matariki-Star of the Year-Dr Rangi Matamua, Huia, 2017, $35

Paku whānau review Reo Pēpi!

A couple of months ago we called for whānau reviewers. With 7 tamariki under 7 we knew the Paku whānau would be pīwari perfect to trial Rua-Series 2. Ōtautahi powerhouse māmā Olivia Paku sent us this tino atāhua report on their experience of our pukapuka.

Above: The Paku whānau enjoying Reo Pēpi pukapuka!

Olivia Paku: What a pleasure to recieve Reo Pēpi – Rua in the post! A delightful package to receive.

Initially I left the books on the bench in the kitchen at my home and waited to see what the reactions were going to be with these flash new books on display – primarily waiting for the children to come over pick them up and have a look but to my surprise it was the adults in my whare who showed interest in wanting to read them first before the children! Some wanting to know how easy/hard the reo would be (and if they would be able to read it to the kids) and second - learning new words!

Once our tamariki got hold of them there was definite division! The boys enjoyed Ngā Tae as it had all the insects in the book and their mission after reading the book was to go out into the garden and try find all the insects in the book to confirm they were the same colour as the pictures!

For our younger girls (2-3 years) they enjoyed Te Kaute as they are right at that age where at kindy/kohanga they are starting/learning to count.

Miss six loved Nga Āhua as she found it most enjoyable to copy the pictures out of the book and also cut the shapes out of her scrap booking materials.

Even our youngest whānau member (4 months) enjoyed looking at the pictures whilst at the change table or being read to by other whānau members. Never to young to start learning our reo.

So there were favourites amongst all different ages which lead into creative activities/ideas which kept them entertained during the school holidays! Thank you!

Our kōkō of the whānau also enjoyed learning both individually and with the kids as they helped him and vice versa – was nice to hear our tamariki encouraging their kōkō and laughing when he got it terribly wrong but his goal for 2017 is to start to learn te reo and what better way than with these books and his mokopuna to help.

Absolutely wonderful books, thoroughly enjoyed at all ages. Kia pai tō mahi korua! Ka wani ke! Mauri ora!

Pāti! Pāti! Pāti! Reo Pēpi launch Rua-Series 2

Wawanei! What a big day for us! Launching Reo Pēpi Rua-Series 2!

We started with a much coveted spot on te reo irirangi-the radio! Spacestaion Kiwi with Capt. Cornflakes and the beautiful Rainbow Rosalind!

We were so excited to present our new pukapuka to te ao marama! The University Bookshop was the pīwari perfect location. Bright, colourful and warm. Ngā mihi Bronwyn, Clemency and the whānau at UBS! Thank you to all the mātua and tamariki who came along on a brisk Ōtēpoti morning for waiata and stories from us.

After the formalities (and a karakia) we all enjoyed some keke together. This tino nui Reo Pēpi cake was crafted by Sarah from Portobello Treats and Sweets-a favourite haunt of certain tamariki we know!

Here is one of the many tīpare that were created at the mahi toi table by the diligent crafters at the pāti! Ka rawe Layla!

Following our launch pāti we whipped home to Reo Pēpi HQ for a whānau friendly photo shoot with pēpi, mātua, kai, more keke and plenty of snaps by the amazing Isabella Harrex-watch out for new and beautiful pikitia coming soon! For now though here are some more shots of our special launch day-there are so many! Aroha mai, aroha atu!

Rua-Reo Pēpi series 2!

E hika! We are pleased to announce Rua-Reo Pēpi series 2! Ngā Tae-Colours, Te Kaute-Counting and Ngā Āhua-Shapes. Our new set of pukapuka are out now! Our launch pāti is on Saturday April 8th at the University Bookshop-11am please do come along-Nau mai, tauti mai! We have been working over the past year to produce these books on new kaupapa and concepts our tamariki have been reaching for.

Each pukapuka comes with a handy new sentence in Te reo Māori and English for use in everyday situations and lots of kupu (words) we all need to know! These books utilise play for read aloud sessions, so you and your tamariki can work together to find the shapes, guess the colours and count along with Reo Pēpi.

He aha te tae o te pītara? What colour is the beetle? Ngā Tae-Colours

Kirsten has been loving her work as you will see in the gorgeous, bright illustrations. My Tama's favourite is Ngā Tae with its colourful pikitia of ngārara (insects), I love finding the shapes hiding in Ngā Āhua and our papa (the maths geek) is intent on mastering Te Kaute.

Each of our 2nd set of pukapuka come in our signature board book format, with a glossary and phonetics guide at the back. For these subjects we have also added visual glossary pages which show the numbers, shapes and colours.

Tirohia-Check out this rawe independent review of our new pukapuka from wonderful Striking Keys reviewer Angela Noelle. Reo Pēpi Rua review.

E hia ngā waka atea? How many rockets? Te Kaute-Counting

“Nice work from these Dunedin mothers! Big, bold pictures and clear concepts for early learners. I hope they do more!” John McIntyre-Wellington Children’s Bookshop

Rapua ngā Porotītaha! Find the ovals! Ngā Āhua-Shapes