Papatūānuku has a tummy ache

 

Anne introduced us to a wonderful pukapuka called ‘Papatūānuku has a tummy ache’.  We thought this was a wonderful resource to share with the tamariki of Mairtown Kindergarten as our tamariki have connections with many of the Atua, through our kindergarten environment and also on our Nature Programme. 

This story is written by Annette Coppings. It has beautiful illustrations and aligns with our enviroschools kaupapa, with the aim to empower young people to, “make a change for sustainability.”  The narrative in the pukapuka is based on the Fox River Landfill disaster in 2019 when over 11,000 rubbish bags of debris were collected in a clean up after the landfill was washed out following extreme weather. (https://enviroschools.org.nz/news-and-events/articles/papatuanuku-has-a-tummy-ache/)

Papatūānuku in Māori “creation stories” is the Earth Mother. This Earth is where we live, where we grow our food and from which we gain sustenance. As we continue to fill our landfills with toxic non-biodegradable rubbish, her puku and friendly worms are all suffering.

We must widen… “our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

– Albert Einstein

This pukapuka has been revisited many times over the year, and we wanted to make a visual representation of her with the tamariki of Mairtown Kindergarten. We believed this would support their learning and link it with was happening within the daily life of kindergarten.  Tamariki helped draw a large illustration of Papatūānuku and we placed her on the wall. We then placed a bag on the wall to act as her puku.  After morning tea and lunch times we started to collect rubbish that was left behind on the tables and deck area, putting it in 'the puku' of Papatūāku to demonstrate the destination and outcome of the rubbish we were collecting at kindergarten.

“When tamariki/ students connect with their place and its people, and then plan, design and take action, they are creating change. Through this empowering experience, they will become life-long change-makers.  The collective exploration is based in the concept of ako, where all participants are simultaneously learners and teachers, and everybody learns from each other.  It is a process of co-creation between people and all of the elements and energies around us. Caring for our place and the whole planet becomes a living curriculum where skills and competencies are gained through experience and mahi within meaningful community settings” (Enviroschools ; https://enviroschools.org.nz/ ).

•  An ecological identity allows us to experience the earth as our home ground, and leaves us determined to live in honorable relationship with our planet.  - Ann Pelo 

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When asked what can we do ...... 

here are some of the tamariki voices:

“Put our rubbish in the bin” – Leo

“Don’t throw rubbish on the ground” – Pippa A

“Re-use it, we can make new things” – Ethan

“Oh yeah we can make plants out of old bottles” – Pippa A

“If someone else puts rubbish on the ground we can pick it up” – Pippa

"We don't want it on the beach'' - Theo

"We can give the worms all the scraps, put them in the scrap bowls on the tables" - Riley

"Recycle" - Lucy 

"We can't give her rubbish cos it's made out of plastic" - Theo

"I take my rubbish home" - Erin

"I have a compost wheel barrow at my house" - Leo

"Playcentre has a compost, they have a log with lots of bugs!" - Lucy

"I've got lots and lots and lots of worms at my house" - Jackson

Tamariki also developed and communicated a wonderful sense of empathy for Papatūānuku.

“My Mum can cook for Papatūānuku and make her tummy feel better. She will make her noodles” - Leina

"We could tip all the rubbish out of her" - Riley

"Clear all the rubbish away and take it out of her puku" - Leina

Mairtown kindergarten upholds the Enviroschools kaupapa, which is about creating a healthy, peaceful, sustainable world through learning and taking action together.

This kaupapa guides all that we do and is embodied in five guiding principles that underpin the whole Enviroschools journey:

Empowered Students are enabled to participate in meaningful ways in the life of their early childhood centre or school. Their unique perspectives are valued for the knowledge and insight that they bring, and they are supported to take action for real change. 

Learning for Sustainability recognises the types of teaching and learning that use connecting experiences to develop holistic and ecological perspectives, foster student enquiry, decision-making, action, and reflection, and create sustainable outcomes. 

Māori Perspectives honour the status of tangata whenua in this land and the value of indigenous knowledge and wisdoms in enriching and guiding learning and action. 

Respect for the Diversity of People and Cultures acknowledges the unique gifts, contributions and perspectives of individuals and groups, reinforcing the value of participatory decision-making and collaborative action. 

Sustainable Communities act in ways that nurture people and nature, now and in the future, to maintain the health and viability of our environment, society, culture and economy. (Enviroschools).

It is wonderful to see our tamariki developing an understanding of our choices and actions and the impact it has on our environment. Papatūānuku plays such a big role at our kindergarten  "We value Papatūānuku as an important teacher; in nature herself the possibilities to learn and grow have no limits" (Mairtown Kindergarten Philosophy, 2020).

Ngā mihi

Sarah