about 1 year ago - 67 comments
The Our World, Our Stories project has been running for nearly seven weeks and it has been an amazing experience. Each week, we have blogged, commented and conversed about a wide range of topics. Week One: Typical School Day Week Two: Recess Activities Week Three: Food Week Four: Our Local Environment Week Five: Traditional Stories More >
about 1 year ago - 12 comments
We love listening to Mrs. Yollis’ class sing This Land is Your Land, 2KM & 2KJ singing G’Day, G’Day and B4 singing Haere Mai. It is so fun to hear different songs from around the world! We are going to share a short song that has been sung at American baseball games for over 70 years. More >
about 1 year ago - 8 comments
2KM and 2KJ loved hearing a traditional American song and we’d like to share an Australian song. G’day G’day Slim Dusty (David Gordon Kirkpatrick 1927 – 2003) made this song famous and many incorrectly believe he wrote it. G’day G’day was actually written by Rob Fairbairn. It is a fun song that people have been More >
about 1 year ago - 18 comments
Welcome to the fifth week of ‘Our World, Our Stories’. The theme is ‘Traditional Stories and Festivities’. The children in B4 hope you enjoy their version of the legend of ‘Te Ika a Maui – The Fish of Maui’. We think you will get a surprise to find out what the fish really was! More >
about 1 year ago - 27 comments
We also live in an area of temperate rainforest. Reefton is in a valley surrounded by hills and mountains. Our winters can be frosty or foggy or rainy and the summers can be hot. Reefton is inland and it takes an hour to drive to the closest ocean (and to the nearest big towns). Our More >
about 1 year ago - 5 comments
We’ve seen that a lot of our friends around the world eat similar foods to us, although the foods might have different names. The B4 children filmed each other talking about what’s in their lunch. What’s for Lunch in Reefton, NZ? from Judy McKenzie on Vimeo. Who makes your lunch for you?
about 1 year ago - 24 comments
We’re excited to add our video of a typical school day in Reefton, New Zealand. We live in a small community of about 900 on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Our school is an Area School, which means we have students from Year 1-13 (5-18 years old). There are More >
about 1 year ago
Hello B4,
Having been to New Zealand many times, I have heard Haere Mai sung a number of times. It’s a wonderful greeting from the Polynesian people including the Maori. I even have the music of the Hawaiian version in my iTunes collection.
I have found the Polynesian culture wonderful. When first going to New Zealand in 1975, I was hooked. In fact, it was while in Rotorua, I started talking to a man and his family. He said he was part of a show I could visit. Later that evening I went along. The music, the explanation of the culture, the friendliness started me on a fascination with Polynesian culture.
In my home I have a number of carvings I have bought over the years. When I have had classes studying New Zealand, I always would take the carvings in for the class to see. Their favourite was always the carved wooden Taiaha. They thought it was thrown like a spear so I explained it wasn’t. These days we can use You Tube to watch how it was used in battle.
Haere Mai is a wonderful song and celebration of culture.
Ross Mannell (teacher)
NSW, Australia
about 1 year ago
Dear B4,
What a cool song! I love how your voices change volume at certain parts, like when you repeat Haere Mai, E hine ma, and E tama ma. I also like how it is nice and slow for most parts, but then speeds up at other times.
That must be a great song to sing every week at assembly, to welcome everyone back to school.
We have been having so much fun learning about New Zealand from all of you. Today our classmate Maura, who was just in New Zealand near Christchurch, showed us a slideshow from her trip. Such a beautiful country! And when she showed the map of the country we all pointed out how the north island looked like a stingray because we remembered the story of Maui’s magic hook.
Thank you for sharing that wonderful song with all of us.
Your blogging buddy from Connecticut,
Mr. Salsich
about 1 year ago
Dear B4,
I love your song! It is a very beautiful song even though we can’t understand it. What language is it in?
We think Haere Mai means welcome, welcome. We are not quite positive. Boy and girl means E nga iwi e haere mai. That is confusing! It really means young women and young man.
We love all of the songs classes have posted. We are sad because next week is our last week.
I hope we have more great posts.
Sincerely,
M♥a and Leila♥
about 1 year ago
Dear Mia and Leila
You had a good try at guessing the words!
Haere mai is welcome!
‘Hine’ is young woman or girl and ‘tama’ is young man or boy.
We really like singing the song, especially with the echoes.
We’re sad about the end of ‘Our World, Our Stories’ too. It’s been a lot of fun.
from B4
about 1 year ago
Dear B4,
We loved your song! We thought it was very interesting to hear you singing in a different language. We would love to learn some Maori!
Ana-Do you know any other songs in Maori?
Lily-Does each class take a turn on the stage for assemblies?
Solomon-We learn French at school as a second language. Is Maori a second language at your school?
Trista-Does everyone at your school speak English and Maori?
Thanks again for the video and the words so we can try to sing along
Mrs. W and the 2/3s