The Lemon Tree

Part of Matariki is about new planting. In ancient years Māori people used the cluster of Matariki in the sky as a sign to harvest and plant new crops.

At Uxbridge we decided to plant a tree to commemorate this Maori New Year. We decided on a lemon tree to provide us with a fruit that we can use in our cooking and baking and also we can use in some of our science experiments. The children helped to prepare the hole and to plant the tree in place. The children take ownership of their land here at Uxbridge as kaitiaki of the centre and are learning about respect for Papatūānuku - The Earth.
We are learning about the different Maori guardians and ask upon Rongo and Haumia - The guardian of Wild Food/plants and Agriculture to help us care for this new plant.

We also planted some different vegetable seeds to grow and care for and once they are bigger we will add these to our garden.