
Box sculpture – Whakairo pouaka Activity
Why do it?
Whakatipu booklet Te Māhuri 1, ‘Construction carpentry’, pp. 14–15.
Why do it? — He aha e mahi ai?
By constructing sculptures from boxes, tamariki can:
- be creative and resourceful using everyday household items
- have an opportunity to solve problems.
How to do it
How to do it — Te tikanga mō tēnei mahi
- Choose a suitable space where it’s okay to make a bit of a mess.
- Collect some empty containers, boxes and cardboard tubes of different shapes and sizes.
- Get tape and glue for sticking the boxes and containers together, and scissors for cutting things to shape.
- Coloured paper or card, pipe cleaners and string can also be useful.
- Ask your tamaiti open-ended questions such as ‘What do you want to make?’ and, ‘How could you make a ...?’
- Offer support with suggestions like, ‘What would happen if you...?’ or ‘How can you decorate your ...?’
- Remember, the process of ‘doing’ is what matters most, not the finished product.
- Ideas for things to create could be: houses, wharenui, waka, ships, rockets, robots, spaceships, garages, animals or people.
Using more te reo Māori
Te reo Māori | English |
---|---|
Ipu | Container |
Pouaka | Box |
Nunui | Really big |
Iti rawa | Really small |
Roa rawa | Longer |
Poto iho | Shorter |
Taupoki | Lid |
Ngongo | Tube |
Kaipuke | Ship |
Karāti | Garage |
Tākirirangi | Rocket |
Waka ātea | Spacecraft |
Kararehe | Animal |
Karetao | Robot |