
Making huts – Ngā mahau Activity
Give your tamariki space to make huts around the house using whatever materials available.
Why do it?
Making huts is a great opportunity for tamariki to:
- enjoy creating little enclosed play spaces both indoors and out
- have fun and extend their play
- practise cooperation
- pretend and problem-solve
- practise using prepositions — words like in, out, on, under, over, behind, in front of, through and next to.
How to do it
- Indoor huts can be made using tables, chairs, couches, cushions, boxes, sheets and blankets.
- Outdoor huts can be made using planks, tree branches, logs, crates, poles, sticks and old curtains.
- Ask tamariki for their ideas about what else they might use.
- Always check any materials for possible dangers, especially when building huts outside.
- Help them to gather materials to use, and be around to help or get more construction materials if needed.
- Old sheets or curtains can make roofs and provide shaded areas.
- Extend the pretend play by ‘inviting’ toys in to eat or sleep.
- A hut could be any type of waka, a ship, a rocket, a tanker or any type of whare, a hospital, a school or a fire station.
- Share books about building huts — for example, Sally’s Secret by Shirley Hughes
Using more reo Māori
Te reo Māori | English |
---|---|
Te hanga mahau | Building huts |
Tepū | Table |
Tūru | Chair |
Hōpa | Couch |
Aupuru | Cushion |
Paraikete | Blanket |
Ārai | Curtain |
Hīti | Sheet |
Koteo | Pole |
Haki | Flag |
Pēke | Sack |
Papa | Floor |
Kaupeka | Branch |
Pā | Fort |
Kaipuke | Ship |
Kaipuke tiora | Pirate ship |
Waka ātea | Spacecraft |
Kei roto | In |
Kei waho | Out |
Kei raro | Under |
Kei runga | On |
Kei muri | Behind |
Kei mua | In front |
Ma roto | Through |
Waihotia te papa ki runga i te pouaka nui | Put the plank on the big box |
Kei raro i te rākau | Under the tree |
Kei runga i te kaupeka te paraikete | The blanket is on the branch |