Introducing the Whakatipu booklet Te Kākano
The Whakatipu booklet 'Te Kākano' has useful information about issues such as pregnancy and brain development.
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Here’s some information to help you introduce the Whakatipu booklet 'Te Kākano' (pregnancy) to whānau.
There are 9 booklets in the Whakatipu set. They cover all the ages and stages of a child’s development up to 5 years old.
Explain to whānau that:
- these books have been written especially for Kiwi families
- they’re for all families and have a special Māori focus
- they contain lots of information and ideas
- 'Te Kākano' is the first booklet in the series and is useful to anyone who’s expecting a baby
- Te Kākano means ‘the seed’ or ‘the beginning’ – that’s what’s happening now with their whānau; the beginning of a new child.
The booklet starts with a whakataukī, or proverb:
Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu – Although small, it is precious – like greenstone.
- Each book contains chapters. 'Te Kākano' has 3 chapters, covering the 3 trimesters of pregnancy.
'What's happening?'
Suggest to the whānau that you look at the booklet together.
- Start with where they are in the pregnancy.
- Ask: ‘How many weeks pregnant are you?’ and find the relevant chapter in the booklet.
- Each chapter starts with ‘What’s happening … Pēpi says’.
- These few sentences tell us what stage of development baby is at and the main things that are happening.
- Read through ‘Pēpi says’ together, for the relevant trimester.
- Ask:
- Did you know this already?
- Do you want to go back to the previous chapter to check out what development has already happened?
Whānau say
- The next page, ‘Whānau say’, covers:
- some of the things parents may be wondering about
- how to look after the parents
- things whānau could be doing or learning more about.
Ask:
- What have you been thinking about recently?
- Have you been thinking any of the same things listed in ‘Whānau say’?
The amazing brain
- In each chapter, there’s a section called ‘Te hinengaro mīharo’ or ‘The amazing brain’.
- It’s about brain development and all the wonderful things going on inside baby’s brain at each stage.
- Read ‘Te hinengaro mīharo’ together and discuss it.
Other sections
- Other sections have lots of interesting activities and information.
- There’s a waiata in every chapter, and whānau can listen to it in the ‘Whakatipu’ section on the Tākai website.
- There are sections with activities for parents that help connect them with their child. In 'Te Kākano', the activities are mostly about becoming parents and thinking about preparing for a new baby.
- There are useful tips and reminders (‘Kia maumahara’) that are relevant for each stage. In 'Te Kākano' (page 18) they’re about whānau members looking after themselves – and especially māmā while she’s pregnant.
- You could ask: ‘How well are you looking after yourselves?’
- On page 29, there are questions to get whānau thinking about the birth. This includes what they want and what they might need to prepare beforehand.
You could:
- ask if they’ve looked at any pictures or watched videos about prenatal development
- suggest they watch some of the interesting YouTube clips available on the topic
Helpful resources for whānau
