This Friday, June 20 is officially time to celebrate Matariki – so, bring your whānau together and keep the kids entertained with these Matariki craft projects. There’s three to choose from – with something for everyone!
Capsule x Warehouse Stationery
Mānawatia a Matariki! Matariki is the perfect time to connect with your whānau as we mark the Māori new year. This year, the theme of Matariki mā Puanga is all about inclusion, embracing diversity and celebrating Matariki together.
It’s the perfect day to celebrate by spending some time in nature, then sitting down for crafts together, before enjoying a meal together (with decorations from our crafting afternoon!).
Decorate your dinner table with the crafts you made in the afternoon, and enjoy your kai by candlelight!
Togetherness is a huge part of Matariki – along with the three craft projects featured below, a fantastic idea for your mealtime with your family are question cards!
Write questions to ask each other about the new year onto pieces of paper, then fold them up and drop them into a box, to then take turns pulling out and answering. It’s a lovely whānau experience – you’ll learn things about each other, have fun and feel even closer afterwards. Ask questions such as:
What has been your favourite thing that has happened in the last 12 months?
What is your favourite thing to do in winter as a whānau?
What are some activities that we could try doing together as a family this winter?
Enjoy a wonderful, connected and crafty day with the whānau! Here are three projects to celebrate Matariki – easy, moderate and a little tricky!
Black Scratch Stars
Difficulty level: Easy
These scratch art stars are sure to be a hit with ALL ages (honestly, they’re extremely satisfying, even as an adult). They require a bit of patience at the start – there’s quite a lot of prep to get through (which involves waiting for paint to dry) before you can get to the scratching, which can be tricky for younger ones. So, it’s a good idea to set those expectations at the start and have something else to do/make while you wait! Super-young kids may just be best leaving it to the final scratching fun!
You’ll need:
- Crayons (We used Crayola 24 Crayons $5 from Warehouse Stationery)
- Card (We used Trophée 160gsm A4 15 pack in snow $7.49 from Warehouse Stationery)
- Black Paint (We used Reeves Intro Acrylic Paint in Black 100ml $6.49 from Warehouse Stationery)
- Dishwash Liquid
- Foam flat brush (We used Warehouse Stationery $1.49)
- Skewer or stick for scratching
- Star stencil (or hand draw them yourself!)
Directions:
- You’re going to want a nice firm piece of card (if it’s too thin, you might scratch right on through it – we advise 160 and 180gsm which is about as thin as you could safely go!). Now, fill that page with crayon. It’s not about making pretty shapes here – no one is going to see them soon. Just scribble in every spot with crayons – you’ll get the prettiest design if it’s a real rainbow of colours so do little patches of colour all over! Make sure you’re colouring every little space in with solid crayon colouring or the scratching won’t work.
- Mix together your paint and dishwash liquid – you want a ratio of about 1/3rd dishwash to 2/3rd paint. The idea is that the soap should make that paint easier to scratch away.
- Take a sponge brush (or a regular paintbrush if it’s all you’ve got – the sponge is just a bit faster and easier for getting the job done!) and paint all over your layer of crayon. You’re going to notice that the crayon is still showing through – but don’t worry about that. Go ahead with a thin layer, wait for it to dry, then repeat with another layer. Now, you should no longer be able to see the coloured crayon showing through!
- Once your card is completely dry, cut it out into little star shapes.
- You’re all ready! Now it’s time for the most fun part. Take a skewer or stick and scratch our your fun designs on the star.
Matariki Corner Bookmark
Difficulty level: Moderate
There are so many wonderful books about Matariki out there (our faves include Nanny Rina’s Amazing Nets by Qiane Matata-Sipu or How My Koro Became a Star by Brianne Te Paa), so how about making a little bookmark this Matariki. Whatever you’re reading, they’re a great little keepsake to remind you of the fun you had coming together as a whānau to do crafts together. They make great gifts for koroua (grandparents) too! They’re fairly easy to make – younger kids will need a hand, and then it’s up to your imagination how you decorate them. We had fun making stars on a night sky – and making a cute little kiwi, but the sky’s the limit for how you decorate these corner bookmarks.
You’ll need:
- Coloured paper or card (we used Uniti Value Smooth Cardstock 180gsm in Brights 48 Sheets, $9.99 from Warehouse Stationery)
- Scissors
- Extras: Glue stick, paint, wobbly eyes
Directions:
- Cut your card or heavy paper into a perfect square (we did squares that were 13cmx13cm and 15cmx15cm that seemed to work best!).
- Put your paper on a hard surface to work on – twist it to start with it in a diamond position, rather than a square.
- Make your first fold, bringing the bottom point of the diamond to the top point of the diamond, folding the paper perfectly in half.
- You now have a triangle. Take the bottom right point and fold it up to the top point of the star, then repeat on the other side. You should now be back to a diamond shape.
- Unfold those last two folds, to return you to the triangle shape. Now, using just the first layer of paper, fold the top tip of the triangle downwards so it meets the very bottom base of the triangle.
- Now, take that left corner again, bring it back up to meet the top point but now tuck it down, folding it under between the two back layers. Repeat on the other side.
- Voila! You’ve done it. It’s now time to decorate it! We decorated our dark inky blue bookmarks with metallic paint (using Uniti Acrylic Paint 4 pack Metallics, $9.98 from Warehouse Stationery) to be stars on a night’s sky. We also make a cute kiwi with brown card, yellow card for a beak, and then two cute little googly eyes. Let your own imagination run wild!
Eight Point Star Weaving
Difficulty: Tricky
Weaving is a classic Matariki craft to sit down and enjoy doing with your whanau. If you’ve got flax from out in the bush, these stars (or whetū) are perfect to make – or, you can easily use coloured card, paper, or even ribbon. If you are going with card, paper or ribbon, you can have fun experimenting with different colours.
You’ll need:
- Coloured card or paper
- Scissors
Directions
We’re not going to lie – the first time you try to make these, it’s a little tricky! Once you have the hang of it though, you’ll be making them in no time. It’s a fun, almost meditative little process where you can have great chats with your kids.
This one is definitely easier to follow a video than written instructions – have a watch below!
