Young Children Visit Museums: Cultural and Creative Perspectives

Teachers and children in Aotearoa New Zealand used museum visits to hone their creative capacity building, employing a navigation metaphor from Matariki, a star cluster in the southern hemisphere night sky. This ecosocial framing illustrates the different cultural perspectives on creativity, with the Mana Tamariki kaiako gifting the book with the title He taonga, he rerenga arorangi.

Format: Hardback
Length: 110 pages
Publication date: 06 September 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Teachers and children in two early childhood education sites in Aotearoa New Zealand embraced museum visits as a platform to enhance their creative capacity building. In their exploration, the authors drew upon the insights of anthropology and education, particularly the works of John Dewey, who emphasized the cultivation of enduring attitudes. Throughout the discussion, they employed a navigation metaphor, likening the process to a journey through a star cluster in the southern hemisphere night sky, Matariki, which served as a guiding light for early Māori seafarers navigating vast oceans to reach Aotearoa New Zealand.

A vibrant illustration of children's and teachers' responses to the treasured artifacts (taonga) in their local museums was provided by a Māori immersion early childhood center and school, as well as a New Zealand kindergarten. The book presents an ecosocial framing, spanning from "little to big," and showcases diverse cultural perspectives on creativity. The Mana Tamariki kaiako (teachers) bestowed upon us a title: He taonga, he rerenga arorangi (Where there are treasured objects, the spirit is nurtured, and creativity will be inspired).

Dimension: 216 x 138 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032078427