Over the conference, teachers rolled up their sleeves for a series of hands-on workshops that celebrated creativity, culture, and old technologies made new again. From carving and candle-making to Matariki-inspired design and a trip to the observatory, each session offered practical ideas you can take straight back to your classroom, with no big budgets required!

Working with Wood: Bull-roarers (Pūrerehua)

This session explored ancient sound technologies and their parallel invention across cultures. From Māori (pūrerehua) to Aboriginal (turndun) to European, Asian and African peoples, each discovering the same ingenious way to communicate using a bull-roarer. Participants used mitre boxes and tenon saws to safely cut and shape their own wooden pūrerehua before carving designs inspired by Māori imagery or personal heritage.
A mitre box, for those new to working with wood, is a simple sawing guide that holds wood in place and helps make accurate cuts at fixed angles (usually 45° or 90°). It’s a perfect, low-cost tool for primary classrooms and can be used with Year 0-1 students and up — the Craftright Mitre Box and Saw Set from Bunnings costs just $14. It also encourages working in pairs or threes in the class.

Key learnings:

• Safe use of tools like saws and mitre boxes with younger students
• Cultural communication through carving and pattern
• Understanding the pūrerehua sound and its significance in Māori culture (and then possibly extending this to researching what the traditional use was in your own heritage, see Phamox music’s information page on bullroarers as a good starting point)

Candle-Making: Old Technologies Reimagined

In this workshop, participants used candle-making as a form of old technology that links beautifully to Matariki. Using an ice-water technique, teachers created textured candles and experimented with light and form. The activity celebrated traditional methods found in cultures around the world and offered a playful, hands-on way to explore sustainability, design, and celebration.

Key learnings:

• Using traditional techniques to connect science, art, and culture
• Applying Matariki themes through light and star designs
• Demonstrating patience, precision, and creativity in practical tasks

Matariki Constellation in a Can

Participants created “constellations in a can”, a playful and accessible way to represent Matariki’s nine stars through light and pattern. By piercing tin cans to form star shapes, students can project their own mini night sky onto classroom walls.

The activity also linked to resistant materials projects such as string art or loom band art (ideal for younger learners), allowing classes to create large collaborative displays that celebrate Matariki while practising measurement, patterning, and design.

Key learnings:

• Integrating Matariki themes into design and STEM learning
• Using simple materials for creative light-based projects
• Adapting activities across year levels

Space Field Trip: Star Paths and Perspectives

The field trip to the observatory provided a stellar opportunity at the conference. Participants explored rotating star paths, learnt why Wellington’s skyline makes Matariki harder to see, and discovered alternative star groupings that local astronomers use to mark Matariki | Puanga – the Māori New Year.

This was a reminder of how astronomy, local knowledge, and place-based learning can come together in rich classroom discussions.

Key learnings:

• Star navigation and sky observation as authentic learning contexts
• Understanding regional differences in Matariki visibility
• Linking technology, science, history, and cultural perspectives

Reflection & Next Steps

These workshops reminded us that great technology education just needs curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to get hands-on.

We’ll be sharing primary and intermediate follow-ups on our blog soon, with simple, budget-friendly project ideas (and secondary extensions) that you can adapt straight into your own teaching spaces.

Stay tuned… and if you’ve tried any of these activities in your classroom, we’d love to hear how they went!