On Tuesday, Whaea Jenni, Aunty Rae and Oha were at Te Mahia School. There were a range of cleaning products that we commonly find at home; window cleaner, dishwashing detergent, laundry powder, hand wash. We were looking at the consistency of these products, the colour, the smell, whether they were biodegradable or poisonous. There were 6 rotations and we spent the morning moving around all of them. Aunty Rae was working with her groups in the staffroom and they were making Kawakawa balm. Using a pestal and mortar, the kawakawa leaves were pounded to release the oil/juices from the leaves. Olive oil was heated in a pot and the leaves added. Some beeswax was then added and the balm was put into smaller pots. Different proportions were explored by different groups during the morning.
We then looked at mixing different ingredients that can be used at home for cleaning. Lemon juice and vinegar which are acidic are great for cleaning windows. Many thanks to Whaea Jenni for preparing this hands on workshop.Nicky O’Brien