Day 2 #100daysofpractice
Today has been a lowkey day with only whānau to chat with, so practicing counting household items as I go, eg:
E hia ngā ika kei roto i te kurawai?
E whā ngā ika kei roto i te kurawai.
🐠
E hia ngā kawhe kua inu koe?
E toru kawhe kua inu ahau.
☕️
E hia ngā rā e parakatihi ana koe?
E rua ngā rā e parakatihi ana ahau.
☀️

Day 3 of #100daysofpractice
We went out grocery shopping today - lots of opportunity to talk to myself about numbers 😄 Then we watched some TdF highlights so practicing some bigger numbers, eg:
E hia kiromita te Tour de France?
E toru mano, toru rau, toru tekau mā waru ira waru kiromita!
🚴🏻🚴🏾‍♂️🚴🏻🚴🏽 🇫🇷
Tokohia ngā kaieke paihikara e whakataetae ana?
Kotahi rau, waru tekau mā whā ngā kaieke paihikara e whakataetae ana.
🚴🏻🚴🏾‍♂️🚴🏻🚴🏽 🇫🇷
E toru haora e rima tekau mā toru meneti i eke rātou inanahi.
🚴🏻🚴🏾‍♂️🚴🏻🚴🏽 🇫🇷

Day 4 of #100daysofpractice
A bit of online speaking and listening practice, thanks to the excellent Rongo app. The developers have purposefully made the app audio first, and only show the written phrases if you really struggle - just perfect for tuning your ear. Rongo then gives feedback on your pronunciation. Here is a quick pic of today’s practice.

Day 5 of #100daysofpractice
I thought I was onto a winner tonight - cooking spaghetti bolognese with my son who has three years of bilingual education. Sadly, he was not humouring my language efforts and just wanted dinner cooked asap! I have settled for naming the clothing items in the laundry as I fold them - not ideal in terms of conversing but still better than nothing I suppose…
Kotahi tauera kikorangi…
Kotahi tauera māwhero…
Kotahi tauera waiporooro…
Kotahi tauera kiwikiwi…
😂😂 😂

Day 6 of #100daysofpractice
More Rongo app practice tonight but I’m hopeful that when I’m back at work next week, there will be more opportunities for real conversations with real people.
Might see if I can pick up one of those cute enamel pins that say “Kōrero Mai” 😃
Today’s phrase list (nb. a tuatua is a flat clam):

Day 7 of #100daysofpractice
I’ve dug out the children’s books today - the te Reo Māori journals issued to schools back in the 90s, called Te Kohikohinga. Such a laugh to read children’s stories out loud - this has brought me great joy! 😃 Here’s a snippet:

Day 8 of #100daysofpractice
This might be my new favourite pastime! Reading children’s stories aloud, attempting to emulate some language heroines - Stacey Morrison and Miriama Kamo 🤩
Some of the little things to love about He Kohikohinga are the Hei Mahi pages - such a treat! Apologies for low quality pics but these resources are dated and pre-digital publishing times.

Day 9 of #100daysofpractice
A play for school children - gosh, I love this! This whole series of texts is just so much fun. Not complicated vocabulary but simple everyday contexts and sentence structures. Our education ministry has some absolute treasures in the vault - ka mau te wehi! 🤩

Day 10 of #100daysofpractice
(Yes, I missed yesterday, sshhh) 🤫
Back at work today and enlisting the help of my students - with singing 🎶
Another cracking children’s resource from the vaults - waiata (songs) for language learning!

Day 11 of #100daysofpractice
Karakia are a daily occurrence in my workplace - we begin every day with this one. I also have a bracelet with some of the words engraved into it. Unfortunately I don’t know its origin. Words to live by.

Day 12 of #100daysofpractice
More work related vocabulary today - this time it’s the glossary of terms from the back of the science resource book we are using.
Currently our learning is forces and motion.

Day 13 of #100daysofpractice
Back to Rongo app for some listening / speaking practice. Phrases for today…

Day 14 of #100daysofpractice
I saw one of the new resources for Te Wiki o te reo Māori today - they look fantastic! We are so lucky to have such amazing language resources to share.
'Ko tōu reo, ko tōku reo, te tuakiri tangata. Tīhei uriuri, tīhei nakonako'
(Your voice and my voice are expressions of identity. May our descendants live on and our hopes be fulfilled.)
Rongo practice for today…

Day 15 of #100daysofpractice
Seeing as it’s on - let’s talk rugby! 🏉
Resource from Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori.
Kia kaha te Kapa Ō Pango! Go hard All Blacks!

Day 16 of #100DaysOfPractice
More sports related talk today - the league is on (I think it’s the Warriors vs Newcastle). Here’s a few things to shout at the screen if you’re practicing, or just that way inclined…

Day 17 of #100DaysOfPractice
Not much speaking practice today, but there was some singing! A few new waiata as welll as a couple of classics, including the unofficial anthem Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi.
Check out our favourite NZ folk songs at the link: https://www.folksong.org.nz/tutira_mai_nga_iwi/index.html

Day 18 & 19 of #100DaysOfPractice
One of my colleagues is joining me in my mission to kōrero Māori ia rā, ia rā! We have been making small talk over the last few days and I had to mention that I’d made it a goal to practice daily - they are happy to help!
They have a cute pin (in pink!) on their lanyard and I must admit I’m a smidge jealous!

Day 20 of #100DaysOfPractice
My colleague conversations have made me realise I rush through my sentences, and they are often asking me to repeat, “anō?”
Speaking a second language to another language-learner, we are both self-conscious but making the effort. I’ve gone back to Rongo app with a focus on clear and careful pronunciation - I have narrowed it down to several common sounds that I am clipping short, so working specifically on them here.

Day 21 of #100DaysOfPractice
Struggling with a sore throat today. Rongo app asking me to repeat words that it can’t hear properly. Difficult to work on clear delivery under the circumstances! Hopefully it will clear up soon and I’ll be back in action. A good phrase list for birders today 🦆

Day 22 of #100DaysOfPractice
Kapa Haka day today - I was very quiet but it still counts, right?! It was actually great to be drowned out by the tamariki 😊
Here’s a video of one of our regular pieces:
Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/399cwyiGAsY

Day 23 of #100DaysOfPractice
I got a real kick out of planning some language inclusion into my upcoming presentation. I’m upskilling my colleagues on enriched science teaching, and have rather gracefully included some language learning as part of it. I am looking forward to presenting this and getting everyone involved 😎 Kia kaha te reo Māori!

Day 24 of #100DaysOfPractice
Practising my best fluent storytelling voice! ☺️

Day 25 of #100DaysOfPractice
I read the other story about Kea and Kiwi from this journal but have decided to share The Miracle Goose with you all - it’s a version of the goose with the golden eggs story. I just like the picture of the goose 🪿

Day 26 of #100DaysOfPractice
Practice on Rongo app today. One of these phrases was difficult for me - you know the app has given up on correcting you when it moves to the next one with no comment (usually there’s a little ‘tino pai’ to let you know how fabulous you are). Im not telling which one! Hopefully I won’t need those words in that particular order any time soon 😅

Day 27 of #100DaysOfPractice
Coffee at the favourite spot today! Favourite because of where it is and the wonderful people who own it - but also because they promote ordering your coffee in both te reo Māori and NZSL. Just perfect for me to practice, and for my BFF who signs!
This is something the cafe do year round but they also have coffee discounts to encourage use during each language week. Ka rawe! 🤩

Day 28 of #100DaysOfPractice
Part one of an adorable short story today. As I’m reading aloud I’m concentrating on clear pronunciation and fluent phrasing. I’ve also realised there is always a sentence or two that I like the sound of. I find myself using these in other contexts, just for fun, including when I’m talking to my dog 😄

Day 29 of #100DaysOfPractice
In which we find out more about the predicament of our Nanenane who was swept out to sea. Look at those giant seahorses! Stay tuned for tomorrow’s exciting conclusion 😄

Day 30 of #100DaysOfPractice
The heart-warming conclusion to our nanny goat adventure - whales helping out other creatures in trouble… Seems legit 🐋 🐐

Day 31 of #100DaysOfPractice
Getting reading for Mahuru Măori and the 50th Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori! Here’s a link for getting resources from Te Taura Whiri I te reo Māori: https://www.reomaori.co.nz/give_te_reo_a_go_beginner_resources

Day 32 of #100DaysOfPractice
Lots of language and cultural immersion today - I am so lucky to be a part of such a supportive and passionate network!
Today we were exploring Te Kuru wetlands (wow!) with the stormwater team. Absolutely brilliant day with wonderful people. Here are some outstanding resources from WaterNZ to get the conversation flowing (pun!)
“He puna wai, he puna kai, he puna reo, he puna ora, ita-a-ita”
https://www.waternz.org.nz/rauemi

Day 33 of #100DaysOfPractice
A mixed bag of phrases on Rongo app today - it is still picking up on my shortened syllables but my journal story reading is paying off!
I can hear myself putting on ‘newsreader-voice’ to get the pronunciation spot on. This is incredibly helpful in the long term, after it becomes automatic of course.

Day 34 of #100DaysOfPractice
Today’s journal story was challenging! Not because of the words or their pronunciation, but because this story, written for 8-10 year olds, is about nixtamalization, a traditional way of preparing corn by steeping it with ashes! Absolutely fascinating, but it definitely had me questioning my interpretation to begin with 🌽

Day 35 of #100DaysOfPractice
This morning we had a great presentation from Jay - a founder of E Tū Tāngata and all round wonderful person. A great message. Here’s the theme song:
https://youtu.be/7yoKTI2Q8D0