Flutter like Fantail

Overview

This 50-minute visual art session is designed for Year 0 ākonga following the shared reading of the big book “Fantail Fantail”. It integrates the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) Visual Arts strand Understanding the Arts in Context, providing ākonga with opportunities to reflect on and respond to a text using visual media.

The focus is on allowing our youngest learners to express their understanding of the fantail character through creative exploration. The lesson taps into the principles of Te Whāriki and the NZC Level 1 by fostering curiosity, oral language development, and fine motor skills through a culturally responsive and local context.

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Curriculum Links

Learning Area: The Arts – Visual Arts
Curriculum Level: Level 1
Strand: Developing Practical Knowledge, Communicating and Interpreting

Key Competencies:

• Thinking – Generating and developing ideas from shared experiences
• Using language, symbols and texts – Expressing understanding through pictures
• Relating to others – Sharing and discussing work with peers
• Participating and contributing – Engaging enthusiastically in a group art activity

Values: Innovation, creativity, and curiosity
Mātauranga Māori Integration: Incorporates the significance of pīwakawaka (fantail) in te ao Māori – the pīwakawaka as a messenger and a symbol of courage in unfamiliar spaces

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Lesson Objectives

By the end of this session, ākonga will:

• Explore visual art elements (texture, colour, line)
• Create an artwork inspired by the fantail using mixed media
• Express personal responses to a text through art
• Begin to understand the cultural significance of the pīwakawaka
• Share their art and ideas with peers

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Preparation and Resources

Materials:

• “Fantail Fantail” Big Book
• A3 cartridge paper
• Soft pastels and crayons
• Paint (natural earth tones and Kiwi bird colours)
• Glue sticks
• Pre-cut koru shapes, flax leaves (paper), feathers, coloured tissue paper
• Real images or illustrations of New Zealand birds, especially fantails
• Display table/book corner set up with native bird artefacts, nests etc.

Space requirements:

• Open mat space for the introduction
• Tables or floor space set up in a circle for tactile art-making

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Lesson Sequence (50 minutes)

1. Welcome and Whanaungatanga Circle (5 minutes)

• Gather ākonga on the mat in a circle.
• Briefly revisit the story Fantail Fantail – ask ākonga:
  “What did Fantail do?”
  “Where did she go?”
  “How did she move her body?”
• Affirm responses and celebrate kōrero.

Mātauranga Māori Connection: Explain that pīwakawaka is a bird that brings messages and is seen as brave. Encourage ākonga to hold this idea as they create today.

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2. Movement Warm-up: Be the Fantail! (5 minutes)

• Use movement to embody the character:
  • "Use your arms as wings – how does a fantail flutter?"
  • "Now tiptoe like you're on a tree branch!"

Encourages kinaesthetic engagement and sets the creative tone.

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3. Art Introduction & Exploration (5 minutes)

• Show pictures of real fantails and feathers.
• Explore how the feathers look – textures, shapes, colours.
• Ask guiding questions:
  • "What colours do you see on Fantail?"
  • "Do you notice patterns?"
  • "How does Fantail make you feel when she moves?"

Explain that the artwork today will be called "Flutter Fantail", using lots of different materials to show motion and character.

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4. Creative Art Making: "Flutter Fantail" Artwork (25 minutes)

Phase 1: Drawing and Texture (10 mins)

• Distribute A3 paper and crayons/pastels.
• Instruct ākonga to draw Fantail with big sweeping tail feathers.
• Encourage using lines, gentle curves, and layering with pastels.

Phase 2: Collage and Painting (15 mins)

• Add pre-cut tissue feathers, flax-like paper strips for tail.
• Glue soft and natural materials to create depth and texture.
• Use limited colour paint palette to carefully dab around the tail (simulating flutter), possibly using sponge rollers or fingers.

Teacher prompts:

• “What would Fantail be looking at?”
• “How can you show your Fantail dancing in the air?”

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5. Sharing and Reflecting (7 minutes)

• Return to the whāriki/mat in a sharing circle.
• Ākonga take turns holding up their work and saying one thing about their fantail.
  • “This is my fantail flying to the tree!”
  • “Mine is flappy with red tail!”

Teacher reinforces vocabulary: flutter, swoop, tail, feathers, brave, messenger

Celebrate each artwork with a gentle clap – reinforcing mana and contribution.

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6. Farewell and Folklore Close (3 minutes)

• Gather round to close with a short pakiwaitara (traditional story) or simple whakataukī:

  "He iti, he pounamu – Though small, it is precious."

Link back to the small but mighty fantail and how every learner is valued.

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Assessment Opportunities

Formative assessment through observation:

• Are ākonga engaging with materials?
• Can they recall aspects of the story in their artwork?
• Are they beginning to express motion and character visually?

Reflection questions for teacher post-lesson:

• How did ākonga respond to movement and storytelling?
• Were they able to make links between the story and their art?
• What scaffolded language/vocabulary helped their expression most?

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Extension Ideas

• Add to a class mural of native birds.
• Integrate te reo Māori bird names into a class book.
• Create soundscapes to represent the fluttering of Fantail.
• Invite tamariki to act out new adventures for Fantail through dramatic play.

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Teacher Notes

This activity supports developmentally appropriate creative expression while honouring Aotearoa New Zealand's cultural and natural heritage. Embedding movement, oral sharing, and tactile exploration ensures a multi-sensory learning experience for our youngest ākonga.

This approach reinforces the holistic spirit of New Zealand’s early years pedagogy – where nurturing identity, culture, and belonging through creative curriculum not only enriches the child but grows a connected classroom.

Kia rere atu te pīwakawaka i te ao toi – Let the fantail soar through the world of art!