[Y7] Kahu Manu : New way of learning

The notifications kept popping up on the Hero app. They were from my eldest's school — she's in Year 7 — about a programme called Kahu Manu. It runs in Term 3, and there was still plenty of time before sign-ups, so the message said to take our time looking through it before deciding. I downloaded the file that supposedly laid out the programme in detail, opened it, and was taken aback by the sheer scale of it. What on earth was Kahu Manu?

Kahu Manu is an enrichment programme run by my eldest's intermediate school. It's a special programme structured around three cycles — A, B, and C — across Term 3, offering a colourful range of choices spanning the arts, science, maths, sport, and performance. There's Anatomy & Dissection, where students actually carry out a dissection; Shark Tank, where they pitch their own business ideas in front of an audience; Stop Motion Animation, which they make themselves; Song Writing and Music Making; and Taiao Hopuni, an off-site day camp held at parks and the like.

Each cycle runs for a week, and some programmes are offered as options across several cycles, so there's little constraint on timing. There are also long-term projects — like sport or performance productions — that span all three cycles. The programmes fall into three broad types: Selected, where you apply and go through a selection process; Opt-In, where you simply sign up; and Paid Opt-In, where you sign up and pay a fee. Paid Opt-In ranges from just $3 up to $90, so you can take part without much of a burden.

The file the school attached included curriculum documents or links for each programme, so I could get a careful sense of what each one was. I think this is also why they sent out a Term 3 programme from early in Term 2 — to give us time to choose thoughtfully. As my daughter and I looked through the programmes together, what I found most fascinating was that these weren't simply extracurricular activities or classes to "take" — they were a range of experiences where the children plan and carry things out themselves, from start to finish.

After much deliberation, Min chose three programmes. First, she was drawn to a bread-making programme — but looking closer, it wasn't simply about making bread; it was a 'Business' course where you make, taste, and sell. Another option, Buddy Learning, pairs her with a student from the neighbouring primary school to teach them maths, English, sport, or social science. This too isn't just about passing on given information — it's a remarkable experience where she plans the lessons herself, builds the curriculum, and teaches. Finally, she chose journaling, which she already loves: a programme where you create your own bullet journal in your own format and finish by expressing a power statement through art — perfect, I thought, for eleven- and twelve-year-olds working hard to establish their own identity.

I fell in love with Kahu Manu the moment I saw it. From the way children look through countless options and choose what they want after careful thought, to the way each programme draws out their growth — I loved all of it. Education that builds the power to think for themselves rather than follow a set course; that has them look at the whole arc from start to finish, not just one stage. I could see education that helps them set and design their own direction.