The Invisible String!

If you have tamariki who are finding it hard to settle, or separate from their whānau, this is a great way to open this kōrero up and normalise that it’s okay to miss the people we love. AND that we can still get on with our day, and find ways to have fun. 

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But it’s also a great activity even when these challenges aren’t present, because we all find new situations hard sometimes, or that you provide support for each other too.

• The pukapuka or link to the YouTube clip

• Our Invisible String handout

• White cardboad, crayons

• A ball of wool or string

Take some quiet time to read through pukapuka - and reflect on the idea of the invisible string. 

Kōrero: 

• What do you think the string represents? - aroha, connection

• Who do you think is connected to your invisible string? Do you think it’s connected to more than one person?

• How might it be useful at kura to understand that you have an invisible string?

• What emotions might your invisible string support you with? - worry, anxiety, feeling scared, sadness, missing parents we don’t spend as much time with as we’d like…

• And even if not at kura, this might be useful at new places or school camp

Check in to make sure everyone has a good understanding of their own invisible string and someone is connected to the end of it. 

Invisible String Mindfulness

You might ask tamariki to relax and tune into their hā and imagine their string and the length of it, and the places it stretches across to the people we love. Keep this light - down our street, past the park, across the busy intersection even, over the trees, through the mists of clouds, across the grass…

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Imagine the other end of the string is drawing near - the person who’s holding it is at work,  or in the garden, or tidying up, or visiting a friend and they feel a gentle nudge of the string. It’s you - they know you’re thinking of you. The smile at the pull of the string and send some of their love back through the string up the road, across the grass, up up into the sky, through the mists of clouds, past that busy intersection, up our street into kura, into our classroom and to you. 

Take two more deep hā feeling that aroha, then when you’re ready, open your eyes gently and return to me and this space with your friends.

Invisible string artwork

Use white cardboard and crayons, ask each of your tamariki to draw the person at the end of their string using our Invisible String Handout, and include any kupu that support them to feel connected to that person - aroha, mum, pāpā, koru, connection, fun… whatever it is. Once they’re done - this may be the following day, cut out your hearts and pop them up on the wall connecting some string or wool through the holes to create a display and use it to refer to whānau when tamariki are feeling sad or worried. Or when you want tamariki to think about great behaviour too.

Share photos of your art with whānau and introduce them to the pukapuka using the Youtube link. 

Invite them to kōrero with their tamariki about this, talk about their own invisible string and let them know how you also feel worried sometimes, or did as a child, and what you did to manage and cope. 

Another activity that supports tamariki to reflect on who's important and has made an impact on their lives is Expressions of whakawhetai - a simple, reflective card-making activity

Health and PE Curriculum ​

• Relationships with other people: C1 - Relationships