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Nannie and Pūkeko 

Pūkeko is a soft toy that connects Nannie to the mokopuna (grandchildren) that she cannot be with.

Soft toy pūkeko in an apple tree

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi engari he toa takitini. 

I come not with my own strengths but bring with me the gifts, talents,
and strengths of my family, tribe, and ancestors.

Glenda has two mokopuna (grandchildren) – Oakley and Arlen. 

Normally, the boys spend a day a week at Nannie Glenda’s house in the country. Since the pandemic, she has found ways that the boys can continue to enjoy the daily tasks they did together.

Pūkeko is a soft toy that lives at Nannie Glenda's house. The boys love Pūkeko. Each day, Nannie takes Pūkeko along with her. She makes short videos and photographs and shares them with her boys over video chat. 

For young children, learning comes naturally in situations where it: 

  • involves people they know and trust 
  • builds on the familiar 
  • encourages back and forward conversations 
  • allows them to imagine. 

Watch what Pūkeko did at Nannie Glenda’s house in this selection of photographs Nannie has shared with her mokopuna. 

Tauwhaituhi ā-kiriata
Tauwhaituhi ā-kiriataTauwhaituhi ā-kiriata

Royalty-free music in the video: Hey from bensound.com 

Sharing photographs is a fun way to: 

  • look after your wellbeing 
  • look after the wellbeing of your whānau 
  • contribute to the ongoing learning of your mokopuna (grandchildren), tamariki (children), or irāmutu (nieces and nephews). 

About this resource

Find out how soft toys and a bit of digital ingenuity can support learning from a distance when Nannie cannot be with her mokopuna (grandchildren). 

Ngā rawa kei tēnei rauemi: