Activity | Matariki Memory Garden - Cultivate connection and remembrance

Honour the past. Celebrate the present. Grow for the future.
Inspired by the Pohutukawa, the Matariki star represents remembrance. This activity invites your tamariki to connect deeply with their personal stories and shared memories.

What you’ll need:

• Compostable Paper Cups - 1 per student
• Craft Workshop Pop Sticks - for memory markers
• Crayola Markers, Crayons or Coloured Pencils (Search CRAYOLACREATIVE)
• Scissors, Glue Sticks, Blu-Tack
• Sticky Notes - for capturing student voice and reflections
• Optional:
  - Coloured Card for a “Memory Garden” sign
  - People Pop Sticks – to represent family or pets
• Potting mix and plant seeds or seedlings (not available at OfficeMax – source locally)

Inspiration for inquiry

Renowned education consultant Kath Murdoch* reminds us that “curiosity and an open mind are surely amongst the most powerful and important dispositions to nurture not only in our learners but in ourselves.”

This activity invites tamariki to connect with their personal stories, ask questions, and share memories. Their ideas and reflections can help shape how the Memory Garden grows – both in the soil and in spirit.

Follow these steps to create a Memory Garden

1. Decorate paper cups with drawings or symbols representing the memories, people, or pets your tamariki wish to honour.
2. Create powerful memory markers by writing or drawing on pop sticks to represent those special connections.
3. Add soil and plant seeds (if available) into each cup, then gently insert each unique memory marker.
4. Display your collective "Memory Garden" in your learning space. Nurture it and encourage reflection throughout the Matariki season.

Listen to the student voice

As tamariki create, take time to notice and capture their stories, thoughts, and reflections. These can be jotted down or recorded, then shared with family to deepen connections and celebrate each child’s unique perspective.

• Encourage powerful story sharing as tamariki plant their memories. This is where the magic happens!
• This activity is perfect for capturing authentic learning moments to share with family or online.

About the author
Amy Croxford is the National Learning Consultant at OfficeMax. With 22 years of experience as an educator and leader in Aotearoa, New Zealand, Amy is known for her expertise in educational innovation. As a Google Certified Innovator (SYD’13) and holder of a Generative AI for Educators Certificate, she is passionate about bringing the latest technology into classrooms and keeping pace with current educational research and global trends.

*Kath Murdoch is an experienced primary teacher, author, university lecturer, and popular education consultant based in Australia. Her name is synonymous with Inquiry Learning, a field in which she has taught, researched, and written about throughout a forty-year career.