At BestStart Tironui Road, we love creating meaningful learning experiences that spark curiosity and wonder among our tamariki. Recently, during mat time, we explored a simple yet fascinating concept—communication through a tin can (string) telephone.
Using two cups connected by a long piece of string, we introduced tamariki to how we can talk and hear each other in a fun and interactive way. As kaiako, we demonstrated how to hold the cups, keep the string tight, and speak clearly into one end while a friend listens from the other.
The excitement on their faces was evident as they discovered that their voices could travel through the string. We took time to explain the “why” behind it in a simple, child-friendly way—how sound travels as vibrations through the string from one cup to the other. This opened up opportunities for rich conversations, questioning, and thinking.
Our tamariki then eagerly took turns using the string telephone with their peers. This encouraged turn-taking and cooperation, while also supporting their communication skills and social connections. We noticed children experimenting—moving closer and further away, tightening and loosening the string, and testing how well they could hear their friends.
This experience beautifully linked science, play, and social learning. It fostered curiosity, problem-solving, and oral language development in a hands-on way that was both engaging and meaningful.
We look forward to extending this learning further as we continue to explore how things work in our world through play, discovery, and shared experiences.