Strings Crosser is a STEM Kit designed to teach children aged 8-12 about traditional Samoan lalava (lashing) techniques. Strings Crosser is designed for a single user, takes 1 hour per session to complete, and requires multiple sessions to master the lalava technique.

Strings Crosser is designed based on the lalava technique used for fale building in the Samoan culture. In a fale, every pattern represents part of a journey, the ocean travelled and the beginning of Maui. (Filipe Tohi, Transcript of video).

While the field educators are aware of the importance of pacific culture within Aotearoa, they found it difficult to identify pedagogical approaches towards pacific practices.. this is due to a lack of published indigenous models related specifically to field education (Dominic Chilvers (2022).

Strings Crosser provides educators within Aotearoa an indigenous model to teach students about Samoan culture. This is important because indigenous knowledge is being forgotten and there are little to no STEM kits that could provide both STEM knowledge and cultural exchange. Strings Crosser provides both aspects while keeping the learning experience enjoyable.