Meet the Characters
Tate the Sea Turtle
Unlike other turtles, sea turtles can’t pull their head arms and legs into their shell to hide and they have to travel very long distances. They have to face the world head on and face everything that comes their way but this doesn’t worry Tate. He loves trying new things because he knows that each new thing he tries will make him stronger. He knows that he will have to practice new things over and over again before he is able to do them properly but once he masters something new he actually places stickers on his shell to remind him of the lessons he learnt from each new experience.
Omelia and Pandora
As an oyster lays at the bottom of an ocean lots of irritants and yucky stuff is washed into its mouth. The oyster could close itself off from the world so that this doesn’t happen but instead it secretes a substance called Nacre which slowly creates a pearl.
Omelia and Pandora are in our coat to remind us that when things come along and annoy or frustrate us we don’t close ourselves off or hide from the world. Instead we can secrete positive affirmations that will help us become strong and a gem of a person just like Pandora because each of us is a gift to the world if we allow ourselves to be.
Me’Shell and her String of Shells
Me'Shell and her String of Shells helps children to manage seperation anxiety and moments when they are feeling alone or missing a loved one.
Each shell represents someone that the child wants to stay close and connected too.
When the child is missing this person they imagine that they are holding their shell tightly in their hand, close their eyes and send their loving energy to that person who in return sends a loving energy right back.
Children are told that this String of Shells is unbreakable and can reach heaven and earth
Pop the Cork
Here lives Pop the Cork and his message in a bottle. Pop keeps the words, "Excuse me!" inside the bottle until it is needed.
When someone hurts our feelings or says something thats makes us feel like we are disrespected, Pop releases the cork from the bottle to remind us to say, "Excuse Me!"
Solomon loves to surf the waves. Waves are like problems that everyone sometimes has in life. Some are big and some are small.
The waves can seem scary, especially the big ones and we might feel like we want to run away from them but we can’t. Solomon is there for us to jump onto and surf the waves while we look for ways to either solve the problem or make things easier to handle.
Solomon the Surfboard
Each starfish reminds us that we are all unique and different. We were not born to be the same. We were all born to stand out! The five starfish have individualities that make them special. Linckia (Linckia Sea Star-Blue) Linckia is energetic and athletic. She strives to beat her personal best and is a team player. Cookie (Biscuit Sea Star) Cookie’s special skill is cooking. He’s a little master chef who is very artistic and precise. Lavender (Purple Sea Star) Lavender is floaty and very connected to nature – like a little hippie! She cares for her reef environment and she is very community spirited. Brevis (Pink Sea Star-Pisas ter brevispinus) Brevis is a star performer. He practices and trains hard. Bravo Brevis! Bat Star, Bat Star is a superhero! He is webbed like a Spider-hero and has special skills. What makes him a hero, is the extraordinary things he does to help others.
Pocket Full of Starfish
Sebastian the Seahorse
Sebastian the Seahorse is a "Thought Detective". Sebastian reminds us to always look for the evidence about whether a thought is true or not.
An example may be that the thought is, "Nobody loves me". When looking for evidence you may find that one person was unkind, but mum and dad told you they loved you before you went to school, and your other friends are being nice, so the evidence shows us that the thought, “we are not loved”, is untrue and we need to change it.
Obi the Octopus
Obi the Octopus reminds us that there is more than just the feelings of happy and sad. There are so many other feelings that we need to label, recognise and manage.
Obi also reminds us that we can sometimes feel more than one feeling at a time and this is quite normal. He gives us strategies to sit with our feelings and work through them until they pass.
Bessam the Beluga Whale
Bessam the Beluga Whale reminds us that although there are people with disabilities amongst us they are not that much different from us. Bessam is non-verbal so he communicates by making clicking noises and changing his facial expressions. As he has Autism, he doesn't like loud noises so wears headphones throughout much of the day. When Bessam is scared or anxious he likes to take out the notepad in his satchel and start drawing.
Bessam reminds us to look for the abilities in others even when they seem so different to us.