Month: January 2017
Digital portfolios and the Reggio Emilia approach
It is important for me to admit that for years, prior to Storypark, the documentation panels, children’s work and group discussions that I completed and posted in my classroom was easily overlooked. If time allowed I would walk parents around the room, directly point out the progress and work of their child. I hosted bi-annual curriculum nights/ exhibits, carefully displaying...
Trade secrets of early childhood educators
Every occupation has its own trade secrets. We are lifting the lid on 10 little known facts about early childhood educators! In our heads, we high-five ourselves when we make it to the end of a book without interruptions. It’s the teachers equivalent of an olympic gold medal. Legendary status, a historical moment reached by few. In public we secretly...
How imaginative play helps children learn
Many of the memories I have of my childhood include my two older sisters, who are close in age to me, and we played together often. On weekends and school holidays we would distract ourselves for hours, often outside on the small farm we grew up on – climbing old water tanks or spending hours in the cattle yards, pretending...
Children and technology
The use of technology by children has changed rapidly in a short period of time. Many children as young as 3 years own their own devices, but how are they using this technology and what sort of learning is happening with it? Watch this interview with researcher Dr Joanne Orlando about how children are actually using technology at home, and...
Art explorations for early learners
Art is often about the process, rather than the product – which is particularly important to remember when doing art activities with young children. As early childhood educators, we’re all familiar with the idea that if the end products all look identical, there probably hasn’t been much learning, creativity or imagination taking place. Pre K + K Sharing put it...