All posts by Storypark

Values in action : Hospitality

Values need to be lived out loud I said at the start of this series on values in early childhood education: Children pick up on an awful lot without us saying it – they learn to talk, walk and jump without specific lessons, and they’ll pick up on lots of ‘the way we do things at our centre/in our family’...

/ August 16, 2017

Values In Action: Wisdom

Values need to be lived out loud I said at the start of this series on values in early childhood education: “Children pick up on an awful lot without us saying it – they learn to talk, walk and jump without specific lessons, and they’ll pick up on lots of ‘the way we do things at our centre/in our family’...

/ August 9, 2017

Reflective and Co-Constructed Practice: This is How Learning Happens!

This week’s guest post is written by Diane Kashin and Cindy Green, of Ontario Canada. In 2014, our province published How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years. At the centre of learning are children, educators, and families. With the view of children, families and educators as capable, competent and rich in potential, the four conditions for learning are;...

/ July 31, 2017
A young child leaning against a wooden post

Change Doesn’t Have to Be Scary! How to Help Children With Transitions

It’s been a long day and you’re finally settled on the couch to watch the season finale of your favorite television series. The dramatic conclusion is moments away when, without warning, someone changes the channel to check a sports score. Frustrating, right? Well, that’s how a young child feels when she’s building the world’s tallest tower and you say, “Put...

/ July 31, 2017

Values need to be lived out loud

Children pick up on an awful lot without us saying it – they learn to talk, walk and jump without specific lessons, and they’ll pick up on lots of ‘the way we do things at our centre/in our family’ unconsciously. But for some things, especially in the area of values, virtues, and character development, it’s necessary for us to live them...

/ July 26, 2017

I Hate You! Not Really…

On Mother’s Day, my five-year-old son created an original paper and crayon card with bold capital letters that declared, “Your the best mom.” There were yellow daffodils because that’s my favorite flower. And there was no attempt to make “your” into “you’re” – which is okay when you’re five. I got teary-eyed, he smiled proudly, and I knew I was,...

/ July 20, 2017

Are we protecting or exposing children?

All children have the right to experience quality care and learning opportunities in an environment that provides for their well-being, health and safety, let’s explore what that really means… So we know that a strong sense of health and wellbeing is supported by good nutrition, an active lifestyle & provides children with the confidence, energy and optimism required for them...

/ June 29, 2017

Amazing results at Little Diggers

Little Diggers provides quality care to defence families in Moorebank NSW. Little Diggers is a vibrant and welcoming 2 room service that caters to 45 children daily, with 14 staff members on site. The educators at Little Diggers are committed to delivering a high level of service. They recognise the importance of being, becoming and belonging and these principles are implemented...

/ June 28, 2017

Finding Common Ground

Finding Common Ground with Families from Different Religious Backgrounds Human beings are more alike than we are different, right? We all need food, rest, love, and laughter, as every early childhood teacher knows well. The good news, when considering how to cater for families from different religious backgrounds, is that the same principle applies. To a very large extent, all...

/ June 25, 2017

A better way to connect school and home in California

      The Gillispie School is an independent, coeducational day school in La Jolla, California, enrolling 250 students from age two to Grade Six (age twelve). The school began as a small cottage that served hot meals to the underprivileged children of single mothers or working parents in La Jolla in the lean years of the Great Depression. Its founders, pediatrician...

/ June 21, 2017