All posts by Storypark

Kaitiakitanga: Children as Champions of Nature, for Nature

Kaitiakitanga: Children as Champions of Nature, for Nature By: Brigitte Alamani (Head Teacher | Daisies Early Education and Care Centre) Background Daisies is a family owned long-day education and care centre in Johnsonville, Wellington, that is licensed for 30 children a day. We are a mixed aged centre, catering from 9 months to school aged children. Our pedagogy embraces New...

/ January 7, 2018

How to Help Children Cope with the Loss of a Loved One

We are fully immersed in the holiday season, and we love it, right? This is the time for magical moments with family pulled close to our hearts. There are treats to bake, decorations to display – and plenty of music, celebration, and togetherness.  But for children who have lost a parent or close family member in the last twelve months,...

/ December 14, 2017

Supporting relationships and attachment in the early years

Relationships are broadly defined as the state of being connected or related. This can mean an association by blood or marriage, a kinship or the mutual dealings, connections, or feelings that exist between two parties. It is also recognised as a type of dependence or alliance in the way that we behave or regard one another. When considering the National...

/ November 8, 2017

Family engagement makes a huge difference for children at Auckland YMCA early learning services

Lorraine Duncumb, Group Manager ECE for YMCA Auckland In New Zealand wrote about her experiences using Storypark to engage families in their children’s learning and communicate important information about their services events and procedures.  Storypark has been a huge part of our development in communicating with our families in our early learning centres. When we were using a scrapbook to share...

/ November 6, 2017

Plan for everything from QIPs to appraisals with Storypark’s planning tools

Shirley Fyfe from East Sale Kindergarten shares her experiences with using the new Storypark planning tool, and the outcomes the service has seen since using planning across all aspects of their service. East Sale Kindergarten is located at the RAAF base in Victoria, Australia, and is a non-profit cluster-managed service providing sessional 3 and 4-year-old Kindergarten to children in the local...

/ October 4, 2017

From start to review – the ongoing nature of reflective practice

Some practical advice for when undertaking the continuous improvement process is to become more comfortable with being uncomfortable. The sooner we are, the better we can accept the ongoing nature of true reflective practice. From Start to Review: the ongoing nature of reflective practice and how we can better use it to support our role and save time. Ok, let’s...

/ September 6, 2017

Things teen mums want you to know

Some people have their children early, some late. In this blog, I’m discussing the stigma related to having my child young. So, what’s one to do when face to face with a youthful looking mum, a teen mum at that, well, read on, and grab yourself some sweet tips to be inclusive, open and less likely to offend. Also, I...

/ August 17, 2017

Restoring Hope to Children with Challenging Behaviours

Some years ago, I received a tearful phone call from a young mom whose son had been “expelled” from preschool. Her son – a precocious, intelligent builder of large block structures – exploded in anger when a teacher dismantled his tower to make room for a new class project. Frustration escalated…and a chair was thrown. Mom was called at work...

/ August 17, 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