This early learning centre now achieves better outcomes than ever before

Tania Gaffey shared her experiences with using Storypark and how Te Puna Reo o Ngā Kākano (an urban-based, kaupapa Māori, Bronze Enviroschool in Thorndon, Wellington) have used the platform to achieve better outcomes than ever before for their tamariki, kaiako and whānau. Storypark has largely revolutionised our relationship/s with our mātua/parents, in the sense that they are able to perceive...

/ April 4, 2017

Planning for and extending children’s learning with Storypark

Whether you plan on paper, a whiteboard, face-to-face, or a combination of different ways, we hear the same hurdles over and over… “it’s hard to involve my whole team in planning” . . . “I wish we could better engage parents” . . . “How do I track our planning and assessments over time” . . . “I’d love an...

/ March 17, 2017

The loud teacher quandary

The Storypark blog shares diverse opinions from educators and parents all over the world. Today our guest opinion piece is from the author of ‘Uplifting Early Childhood‘. What are your thoughts? Share them below in the comments, we’d love to hear from you! The loud teacher quandary… When I began my journey in early childhood education and care, I had...

/ March 8, 2017

Imagine a classroom without walls – video

3 and 4 year olds can climb mountains! I know this, because I went up a mountain recently with some very capable young children. They trekked for over 2 hours to get to the top of Mount Kau Kau, one of the great walks in Wellington, New Zealand. This excursion was part of the Nature Explore component of Daisies Early...

/ February 22, 2017

Filtering emails to avoid cluttering your inbox

I have an admission. Sometimes I avoid checking my email, even when there are important things in it for me to deal with – because the mere thought of the chaos that is my inbox is enough to make my head feel like polystyrene and my cortisol levels to rise.  Luckily, many of the emails I receive are quite similar...

/ February 15, 2017

What is the impact of Storypark for children, families and educators?

What we see: We surveyed our Storypark families to ensure we’re making an impact. We have been delighted with the responses: 97% of parents felt that Storypark has enabled them to be more involved in their child’s learning. 94% of parents felt that Storypark has enabled their wider family to be more involved in their child’s learning. 96% of parents...

/ February 13, 2017

Storypark is a values based company

Our Values Stronger together We include, respect and generously support each other through the good and the bad. It takes a village. We believe it takes a village to raise a child and support stronger, engaged families through our work We have a shared sense of responsibility – to ourselves, to each other and to our customers Collectively we offer...

/ February 13, 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...

/ January 30, 2017

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...

/ January 23, 2017

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...

/ January 18, 2017