Storykate: an early childhood teacher and trainer, armed with ukulele and the gift to generate endless curriculum ideas.
Hello, fellow educators!👋🏻 I'm Kate, an experienced early childhood teacher and tertiary education instructor passionate about enriching early learning. With extensive experience across various roles—from nanny and storyteller to educational leader and early childhood trainer—I bring a wealth of knowledge and innovative teaching strategies to the table. At Storykate, I'm dedicated to sharing engaging educational practices through stories, puppet shows, action songs, ukulele, mind maps and circle games. Whether you're teaching young children or training future educators, you'll find invaluable resources here. I offer a treasure trove of free resources, creative ideas, and digital products designed to enhance your teaching methods and pedagogy. I helped hundreds of students and educators achieve their professional goals. 👇Why Subscribe? Subscribe to get your hands on exclusive content that blends storytelling, puppetry, and music with effective teaching techniques. These resources are perfect for keeping your programs lively and educational, especially during circle time. 🐞Join me at Storykate to explore new ways to jazz up your teaching style and connect with a community of like-minded early childhood educators. Let’s make learning fun and meaningful together!
Storykate Stories: November
Welcome to storytime with Kate!Hey Educators!
Kate's story from practiceThe other day, I had a small revelation. Two little children came to visit me by chance. One was about one and a half, the other almost four. One was neurotypical, the other with some neurodivergent traits…While they were exploring the house, the garden, and everything around, they finally discovered the piano. I invited them to play. Both sat down and started to press the keys with great confidence. Then they began pressing them very loudly. We were all laughing and enjoying how much fun they were having. Their dad was with them, and we talked about how important music is. Then I decided to try something. I quietly took out my puppet, Bob. The puppet pretended it didn’t know how to play the piano. First, it said hello, and right away the boys stopped looking at me and focused on the puppet. Bob started bumping his head on the keys and asked, “Maybe this is how you play?” Then, “Can you show me? And suddenly the boys started to play very softly. It was pure magic, the way they looked at the puppet and taught it how to play. Once again, all my ideas about using puppets in teaching were beautifully tested and confirmed by the children themselves.
Quote of the month
“Our ability to communicate our own feelings, and to pick up the feelings of others and thus to heal fractures in connection, threatens the structures of hierarchy. Feelings of empathy and tender compassion for another’s suffering or humanity make it difficult to maintain or justify inequality.”
― Carol Gilligan, Why Does Patriarchy Persist? A theory of the month: Carol Gilliganhttps://storykate.com.au/carol-gilligan-theory-of-moral-development-for-early-childhood-educators/ As a vocational trainer, I've noticed that moral development often doesn't get the attention it deserves in our courses, even though early childhood educators regularly navigate conversations about right and wrong with children. We're all familiar with the traditional theorists: Piaget's stages and Kohlberg's famous Heinz dilemma with its focus on justice and rights. But there's a critical voice that challenged these male-centric models: Carol Gilligan. Gilligan pointed out something crucial: Kohlberg's research was based almost entirely on male subjects, creating a model that emphasized abstract principles of justice while overlooking how women, and by extension, many children, actually approach moral dilemmas.She introduced the ethic of care, highlighting that moral reasoning often centers on relationships, empathy, and interconnectedness rather than abstract rules. Her three stages move from self-interest, to self-sacrifice and care for others, to principled morality that balances personal needs with social justice. What This Means for Your Practice?Think about how this connects to nature pedagogies and ecofeminism, the ethics of care runs right through these approaches. Build responsive relationships. Pay attention to individual needs and emotional states. Create an environment where children feel truly valued. Acknowledge different moral perspectives. I've seen this in my own groups, e.g. girls arguing about friendships need different conversations than rule-breaking disputes. Both the ethic of care AND the ethic of justice matter. Promote self-reflection. Use emotional cards, discuss feelings through books and fairy tales where characters face moral choices. Help children understand how their actions affect others. Create inclusive spaces. This ties directly into anti-bias work. When diverse perspectives are respected, children learn to appreciate differences and build empathy. Practical IdeasYou know I'm Storykate, so of course I'm going to recommend stories! Use narratives and role-playing that highlight care, empathy, and justice. Discuss why characters make certain choices and what happens as a result. Try reflective activities like journaling, group discussions, and art projects. Introduce conflict resolution strategies, e.g. a talking stick or round table approach can work really well. Moral development is a gradual process, and when we expand our understanding beyond traditional justice-based models, we create richer learning environments that reflects all the ways children make sense of right and wrong. What moral development approaches resonate most in your practice? A song of the month: two little tigers🐯 两只老虎 / Two Little TigersMandarin (Pinyin + Characters): Chinese (Characters only): English translation:
Maths Resource of the month: Studymate linking cubes Felt story of the month: Hey, Diddle, Diddle!🎵 Hey Diddle DiddleHey diddle diddle, 🌙 Why this felt song is great for early childhood education
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE RESOURCE, BOOK OR GAME FOR YOUNG CHILDREN? Thanks for reading, and I hope these resources spark new ideas in your classroom. Stay tuned for next month’s edition; remember, creativity is key to keeping the joy in learning! All the best,
P.S. Share the Love! Explore More on Storykate What would you like me to make articles and videos about? What resources would you like me to create? Send me a message via DM or FB, and I will try my best to make it. |
Storykate: an early childhood teacher and trainer, armed with ukulele and the gift to generate endless curriculum ideas.
Hello, fellow educators!👋🏻 I'm Kate, an experienced early childhood teacher and tertiary education instructor passionate about enriching early learning. With extensive experience across various roles—from nanny and storyteller to educational leader and early childhood trainer—I bring a wealth of knowledge and innovative teaching strategies to the table. At Storykate, I'm dedicated to sharing engaging educational practices through stories, puppet shows, action songs, ukulele, mind maps and circle games. Whether you're teaching young children or training future educators, you'll find invaluable resources here. I offer a treasure trove of free resources, creative ideas, and digital products designed to enhance your teaching methods and pedagogy. I helped hundreds of students and educators achieve their professional goals. 👇Why Subscribe? Subscribe to get your hands on exclusive content that blends storytelling, puppetry, and music with effective teaching techniques. These resources are perfect for keeping your programs lively and educational, especially during circle time. 🐞Join me at Storykate to explore new ways to jazz up your teaching style and connect with a community of like-minded early childhood educators. Let’s make learning fun and meaningful together!
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Welcome to storytime with Kate! Hey Educators! Check out my channel Kate's story from practice I once worked with a child who had a hard start in life. He was anxious and on edge, so we let him move between two rooms to feel safe and know what to expect. He was four and a half, still in nappies, with sore skin that needed care. One day, he walked to the easel. I always set one up with jars of paint. He asked to paint. He chose a dark, muddy colour and covered the whole page. The paint was...
Welcome to storytime with Kate! Hey Educators! Check out my channel Kate's story from practice During my second teaching placement, I thought I was on the right track. New ideas, engaging activities, and materials matched to each child. My placement was at a council-run early childhood centre near home. I was using a scooter to get there. Mixed age groups, strong relationships, a security-based approach. I enjoyed it! I had a focus on a 1.5-year-old toddler, who loved red cars, so I brought...