Tag: early childhood education

Mosaic Pegbord Magic: A Mathematical Treasure Trove

~ Storykate ~ Leave a comment

“This isn’t just a game—it’s a real treasure chest of geometry, combinatorics, logic, and pattern recognition tasks,” says the author of a hugely popular child development book.

There are quite a few varieties of mosaics available—plastic, magnetic, ones with letters, and ones with little pegs. For mathematical purposes, a rectangular mosaic board with colourful peg buttons works best. This way, we develop not only spatial thinking and concentration, but also fine motor skills. Ideally, you should have several boards (it’s convenient for working with multiple children, and you can also “connect” boards to each other). The larger the pegs, the better. As children grow, you can reduce their size.

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Following a Pattern: Pegboard

The first task is to create a figure following a pattern. Usually, these come with the mosaic sets, but if you don’t have any, you can make up patterns yourself by drawing them with markers.

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Symmetry

Mathematician Alexander Zvonkin recommends starting with the principle “from simple to complex.” First, lay out an axis on the board with pegs of one colour—a vertical line running down the middle of the field. This line will be the “mirror,” and different figures will be reflected in this mirror.

Build a simple figure on one side—a square, rectangle—and ask the child to repeat it on the other side of the “mirror.” You can vary the colour, size, and position of the figures. To check how accurately the children managed to mirror your figure, take a real mirror. If it’s the same, everything’s fine. If not, let’s try to fix it.

In the next session, you can change the axis position: first, make it horizontal, then diagonal. The figures you create can become progressively more complex. Make multicoloured diamonds, create butterflies. Check with the mirror. Symmetry, according to Zvonkin, is a rich topic—definitely search online for photos of snowflakes and other examples of symmetry in nature, or look in H. Weyl’s book “Symmetry.”

Learning to Write

According to Maria Montessori’s definition, reading is the transformation of sounds into symbols. That’s exactly what we’ll do with the mosaic. We’ll compose keywords, and then move on to sentences. This is especially useful when learning a foreign language.

I give the child cards with so-called sight words or basic words, and they copy them for me on the mosaic. The spelling rules pass through the “hand.”

Why This Works:

The mosaic board is a brilliant multisensory tool. Children aren’t just seeing letters and patterns—they’re building them, peg by peg. Each placement requires precision, planning, and physical engagement. When a four-year-old recreates the word “the” or “cat” with colourful pegs, they’re encoding that word into muscle memory. The tactile experience of pushing each peg into place creates a stronger neural pathway than simply writing with a pencil.

And for symmetry work? There’s something magical about the moment a child places that final peg and realises their butterfly’s wings are perfectly balanced. Mathematics becomes visible, tangible, and deeply satisfying.

Why sensory play matters for toddlers?

~ Storykate ~ Leave a comment

Yesterday, my 3-year-old neighbour visited us. He was allured by the green garden we have and a lot of interesting things it has to offer – pinecones, shells and many other wonderful nature loose parts. A kindergarten teacher at heart, I quickly set up water play with food dyes and eye droppers, and he played with so much engagement.

If you have ever watched a toddler sit in a mud patch, swirl water in a bowl, or run bark chips through their fingers, you can see how deeply they learn through their senses. Sensory play is not just “messy play”. It is how toddlers make sense of the world long before they have the words to explain what they know.

For toddlers, learning starts with looking closely, touching, smelling, listening, and moving. This is exactly what nature invites. When a toddler crouches down to watch ants or scoops wet sand, they are already engaged in early inquiry. They are comparing textures, testing ideas, and noticing patterns. Inquiry does not need a worksheet. It starts with curiosity.

Research in this unit reminds us that toddlers learn best through active, embodied experiences. In Outdoor Learning Environments, Little writes that young children need rich sensory experiences outdoors to build confidence, resilience, and problem-solving skills, and that risk-taking is part of healthy development when it is supported thoughtfully (Little, 2017, pp. 19–38). This helps us see sensory play not as an “extra”, but as a core curriculum.

When toddlers stir water with sticks or explore mud, they are also practising fine and gross motor skills, regulating their bodies, and building attention. Even very young toddlers show early inquiry behaviours. A child (let’s call him Hudson), 14 months watches ants with deep focus. This moment of sensory attention becomes an opportunity for an educator to respond to what matters to him, which aligns with the principles of inquiry-based learning. The parent or the educator listens, questions, and guides rather than directs.

Nature pedagogies tell us that young children build knowledge through relationships with place, materials, and more-than-human life. This connects strongly to sensory play. Natural materials such as stones, seedpods, leaves and water are open-ended. They have what Malaguzzi called “affordances”, meaning they invite different actions depending on the child’s interest and intention. The Mudbook: Nature Play Framework also points out that sensory-rich outdoor experiences help children develop ecological connection and care (Childhoodnature, n.d.) . When toddlers feel the coolness of water or the roughness of bark, they are forming these early ecological relationships.

In Australia, regulatory requirements also highlight the need to balance safety with challenge. Jeavons, Jameson and Elliott explain that outdoor spaces should offer both safety and opportunities for meaningful exploration, including natural materials that encourage sensory engagement (Jeavons et al., 2017, pp.120–143). This means sensory play must be planned, supervised, and supported, not avoided. Safe spaces do not need to be sterile.

Sensory play also supports early communication. When toddlers point, gesture, name textures, or make sounds, they are expressing what they notice. These small interactions strengthen relationships with educators and peers.

Overall, sensory play is a natural entry point into inquiry because toddlers are already doing the work. Our role is to slow down, follow their lead, offer rich materials, keep environments safe but stimulating, and notice the learning taking place. When we do that, sensory play becomes the foundation for curiosity, connection, and early science thinking.

What are your favourite sensory play set-ups in your rooms or centres?

Storykate 🪇👧🏻

Why children are stuck inside on a rainy day?

~ Storykate ~ Leave a comment

I went into the Toddler Room during the rain, and it was clear the children had so much bottled-up energy. There was screaming, there were behaviour issues, and you could see the educator was trying to run an activity. She even pulled out some sort of balancing cushion for them to walk on. But it was obvious that many of the children just wanted to jump and run. One girl kept running to the little music radio and trying to turn it on so she could dance.

And I had a very reasonable question in my head. Why on earth do they keep children inside every time there is summer rain? It wasn’t even cold outside. It wasn’t hot or cold, it was just rain. Put the children in proper clothing for the weather. It’s called a raincoat. Put on the gumboots and go outside for a walk, for goodness’ sake. Why is this not allowed?

When I was little, we were outside all the time. If you don’t want to dress the children properly, fine, then set up an indoor hall. When I was growing up, we had a Swedish wall, we had rings, we had hoops, we could climb on it, and no one ever fell. People even had Swedish walls in their flats, and many still do. Because yes, sometimes it’s very cold, icy or stormy outside. But that doesn’t mean children shouldn’t move. Everyone understood this, especially in Scandinavian countries. Children need to move, either outside or indoors.

And this is what really annoys me about Australian childcare centres. The owners and managers often think of band-aid solutions or choose risk-averse ways of running their program. I think many educators have barriers that are anchored in their beliefs, stopping them from enjoying outdoor play in any weather. The irony is that ACECQA does not promote indoor play only on rainy days… Look at the resource they recommend – raincoats, gum books, umbrellas, watering cans; chalk; objects to float.

Yet, whenever I wanted to stay out in the rain with the children, the manager would come and ask me to go inside…

Be honest. What happens in your room when it rains?

Options:

  1. We go outside. Puddles are life
  2. Indoors, but we set up climbing and movement play
  3. Mostly indoors because we’re not set up for wet weather
  4. I wish we could go outside more often

MAKING PIZZA (Sample Group Observation)

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As a part of our restaurant investigation we made our own pizza at kinder room with Kathy, our chef. We put two tables together and children sat around. Kathy made toppings and sauce. The choice of toppings was based on children preferences during group time discussion. Children were offered to choose what to top up their pizzas with.

Before that we talked about what is pizza and how can we make pizzas. Kathy showed children all the toppings and asked if they know which one do they know. Children were very confident with naming salami, cheese, ham, pineapple. They needed some help remembering capsicum.

What do we put on our pizza? – we asked children first.

  • Cheese! – said Child A
  • Sauce, – said Child B.

What is that, Kathy? – asked Child A pointing at tomato sauce.

That’s tomato sauce.

“My dad likes this sauce” – said Child B.

So children spread sauce on their pizzas and started to choose toppings. They used thongs to pick up ham, salami, mushrooms, pineapple and cheese.

My pizza is going to be a burger! – Child A folded his pitta bread as a burger and pretended to eat it.

When pizzas were all done we put it in the oven, cleaned the table and put our new placement on the table.

After 5 minutes our little pizzas were ready to eat. It was so good to make our own lunch. Child A, Child B, Child C were so happy with experience they asked to make chocolate cake with Kathy next week.

EYLF Learning Outcomes

Children have become more confident in cooking in a group, they displayed curiosity, enthusiasm and persistence during making their pizzas.

 Children resourced their own learning through connecting with Kathy and other educators, by asking questions and sharing their ideas and knowledge about pizza making, food ingredients and cooking process.

One of the goals of the experience was learning more about nutrition, healthy cooking and making our own lunch. Children deepened their understanding of pizza making, ingredients we use to make pizza. Another goal was to provide children with opportunity to make a choice and be active participants in making their lunch from the ingredients they’ve earlier decided upon.

Early Childhood Educators’ Burtout is real

~ Storykate ~ Leave a comment

Have you ever come home from work feeling empty, like you used everything inside you just to get through the day? You try to smile, plan, and engage, but your energy is gone. Maybe your heart isn’t in it like it used to be. If that’s happening often, you might be edging toward burnout. I experienced burnout after 5 years of working as an educator, completing my degree and raising a child. It was tough.

Burnout in early childhood education is more than “just being tired”. It is a creeping drain on your passion, energy, and wellbeing. In Australia, it is not just anecdotal. Recent studies show educators are being stretched thinner than ever.

What the Research in Australia Says

As you know, I love evidence-based information.

  • A recent national survey of 570 early childhood educators found that more than three-quarters work an average of nine unpaid hours per week, and educators spend less than 30% of their day in uninterrupted interaction with children. (sydney.edu.au)
  • In a systematic review of 39 global studies (including those from Australia), burnout risk increased when educators had low social capital, weak organisational support, lack of career progression, and poor workplace relationships. (iier.org.au)

In other words, the workplaces were toxic, the status of the profession is low (we are undervalued), we feel unsupported at workplace and we feel stuck.

  • During the COVID-19 period, Australian ECEC leaders reported the sector being pushed into “burnout central”, having to adapt constantly, manage change, and deal with increased stress and staff turnover. (researchers.mq.edu.au)
  • Teachers across Australia are reporting mental health impacts at levels three times the national norm, with 90% of teachers indicating significant stress, and about 70% calling their workload “unmanageable”. (unsw.edu.au)

So yes, you are not imagining it. The system is pushing many educators to their limits.

🔍 Scientific signs of burnout in ECEC

These are the red flags you can notice in yourself before things get worse:

  1. Emotional exhaustion
    You feel depleted, drained, or like you have nothing left to give at the end of the day.
  2. Irritability and low tolerance
    Behaviours that used to feel normal now trigger you. You find it harder to respond calmly.
  3. Loss of enthusiasm or cynicism
    You start doubting your work, questioning your purpose, or feeling “why bother?”.
  4. Physical symptoms
    Headaches, digestive problems, sleep troubles, tension. Your body is telling you something.
  5. Reduced performance or mistakes
    You miss details, procrastinate more, and forget things you normally wouldn’t.
  6. Emotional withdrawal
    You avoid staff room talk, stop collaborating, or pull back from relationships at work.

📝 Quick Self-Check Quiz

Answer the following with Yes or No:

  • Do I often feel emotionally drained after a “normal” workday?
  • Have I become more negative or cynical about my role?
  • Is it hard to switch off from work when I’m home or during weekends?
  • Have I skipped breaks, meals, or rest just to get through the day?
  • Do I feel less effective at my job than I did before?

Interpretation:

  • 4–5 Yes = strong signs of burnout, take action now.
  • 2–3 Yes = you are under strain, a reset is urgent.
  • 0–1 Yes = you are doing okay for now, but check in often.

🌱 5 Ways to Reset

  1. Micro-breaks
    Even 60 to 120 seconds of deep breathing, stepping outside, or pausing to notice your surroundings can calm your system.
  2. Set boundaries
    Decide: “I will not do observations after 7 pm” or “No work on Sunday mornings.” Do not WORK at home!
  3. Lean on your network
    Talk with your colleagues, get a buddy, use supervision or coaching. You don’t have to solve everything solo.
  4. Reflect with journaling or logs
    Each day, write one thing that went well and one thing you found hard. Over time, you will see patterns and growth.
  5. Seek structural support or professional help
    If your service offers counselling, mentoring, or wellbeing programs, use them. Coaching, reflection, and counselling have shown effectiveness in reducing burnout risks in ECEC settings. (iier.org.au)

If you resonated with the quiz results, don’t wait for burnout to get worse. Pick just one of the five reset actions above and try it this week.