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Clay is a type of naturally occurring earth material and known for its plasticity, which refers to its ability to be molded and shaped when wet and retain its form when dried or fired (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2016). Whenever I got clay, I imagined it was a 'magic wand' in my hands because I could make all sorts of new and exciting things with it. At the beginning I imagined it could make something very romantic and unconsciously I thought it might be able to squeeze out flowers. At first, I was very frustrated as it was impossible to sculpt a flower shape on a ball of clay because it was wet and requires very fine manual skills. Therefore, I tried to change my strategy and used the respective properties of the flower and the clay. The clay is easy to pinch apart. But the challenge with this process is that the clay dries out over time and loses its bonding properties, making it prone to cracking. These make me think that children from 3-4 years old may be able to operate the clay and adapt to different situations they faced.

I discovered that clay is a flexible and captivating substance that children can use to explore and express their creativity. Initially, my focus will be on encouraging children to freely engage with the clay in any manner they choose. Clay offers a sensory experience that enhances children's tactile perception, aiding in the development of their motor skills, coordination, and spatial awareness. This aligns with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) outcome 4 (Arthur et al., 2011).  Additionally, I will encourage children to express their emotions and feelings after they finish working with the clay. This could involve identifying and discussing emotions such as happiness or anxiety. Clay can be used as a therapeutic tool, providing a means for children to express and manage their emotions. It has a calming effect and serves as a positive outlet for emotional expression and relaxation. Moreover, I will guide children to describe their creations, explain their process, and engage in conversations with peers and adults. Clay activities offer valuable opportunities for language development, as children can learn and incorporate new vocabulary related to shapes, textures, and actions. Through manipulating the clay, they can learn words like roll, squeeze, flatten, mold, or stretch, expanding their vocabulary and understanding of descriptive language. Consequently, clay proves beneficial in the development of both movement skills and language acquisition in children.

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Painting provides children with opportunities to explore various painting techniques, colors, and textures. Different materials, such as canvas, paper, and non-toxic color tools, are utilized for painting. Personally, I employ watercolors and crayons in my painting activities. Watercolor pencils, being lighter in color and producing smoother water effects, serve as a base for creating objects like vases and clouds. On the other hand, crayons offer vibrant and intense colors, making them ideal for filling in spaces. As I painted, I realized that the choice of canvas material also impacts the outcome. For instance, plain white paper, being thinner, allows watercolor brushes to flow more smoothly. Larger poster canvases, with their thicker and rougher texture, are easier to work with when using crayons. The most captivating aspect of painting lies in the process of creation, which may involve experimentation, modification, or even the deliberate alteration of the artistic process. This interaction between the painter and the paint itself, even in its simplest form, necessitates ongoing engagement from both parties (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al;. 2016). However, it is through the process of change and ultimate transformation that the richness of artistic activity is enhanced and habitual patterns of creativity are established (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al;. 2016).

This experience has taught me that the significance of these painted creations goes beyond the individual child's thoughts or imagination. By observing the emotional atmospheres that facilitated shifts and progressions during the painting process, we discovered that traditional paint movements aimed to expand and enhance the painted compositions (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al;. 2016). As the paint interacted further, blending and bleeding continued to take place, and rhythmic patterns seamlessly intertwined with deliberate responses to the inherent possibilities of the paint (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. 2016). The potential of the paint inspired both the children and ourselves, resulting in varying levels of achievement. Hence, in early childhood setting, I would prioritize providing child-friendly art materials like non-toxic paints, brushes, and age-appropriate paper or canvases. I may set activities to encourage children to explore diverse painting techniques, colours, and textures, allowing them to experiment with different tools, sponges, or even their fingers to create various effects. Furthermore, I would foster an environment where children can freely express themselves through their artwork, emphasizing the process rather than focusing solely on the outcome. Encouraging them to enjoy and experiment with different artistic approaches is essential. Lastly, I would consider celebrating and displaying children's artwork to boost their confidence and foster a sense of accomplishment.

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The book describes the different colours and relates them to the natural landscape that is native to Australia. The book celebrates the diverse spectrum of colours present in Australia's natural landscapes and cultural manifestations. It recognizes the profound meaning of colours in Indigenous Australian cultures and their profound bond with the land. By integrating First Nations perspectives into the discussion of Australia's colours, we enrich our understanding and pay tribute to the Indigenous heritage and profound ties to the land. It is crucial to acknowledge the traditional wisdom and cultural importance associated with colours in Indigenous Australian cultures. Through an exploration of Australia's colours, the objective is to evoke feelings of appreciation, comprehension, and a deeper connection to the country's abundant and multifaceted identity. Additionally, the images may also be contained in Aboriginal books as major elements. The use of iconic dots and lines is unique to Aboriginal culture and is conveyed as a language of art.

In ECL, children can become more aware of indigenous cultures by learning a specific language. For example, when children are learning about a colour, describing, or showing it in an Aboriginal way may deepen their respect for and memory of Australian Aboriginal culture. It is not so much about reinforcing through repetition as it is about visually experiencing the importance of Aboriginal culture at its roots. Indigenous culture diversity is an important aspect for children to connect with. At the same time, it is important to help children become aware of indigenous cultures through visual arts. Visual art serves as one of the most visual forms of expression. Often, Aboriginal artists make intricate patterns and symbols, often using detailed stippling methods, natural pigments, and tools such as brushes or sticks. Dots are visual expressions of important cultural narratives, dream stories and deep connections between the artist, the land, and the ancestral spirit. I might encourage the children to look at the pictures in the book and say what they think the picture is or what it represents, which is easier and more age appropriate. This way children may be exposed to or aware of the presence of indigenous cultures when looking at books.

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Music, as an artistic form, can be an effective way for children to enhance their language and physical abilities. Combining children's songs with movement creates a comprehensive and immersive learning experience that positively impacts children's physical, cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional development. Many children's songs are intentionally designed to incorporate movements and actions, making the music experience interactive and engaging. Physical engagement plays a crucial role in this process, as children are encouraged to use their bodies through actions like clapping, stomping, jumping, and dancing. These movements help develop gross motor skills, coordination, and body awareness. For instance, the song "If You're Happy and You Know It" exemplifies this by encouraging children to follow instructions and perform actions such as clapping, stomping, or nodding. This song supports the development of language, motor skills, and body awareness. . This integration of music, movement, and language development aligns with EYLF outcomes 4 and 5, which focus on children becoming confident and involved learners and effective communicators (Arthur et al., 2011).

Language development is another significant aspect of using music in early childhood learning. Children's songs often have repetitive lyrics and simple vocabulary, which make them conducive to language development. By associating words with specific movements, children reinforce their understanding and usage of language, expanding their vocabulary and enhancing their communication skills. Moreover, music allows for emotional expression. Through listening, reflecting and responding to music, children can express themselves emotionally, improving their mood, releasing energy, and promoting emotional well-being (Edwards et al., 2011). In an early childhood learning (ECL) setting, I would select an upbeat song with repetitive lyrics to encourage children to engage in various body movements. I would guide them through the song, demonstrating the movements and facilitating their active participation. Content of the song may be some action and movement words. This approach helps improve their language skills while reinforcing them through physical actions. I would also encourage them to express their feelings about the song, fostering their emotional expression and making them active participants in their learning experiences.

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Dance, as a visual art form, plays a vital role in children's development. It offers opportunities for children to acquire and utilize new vocabulary associated with movement, body parts, and actions. Engaging in different dance movements, they can learn words like jump, spin, stretch, clap, and hop. Additionally, dance encourages children to express themselves non-verbally through body movements and gestures. Furthermore, dance often incorporates music and rhythm, exposing children to the musical aspects of language. This exposure to rhythm and rhyme helps develop phonological awareness, which is crucial for early literacy skills.

For instance, in the song "Baby Shark," specific movements are associated with different parts of the song. The motion at the beginning involves using two fingers to open and close like little clips. Later on, two whole palms are used to create a scallop-like opening and closing motion. The "daddy shark" movement involves using the whole arm to form a triangle shape. These movements, combined with the lyrics, engage children in both language and physical development.

Creating a supportive and inclusive environment is crucial for children to explore and express themselves through dance. Incorporating songs, movements, and imaginative play in dance activities can provide a rich language learning experience. In an early childhood learning (ECL) setting, I may design a simple dance that incorporates iconic animal movements, such as the kangaroo bounce dance. The dance doesn't need to be complex; repetitive movements, simple lyrics, and melodies can facilitate language learning and physical growth through body movement and interaction with music, melody, and lyrics. Choosing an upbeat dance fosters an optimistic atmosphere for learning, allowing children to express their feelings. While not all children may prefer a particular dance style, they have the opportunity to explore it throughout the process.

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Initially, I used charcoal to draw one shrimp at a time, and then I found it useful to set up a stormy scene. charcoal is very useful in that it can depict every detail in fine detail. At the same time, because it is powdered, it is suitable for painting large areas. For example, large areas of the sky and sea can be rendered with the horizontal contact surface of the charcoal and controlled down to the shades of colour. As described by Pacini-Ketchabaw and his colleagues (2016), charcoal can help create Fresh perspectives, novel approaches to perception and behaviour, unanticipated connections, and cross-cutting relationships.

Firstly, by meeting with charcoal, the children are given plenty of time and space to create infinitely. Not planned, but improvised and creative. Secondly, touching the charcoal is a great opportunity for physical movement. By grasping different sizes of charcoal with their fingers, they can feel the texture of the charcoal and how they can control the strength and size of the charcoal through their bodies. As the colour of the charcoal is very dark, the force can affect the shade of the colour. In addition, painting with charcoal provides engagement. It is worth noting that being present requires establishing circumstances that allow us to pause, release, extend, and broaden our minds and vision, enabling us to recognise the potential for connections between seemingly unrelated elements (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2016).

For the ECL setting, charcoal activities help the children to create their artwork and children aged 3-5 may be able to interact with charcoal. I may encourage them paying attention to colour of charcoal itself. Although the material is only black charcoal, the shades of colour can reflect a different visual experience. In addition, I provide them with different sizes and materials of charcoal to encourage them to use and feel the differences in charcoal materials. Rather than just limiting the painting to charcoal, I will prompt them to use their fingers to feel the difference in the charcoal, for example if the colour of the charcoal can be smudged. This will help the children to exercise their creativity as well as their hands-on skills.

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Arthur, L., Barnes, S., & Ortlipp, M. (2011). The Australian early years learning framework. Contemporary issues in early childhood, 12(1), 1-3.

Edwards, C., Gandini, L., & Forman, G. (Eds.). (2011). The hundred languages of children: The Reggio Emilia experience in transformation: The Reggio Emilia experience in transformation. ABC-CLIO.

Pacini-Ketchabaw, V., Kind, S., & Kocher, L. L. (2016). Encounters with materials in early childhood education. Taylor & Francis.