# data[].attributes.body
Throughout my inquiry with clay, I observed its texture, resistance, and the way that this material required patience and time. (Pelo, 2016) highlights that "A simple table can come alive when it becomes a place where imagination, rigor, experiment, creativity are made tangible with paint, clay, and wire" (p.18). This reminds me that clay is not just a medium for depiction but an agent in discussion and co-creation.

I documented my work through photographs and videos, capturing my journey with the clay. The visual documentations showcase my hard work, highlighting the delicate formations I have created. This journal entry is a visual narrative of my experience with clay and my learning process.

Throughout this time, I explored a range of dimensions of clay work, and I invited my family members to contribute and leave their imprints. I asked them what the texture felt like to them, if it was easy to manipulate into the shape they wanted to create, or if it was firm and needed a lot of pressure. They felt that it had a "slimy" texture when they first touched it and that, in the beginning, when the clay was cold, it required some pressure to mould. This revealed how this material can be a social fabric of collaboration by allowing each person to leave a mark with equal weight.

Reflecting on my experience, I wondered how clay would work among a group of people rather than individually.

How may it hold the memory of a group of children rather than one?

How could children collaboratively work together and create a piece of art that represents each one of their own qualities that are alike?

(Pelo, 2016) highlights that clay could hold deeper philosophical thinking, developing a broader understanding of education and learning,

Utilising clay as an educator provides the classroom environment with endless possibilities for memory, discussion, and collaboration. Children should be provided with opportunities to investigate the clay’s weight, coldness, and tendency to fall apart when not being used. This material may be a medium for capturing children’s experiences of identification and belonging, as well as how collaborative clay production can serve as a gateway for creating inclusive environments. These provocations will influence my practice as I return to clay as an artistic medium and collaborator in rethinking pedagogy (Pelo, 2016).

# data[].attributes.body
I began to investigate the clay by rolling it around in between my hands. I observed how well it would resist and change when force is applied to it. The clay yielded to the change after pressure was applied; each press and mark represented a discussion between intent and the clay’s response (Pelo, 2016). To see how well the clay would change shape, I began to pinch, smooth, and roll it out against a flat surface.  Once rolled out, I pulled apart smaller pieces and stacked them on top of one another. Due to uneven pressure, some pieces fell. I took this as a learning point of the investigation process rather than a mistake. The clay’s response to being stacked wasn’t linear but rather dynamic, unexpected, and adaptive.

# data[].attributes.body
This experience with clay reminded me of when I was still in primary school; during art class, we would often play with clay and create our sculptures. Clay allowed us to be creative; there were endless options for what we could create and use later on once the clay had dried.

This is the pot I had made when I was 8 years old; now it has some cracks in it that it didn't have before.

# data[].attributes.body
The concept of light for children may be seen as a material that can be explored rather than just a scientific notion. When incorporating materials into early childhood learning, we bypass the importance they hold and how materials are active participants that interact with children, educators, and the learning environment in unforeseen ways.  Light interacts in learning by the way it moves, flows, changes, reflects, and dazzles, showing that it’s more than an object and scientific notion. Children's interactions with objects result in an inquiry story, in which they articulate their observations and activities, such as describing the light as dancing or a rainbow swimming. These remarks should be acknowledged as true knowledge, prompting us as educators to broaden the scope of what constitutes legitimate learning. As Kocher notes, resources encourage different and inventive interpretations, prompting educators to expand the definition of meaningful learning (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al, 2016).

I worked with ordinary day-to-day objects, such as a glass of water, a plate, and a flashlight, in a dark room to investigate how objects reflect light. The refractive properties of the objects I used produced light to glimmer and multiply, resulting in ephemeral patterns against the floor. Real learning for me took place when I saw how the emotive and aesthetic properties of light reflected each of the glasses' and plates’ patterns against the floor, in ways I could not have predicted. I realised during this experience that materials are “more than home”, which resist mastery and co-create meaning with us (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2016).

I concentrated on the importance of documentation, using pictures to capture forms and patterns that drawings couldn't fully represent. This approach conserved learning and allowed me to consider its deeper significance. The unpredictable nature of light and its potential for metaphorical and creative interpretations broadened the learning spectrum, confirming that knowledge in early childhood encompasses scientific accuracy, aesthetic, emotive, and creative modes (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2016).

During this inquiry, I had many pedagogical questions about the use of light outside.

How may light be used outside, where it interacts with branches, leaves, puddles, and mirrors?

How may the reflections of leaves and branches differ from glass?

Is it possible to create a reflection from glass without sunlight?

What other materials may reflect when in light?

It is crucial to foster an environment that allows children’s curiosity, and establishing documentation processes that value children’s meaning-making rather than limiting them to developmental stages (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. (2016).

(Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. (2016) emphasise the need to think critically with materials and fight the tendency to view materials as neutral or controlled. As an educator, it is important for me to foster environments for inquiry to thrive amid uncertainty and wonder by embracing light as a co-constructor of meaningful learning.

# data[].attributes.body
Using a flashlight in a dark room reminded me of how often I would make different reflections on the wall as a child. I was curiously driven to see what story I could create, from butterflies to monster-like dinosaurs. During those moments, I learned to let go and let material exist not merely as a material but as a co-creator of my artwork. In a small dark room, light for me became a moving presence that invited me to play, imagine, wonder and be curious.

# data[].attributes.body
Through my inquiry with paper, I discovered the complexity and endless possibilities of paper in early childhood environments. I aimed to see how I could transform a flat piece of paper into a three-dimensional object. Through educational documentation, I was able to reflect on how paper is an active participant in children’s creation.

Through my experimentation, I realised the value of pedagogical narrative, focusing on the importance of the function of resources in the learning process. (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2015) emphasised that materials should be viewed as active co-creators of children’s learning experiences rather than passive objects. This point is seen as the paper comes alive through the way it rips, curls and twists, these elements affected my approach to the octopus project, mirroring the notion of "journeys" in which pedagogy emerges through lived experiences rather than predetermined plans (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2015).

I began by using my imagination as a prompt to promote interest. I ripped strips along the edge of the paper with twists and rigid edges to represent the arms. These elements allowed me to envision the octopus's movement and personality. Pacini-Ketchabaw et al.'s (2015) claimed that materials have agency, creating options that expand children's tales and imaginations.

My findings in the photographs included the paper’s ability to bend but not always stay in place; these little details revealed how children can gain knowledge about paper qualities while engaging in creative storytelling, according to Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. (2015).

My inquiry involved two levels of learning material comprehension and narrative development. As an educator who fosters activities like 3-D objects in children’s learning, I would be able to encourage children to problem-solve and develop their creative skills (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2015). To further engage children, I could broaden the activity into a sustainability discussion, considering

Where does the paper originate from?

Its transformation?

Are there any environmental issues we need to be aware of?

Would paper still feel the same after it's been wet and dried?

Would the flexibility of paper change after it has been wet?

The 3D paper octopus showcased the transformative power of paper as a learning tool. Through various methods such as ripping, folding, and curling, it revealed the supple yet robust nature of paper, highlighting the connection between material discovery and story development. The octopus symbolised metamorphosis and the journeys between children and materials.

# data[].attributes.body
Loose parts such as twigs, rocks and leaves were used during this inquiry to portray emotions. This closely links to (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2024) theory on how materials actively co-create in children’s learning. I focused on connecting materials and emotions, considering that various materials hold emotional significance and evoke distinct emotions. Leaves, for example, can be overlapped to create tears, whilst jagged twigs can be used to portray angry eyebrows. I included the emotion I was feeling while investigating the loose materials. I created a happy face to represent my mood at that present time. The reactivity of the materials used showed me that materials may have emotional qualities when placed near one another, proving their non-neutrality whilst emphasising that objects used during activities don’t have to be limited to typical art materials found inside the classroom.

Loose parts used for activities help to enhance learning processes in children by allowing them to explore in nonverbal and creative ways, whilst promoting inclusion and empathy (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2024). Children can work collaboratively together when creating emotions, allowing them to develop multiple interpretations of the same experience, promoting discussion about emotions and perspectives.

How can this be extended?

Rather than an individual emotion, each child could work collaboratively and create a mural.

What would a big mural of each child's emotions look like?

Are there any similarities in each child's emotions that they have created?

This approach focuses on the uniqueness and collective of emotional expression while presenting materials as co-thinkers. This uncovers the dynamic interaction of materials, emotions, and learning, with expressions being flexible and influenced by our purpose and material possibilities.

# data[].attributes.body
Pacini-Ketchabaw, V., Kind, S., & Kocher, L. L. M. (2016). Encounters with materials in early childhood education. Routledge. https://go.openathens.net/redirector/vu.edu.au?url=https%3A%2F%2Febookcentral.proquest.com%2Flib%2Fvu%2Fdetail.action%3FdocID%3D4649662

ISBN: 9781317588573

Pacini-Ketchabaw, V., Nxumalo, F., & Kocher, L. (2015). Journeys: Reconceptualizing early childhood practices through pedagogical narration. University of Toronto Press Higher Education. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=nlebk&AN=1565458&site=ehost-live&custid=s1145751

ISBN: 9781442609440

Pacini-Ketchabaw, V., Kind, S., & Kocher, L. L. M. (2024). Thinking with materials. Encounters with materials in early childhood education (2nd ed., pp. 1-23).

Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003322559-

Pelo, A. (2016). Clay. The language of art: Inquiry-based studio practices in early childhood settings (pp. 92-114). Redleaf Press. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/reader.action?docID=4674378&ppg=105 ISBN: 9781605544588