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Experiment with paper

I folded a piece of paper into a simple boat shape, then tested how it floated in water. It holds shape, floats on water, gets wet and weakens quickly, starts sinking after absorbing water and gets soggy.

Paper is not just a flat material, it is always in a state of becoming, shifting, reacting, and transforming (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2024). As I folded a simple sheet of paper into a boat, I felt how the material resisted, bent, and took shape with each fold. Making the boat wasn’t just about following steps, it was about noticing how the paper felt and moved as I folded it. Ingold (2013) explains that "materials are always and already on their ways to becoming something" (p. 31), which connects with my experience. The paper boat continuously changed its form and state.

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Reflection

This experiment showed me how materials shape our interactions. The paper was delicate but became stronger when folded. In water, the boat floated for a while before sinking, showing how materials change with their environment. While experimenting with paper experience deepened my understanding of paper not just as a tool, but as an active element in our learning process.

Future Learning

This experiment made me think about how children might experience paper in similar ways.

How can we encourage children to see materials as active participants in their play and learning rather than as passive objects?

What if they explored how paper interacts with different elements—wind, fire, or even soil?

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Experiment with clay

When I picked up the clay, it felt cold, soft, and a little sticky. It was easy to shape but also heavy and firm compared to paper. As I pressed and molded it, I thought about how this material has been used for thousands of years to tell stories and create art. While exploring clay, I thought about Aboriginal rock art article which I have read into the class session. The First Peoples of Australia have used clay, ochre, and rock for painting and storytelling for thousands of years (First Peoples Relations, n.d.). Their art shows how materials are not just things we use but living parts of culture and history. When I shaped clay, I was not just making something, I was learning how to listen to the material, just as Aboriginal artists have done for generations.

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Reflection:

In Saturday class session when we all got chance to explore with clay I looked around and I noticed everyone used the clay differently. Some made small, smooth figures, while others pressed patterns into the surface. Some shaped carefully, while others played and experimented. This showed me that clay helps people express ideas in many ways. We don’t need words to create meaning materials like clay speak for us through texture, shape, and form. Making simple shapes and patterns carefully. This made me think about how we all have different ways of learning and creating. It also showed me that materials like clay can help us share ideas without using words.

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Holding the clay reminded me one of my experiences from oversees making a pot with clay squishing it between my fingers and making little pot shape. It made me wonder about the hands that shaped clay long before me. The Aboriginal rock art I read about shows how people have always used natural materials to share their stories

Future Learning

This made me wonder:

How do materials like clay help people tell stories?

How can we help children see materials as more than just objects to shape, but as something that teaches us?

In the future, I want to let children explore clay without strict instructions. They can discover how it moves and changes on their own instead of using planned shapes.

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Experiment with loose parts

In the experiment, I gathered some recycle material and explored how materials change when I touch them bending, stacking, layering and making materials move. Just like in the video I found new ways to use the materials, how they shift, change, and interact in surprising ways. Loose parts can turn into anything. I used a milk bottle to make a truck by transforming it with creativity, It became a vehicle. Cardboard was cut into the shape of a sheep, Wooden blocks were arranged as boundaries, giving structure and purpose to the area and small buttons to resemble wool, giving texture and detail to the cardboard sheep.  Gathering materials means rediscovering the richness and beauty in natural, unexpected, and recyclable objects that are all around us, but not often noticed by (Topal, C. W., & Gandini, L. (1999)

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Reflection

The process made me realize that things we consider "junk" can have new purposes. I enjoyed seeing how simple objects could come together to form a new story. This experience shows how important it is to be creative and open to reimagining the world around us.

Future learning

This inquiry opens up further exploration for creative play using recycled materials.

How can we use more everyday materials for creative play?

What other types of recycled items could be used to make play structures?

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Experiment with light

To explore how light reflects. I took some photos of light when I went outside on different surfaces like water, trees, and a CD, and observed how shadows are formed. I took picture of how the light reflects off the water and off tree leaves or branches. I also experienced light Holding CD under the sunlight and observe how it reflects light in different directions. During my visit to the art gallery, I had a unique experience observing how light interacted with different materials. One of the most fascinating moments was seeing light coming through colorful mirrors on the roof.

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Reflection

When light reflected on water, it felt peaceful and calming, with the light shifting constantly with the movement of the water. It made me think of how light is always changing, and it’s hard to catch it the same way twice. which remind me of the child in the picture who was facing the challenge to draw his shadow in the light on paper. (unit reading session 10)

The tree reflections were more vibrant, with the sunlight filtering through the leaves, creating patterns of light and shadow on the ground. It felt like a dance between light and nature, constantly changing as the leaves moved.

When I looked at the CD reflecting light, it was almost magical. The light bounced off in many directions, making it feel like I was holding a little piece of the sun in my hands.

Future learning

It teaches us to notice the small things in nature and think about how light affects us and the world in many ways.

What happens when light reflects off other surfaces like mirrors or glass?

How can we use light to create art or design in new ways?

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First Peoples - State Relations. (2021, October 6). Fact sheet: Aboriginal rock art | First Peoples - State Relations. Www.firstpeoplesrelations.vic.gov.au. https://www.firstpeoplesrelations.vic.gov.au/fact-sheet-aboriginal-rock-art

Ingold, T. (2013). Making: Anthropology, archaeology, art and architecture. Routledge

Pacini-Ketchabaw, V., Kind, S., & Laurie. (2024). Paper. Routledge eBooks, 24–33. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003322559-2

Find & Share on GIPHY. (2017). Giphy.com. https://giphy.com/gifs/animation-stop-motion-calvin jFh12OFCPd3Qkutm_source=https%3A%2F%2Fvucoll

Topal, C. W., & Gandini, L. (1999). Introduction. Beautiful stuff: Learning with found materials. Davis Publications. ISBN: 0871923882 (p-1 from introduction)

Writing with light and shadows – Teach Preschool. (2012, April 4). Teachpreschool.org. http://www.teachpreschool.org/2012/04/writing-with-light-and-shadows

https://www.reggiochidren.it/en/rc/ateliers/atelier-in-presenza/ray-of-light-atelier/