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We explored sound and music through sound layering by pretending we were in a forest. Each student created a different sound such as wind, trees, animals, or water using their voices and loose parts in the classroom. When layered together, the sounds built a forest soundscape. I felt amazed at how simple sounds transformed into something immersive, and I wondered how children might listen to and recreate sounds from their own environments.

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We experimented with moving to different kinds of music. With Shake It Off by Taylor Swift we danced with big, fast, energetic movements, while with Michael Jackson the movements were sharper, rhythmic, and more controlled. This showed how music influences the way our bodies move. I realised how music shapes expression, and how children could use their bodies to show the “feeling” of sound.

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In pairs, we played 2 truths and 1 lie using dramatic gestures and movements. Each person acted out their three statements in an exaggerated way, and their partner had to guess which one was the lie. At first it felt unusual, but it became playful and fun. I wondered how children might use drama games like this to build confidence and imagination without needing a script.

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- The activities in Assessment 3 extend ideas that emerged from my Assessment 2 experience in Flagstaff Gardens, where I reflected on natural sounds, movement, and imagination. The sound layering session echoed my observations of birdsong and wind, showing how children can recreate soundscapes through deep listening (Oliveros, 2015). This directly connects to EYLF Outcome 5, as children learn to use their voices and simple materials to communicate ideas and interact with others through music and sound.

- The movement session reflected the swaying trees and shifting birds I noticed in the gardens, with contrasting songs highlighting how rhythm shapes energy and expression (Artefact Dance Project, 2014). This links to EYLF Outcome 4, because children are encouraged to experiment, take risks, and develop creativity and confidence as they explore how their bodies respond differently to varied rhythms and beats.

- The drama session extended my reflections on storytelling in nature, as the game 2 truths and a lie encouraged imaginative performance and role-play, like Wilson’s (2007) ideas about play inspired by the environment. This relates to EYLF Outcome 2, where children connect with others and contribute to shared meaning-making through playful storytelling, learning that their ideas can influence and be influenced by others.

- Together, these sessions translate my AT2 insights into creative learning opportunities that highlight how music, movement, and drama support children’s communication, creativity, and collaboration.

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Materials:

Video of birds in the garden - https://youtu.be/mfFldO-B8vE?si=CvyVNK9vcpF9KVR1

Inspiration:
This activity was inspired by my Assessment 2 artefact at Flagstaff Gardens, where I noticed how layered birdsong and natural sounds created a lively atmosphere.

Steps:

1. Show children the bird video and discuss what sounds they notice.

2. Invite each child or group to choose a bird call (e.g., “chirp chirp,” “caw caw,” “coo coo,” “tweet tweet”).

3. Ask children to practise their bird sounds using only voices.

4. Invite children to share their sounds one by one so everyone can hear them clearly.

5. Act as the conductor and point to groups one at a time, gradually layering the sounds.

6. Combine all the bird sounds together to create a lively “bird orchestra.”

Learning Links (EYLF)

Outcome 2: Children connect with the natural world by listening to and recreating sounds from the garden environment.

Outcome 4: Children experiment and problem-solve as they coordinate individual sounds into a group performance.

Outcome 5: Children express ideas creatively and collaboratively through vocal sound play.

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Bird sounds for kids - PART 1 - Bird Identification: Children Learn Common City Birds and Fowls

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🤸🏼‍♀️Movement Activity: Flying Birds Obstacle Course

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🤸🏼‍♀️Movement Activity: Flying Birds Obstacle Course

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Materials:

Chairs, tables, mats, and pieces of cardboard to create obstacles

Open space to set up a safe path

Inspiration:

This activity was inspired by observing birds in Flagstaff Gardens, moving in different ways through open spaces and around trees, which made me imagine children navigating obstacles like birds.

Steps:

1. Arrange chairs, tables, mats, and cardboard to form a simple obstacle course.

2. Tell children they are birds flying through the garden and must avoid touching the obstacles.

3. Demonstrate different bird movements such as flapping wings, gliding smoothly, or hopping.

4. Invite each child to move through the obstacle course using a chosen bird movement.

5. Encourage children to try the course again with a new movement or pathway.

6. Reflect together by asking: “Which movement made it easier to pass the obstacles? Which was the hardest?”

Learning Links (EYLF)

Outcome 2: Children connect with their environment by imagining themselves as birds navigating the garden.

Outcome 4: Children develop problem-solving, coordination, and confidence as they test different ways to move through obstacles.

Outcome 5: Children use body movement as a creative form of expression to tell a story about birds in flight.

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🪴 Drama Activity - Windy day in the garden 

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🪴 Drama Activity - Windy day in the garden 

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Materials:

Open Space for activity

Inspiration:

This activity was inspired by my childhood Book Week role play of The Swiss Family Robinson. My class acted out the scene where the family was stranded on the island, and some of us became trees and flowers swaying in the wind. I connected this memory to my Flagstaff Gardens artefact and imagined children dramatizing different weather changes in the garden.

Steps:

Invite children to imagine they are trees or flowers in a garden.

Assign or let children choose roles (trees stand tall, flowers crouch and bloom).

Model gentle movements for a sunny day — sway lightly as trees, stretch and open arms as flowers.

Signal that the weather changes to a windy day — encourage trees to bend side to side and flowers to lean low with surprised expressions.

Change the weather to a rainy day — guide children to droop like wet flowers and shake like dripping trees.

Switch the weather back to sunny — encourage children to stand tall, open wide, and smile brightly.

Repeat with different weather changes if time allows (e.g., stormy day, calm night) to extend the play.

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The participants shown in my video are my classmates who acted as children for the purpose of demonstrating my activities. They did not contribute to the planning, writing, or completion of any part of my assignments. Their role was only to participate in and “play” the activities that I designed.

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🎶 Reflection: Bird Orchestra (Sound/Music)

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🎶 Reflection: Bird Orchestra (Sound/Music)

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What went as expected?
I was able to build the bird sounds step by step and combine them into an orchestra, which matched my plan and connected back to the layered sounds I noticed in Flagstaff Gardens.

What did not go as expected?
I realised this activity might not fully support children with special needs who may find vocal imitation difficult or overwhelming.

What might you do differently next time?
Next time, I would prepare more visual supports or introduce simple recordings so children could join in using different methods.

How might you use this growth in your future practice?
This experience connected to Oliveros (2015), who explains that listening deeply goes beyond hearing. It also reminded me of Wooten (2012), who describes music as a language learned through play. Rinaldi’s (2005) idea of a pedagogy of listening further reinforced the importance of valuing each child’s voice. In my future practice, I want to use soundscapes as a playful, language-like way for children to listen and communicate, while ensuring all children have entry points to participate.

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The participants shown in my video are my classmates who acted as children for the purpose of demonstrating my activities. They did not contribute to the planning, writing, or completion of any part of my assignments. Their role was only to participate in and “play” the activities that I designed.

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🕊️ Reflection: Bird Obstacle Course (Movement/Dance)

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🕊️ Reflection: Bird Obstacle Course (Movement/Dance)

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🕊️ Reflection: Bird Obstacle Course (Movement/Dance)

What went as expected?
I set up the obstacle course with chairs, mats, and cardboard, and I was able to demonstrate how birds might move through the garden, which looked the way I had imagined.

What did not go as expected?
I found it harder than expected to keep my movements fluid, and I realised the activity could be difficult for children with limited mobility.

What might you do differently next time?
Next time, I would offer alternative roles or simplified obstacles so that every child could participate in a way that suits them.

How might you use this growth in your future practice?
This reflection connected strongly to Artifact Dance Project (2014), which shows how movement and play are linked, and to Bangarra Dance Theatre’s Mutton Bird (2019), where bird movements carry cultural meaning and storytelling. Wright (2012) also reminded me that children construct meaning through the arts. In my future practice, I want to use movement activities that are playful, inclusive, and culturally sensitive, so that all children can explore how their bodies express stories.

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The participants shown in my video are my classmates who acted as children for the purpose of demonstrating my activities. They did not contribute to the planning, writing, or completion of any part of my assignments. Their role was only to participate in and “play” the activities that I designed.

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🎭 Reflection: Windy day in the garden (Drama)

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🎭 Reflection: Windy day in the garden (Drama)

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What went as expected?
I was able to dramatize the weather changes — sunny, windy, and rainy — through movement and facial expression, and it connected strongly to my Book Week memory of acting as trees and flowers.

What did not go as expected?
I felt self-conscious about exaggerating my expressions on camera, and I realised children with diverse needs might also find it hard to interpret abstract ideas like weather without extra supports.

What might you do differently next time?
Next time, I would use visual prompts such as sun, wind, and rain cards, and model simpler expressions so that all children could participate more easily.

How might you use this growth in your future practice?
This connected to Wilson (2007), who shows how natural environments inspire imaginative play, and Wright (2012), who explains how drama helps children make sense of experience. Rinaldi’s (2005) pedagogy of listening also reminded me that children’s gestures and stories are ways of communicating that deserve attention. In my future practice, I will use drama to give children the chance to embody stories from their environment and express themselves in many different ways.

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This unit has really changed how I think about music, movement, and drama in early childhood education. At the start in Assessment 1, I saw them mostly as fun activities. But through Wala is Life and Bangarra’s Mutton Bird, I learned they are also powerful ways for children to share culture, identity, and feelings. In Assessment 2, my Flagstaff Gardens artefact helped me see how nature can inspire sound, movement, and storytelling. Then in Assessment 3, when I created the Bird Orchestra, Bird Obstacle Course, and Windy Day in the Garden, I understood more clearly how children can learn through deep listening (Oliveros, 2015), creative movement (Artifact Dance Project, 2014), and dramatic play (Wilson, 2007). Now I see music, movement, and drama not as extras, but as important tools for children to express themselves, build confidence, and make meaning. In the future, I want to include them often in my teaching, making sure all children can join in and enjoy them.

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Artifact Dance Project. (2014, March 3). Movement, sound, play | Artifact Dance Project | TEDx Tucson [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrgpeuPbp-I

Bangarra Dance Theatre. (2019). Mutton Bird [Video]. Bangarra Education Resources. https://education.bangarra.com.au/learning-resources/mutton-bird

Oliveros, P. (2015, February 6). The difference between hearing and listening | Pauline Oliveros | TEDx Indianapolis[Video]. TEDx Talks. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QHfOuRrJB8

Rinaldi, C. (2005). The pedagogy of listening. In C. Rinaldi, In dialogue with Reggio Emilia: Listening, researching and learning (pp. 49–51). Routledge. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/reader.action?docID=199505&ppg=59

TEDx Talks. (2012, May 25). Victor Wooten: Music as a language | TEDxGabriolaIsland [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zvjW9arAZ0

Wilson, R. (2007). Children, creative play, and the natural environment. In R. Wilson (Ed.), Nature and young children: Encouraging creative play and learning in natural environments (pp. 1–18). Routledge.

Wright, S. (2012). Children, meaning-making and the arts (2nd ed.). Pearson.

Allara. (2018, November 14). Wala Is Life [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XACgej9L80