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Before this unit, I thought of play as something only for children, a stage I had left behind. As a child, I played freely without question, but over time, I lost connection with that part of myself. This unit encouraged me to consider why play now often feels awkward or distant. Through readings and discussions, I realised this discomfort is not just personal but influenced by broader social and educational systems that prioritise productivity and outcomes over curiosity and process.

Gray (2008) helped me see play in a new way. He describes play as intrinsically motivated, imaginative, and open-ended. This made me reflect on how rarely I allow myself to do things purely for joy or curiosity. The ideas enabled me to see that adult life can focus so much on goals and efficiency that it leaves little room for play as meaningful engagement. Now, I see play is not just frivolous but an important way to develop creativity, flexibility, and learning.

Holdom (2018) supported this view by describing play as a mindset based on inquiry and experimentation rather than just physical activity. This helped me notice how small everyday moments, like an unplanned walk or a light-hearted conversation, can be playful when I stay open to them. Play becomes a lens for understanding my daily experiences.

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This map, drawn from our class discussion, captures how my view has shifted from seeing play as simple fun to recognising it as a way we think, feel, and learn.

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This map, drawn from our class discussion, captures how my view has shifted from seeing play as simple fun to recognising it as a way we think, feel, and learn.

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In this journal, I will use play as a lens to reflect on moments when I engage with play. I will explore what this reveal about my identity as a learner and the social forces shaping it. This reflection is part of an ongoing process that reshapes how I learn and relate to the world.

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Journal Entry 1: Play and the Language of Maths - Making Sticky Rice 

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Journal Entry 1: Play and the Language of Maths - Making Sticky Rice 

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Recently, I made sticky rice using a traditional Southeast Asian method involving overnight soaking and steaming in a bamboo basket over an aluminium pot. Although I have done this many times before, this time I became more aware of the informal mathematical reasoning within the process.

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As I measured the rice visually, adjusted the water by feel, and positioned the basket to avoid burning the rice, I engaged with concepts such as estimation, volume, and timing. I relied on sensory feedback and experience, judging steam height and cooking time through touch and smell rather than a clock. These moments reflect Holdom’s (2018) idea that mathematics can emerge naturally through play, supporting curiosity and independent thinking.

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Gently rinsing the glutinous rice until the water runs clearer, using touch to judge when it's clean enough.

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Gently rinsing the glutinous rice until the water runs clearer, using touch to judge when it's clean enough.

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Instead of following a strict recipe, I approached the task playfully, making small decisions as I went. This connects with Vandermaas-Peeler et al. (2015), who suggest that mathematical thinking can emerge through everyday activities. While their focus is on children, I recognised similar reasoning in my own process. Estimating, comparing quantities, and adjusting by feel were all part of a familiar routine that became a site of playful inquiry.

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The rice soaks in water overnight. I notice how the grains change colour and become almost translucent.

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The rice soaks in water overnight. I notice how the grains change colour and become almost translucent.

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Steaming the Sticky Rice. Estimating cooking time, rice volume, and the water-to-rice ratio. Everyday maths in action.

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Steaming the Sticky Rice. Estimating cooking time, rice volume, and the water-to-rice ratio. Everyday maths in action.

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Observing Texture and Aroma: checking doneness through touch and smell. The soft, sticky texture and warm scent signal it’s ready.

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Observing Texture and Aroma: checking doneness through touch and smell. The soft, sticky texture and warm scent signal it’s ready.

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I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the experience. I noticed the glossy texture of the soaked rice, its softness when cooked, and how this batch differed from others. What once felt like habit now reveals itself as practical, intuitive mathematics. This unit has helped me see how mathematical thinking is woven into daily life and how play offers a powerful and accessible way to engage with it as an adult.

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Sticky Rice Ready to Eat: the final product: soft, fragrant sticky rice with a clear, glossy appearance. A satisfying end to an intuitive, sensory process.

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Sticky Rice Ready to Eat: the final product: soft, fragrant sticky rice with a clear, glossy appearance. A satisfying end to an intuitive, sensory process.

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Journal Entry 2: Play and the Language of Science - Noticing Autumn Leaves 

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Journal Entry 2: Play and the Language of Science - Noticing Autumn Leaves 

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Walking through my neighbourhood this week, I was unexpectedly drawn in by the changing trees. Some leaves were still green, others had turned bright yellow, and a few deep reds and browns were already scattered along the ground. I found myself slowing down, not just because it was beautiful, but because I began to wonder: Why do some trees change colour before others? Why do certain leaves fall early while others cling on? What triggers that change?

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Some leaves were still green while others were bright yellow or deep red. Each told a different story of change.

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Some leaves were still green while others were bright yellow or deep red. Each told a different story of change.

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I hadn’t planned to think deeply that day. I was simply out to clear my head. But in that quiet moment, I realised I was engaging in scientific thinking. I was noticing patterns, forming questions, and drawing on past knowledge about weather, temperature, and seasonal change. This process mirrors how Campbell and Speldewinde (2020) describe children in bush kinders becoming independent observers of everyday materials and living things, generating their own questions through direct experience with the environment. I was doing the same, only as an adult, on a city street.

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Stepping on Leaves: the satisfying crunch underfoot reminded me that the season was shifting. Nature’s quiet soundtrack of transformation.

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Stepping on Leaves: the satisfying crunch underfoot reminded me that the season was shifting. Nature’s quiet soundtrack of transformation.

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The crisp air, the crunch of leaves underfoot, and the shifting light made me feel more attuned to my surroundings. The environment itself offered what Campbell and Speldewinde (2020) call an affordance, an opening for inquiry that I might have missed if I had been walking quickly or distracted by my phone. I didn’t need to know the answers right away. Just staying with the questions felt enough.

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Some trees hold on longer to their greenery. They stand firm amid the changing season around them.

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Some trees hold on longer to their greenery. They stand firm amid the changing season around them.

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A wish for lifelong playfulness - to hold on to curiosity, joy, and wonder for as long as I can.

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A wish for lifelong playfulness - to hold on to curiosity, joy, and wonder for as long as I can.

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A colourful mosaic on the ground. Evidence of nature’s gradual transformation and a reminder to slow down.

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A colourful mosaic on the ground. Evidence of nature’s gradual transformation and a reminder to slow down.

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This experience reminded me that science begins with attention and wonder. I’m starting to see play not only as activity but as a mindset. That walk became a playful encounter with nature, where curiosity led the way and everyday life revealed itself as a space for scientific thought.

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Noticing the contrasts. Why do some leaves cling while others fall? The questions began to unfold naturally.

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Noticing the contrasts. Why do some leaves cling while others fall? The questions began to unfold naturally.

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Autumn arrives briefly but beautifully, turning everyday paths into moments of quiet wonder. Grateful for the season’s short but sweet transformation.

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Autumn arrives briefly but beautifully, turning everyday paths into moments of quiet wonder. Grateful for the season’s short but sweet transformation.

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Journal Entry 3: Play and the Language of Technology - Brewing Tea with a Plunger 

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Journal Entry 3: Play and the Language of Technology - Brewing Tea with a Plunger 

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One quiet morning this week, I made tea using a plunger, something I have done many times before. My goal was to brew a good cup of tea, but this time I paid closer attention to the process. I boiled the water, measured the loose-leaf tea, and waited for it to steep. The part I especially enjoyed was pressing the plunger down slowly and feeling the resistance. In that moment, I was not just following a routine. I was making small adjustments, sensing the pressure, and responding to how the tea was brewing. This simple act became a form of problem-solving and hands-on experimentation.

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The kettle, a simple yet brilliant invention. Boiling water becomes a small interaction with everyday technology.

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The kettle, a simple yet brilliant invention. Boiling water becomes a small interaction with everyday technology.

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This experience reminded me of Holdom’s (2018) view of technology as more than just digital devices. She defines it as the use of tools, systems, and practices designed to meet human needs. The plunger may be a simple object, but it is cleverly designed to perform a specific function, separating solids from liquid. My interaction with it was playful and intuitive. I wasn’t just using a tool; I was adapting and adjusting my actions to get the outcome I wanted.

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Waiting patiently as the flavour develops. Time and temperature working together.

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Waiting patiently as the flavour develops. Time and temperature working together.

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Reflecting on this experience, I realised that technology is not limited to digital devices or high-tech machines. According to the unit resource, technology includes anything human-made that is used to solve a problem or fulfill a desire. It can be an object, a system, or a process that modifies the natural world to meet human needs and wants (n.a., 2025). The plunger I used fits within this definition. It is a practical tool designed to help prepare a beverage more efficiently and with more control over the outcome.

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A simple tool with a clever design. Technology does not have to be complicated.

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A simple tool with a clever design. Technology does not have to be complicated.

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This experience challenged my assumption that technology must involve screens or complexity. It reminded me that everyday tools reflect innovation and design, and that play with those tools can support reflection, agency, and quiet forms of learning.

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Reflection: “You are living on stolen land. What are you going to do about it?”

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Reflection: “You are living on stolen land. What are you going to do about it?”

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Living on Wurundjeri Country is no longer something I understand as just a fact. It is a call to recognise how place, history, and learning are deeply interconnected in my daily life. As I noticed mathematical thinking while making sticky rice, scientific wonder in autumn leaves, and technological engagement in brewing tea, I began to see that these moments unfold on land shaped by stories, traditions, and care that extend far beyond my own.

To acknowledge that I live on stolen land is to recognise that the land was, and continues to be, loved and protected by its Traditional Owners. As Kwaymullina (2020) writes, there is no part of this place that was not cared for or loved by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander nation. This awareness shifts my perspective. Everyday acts like walking, cooking, and observing the seasons are not just routines. They are encounters with Country, and with its past and present custodians.

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I am beginning to unlearn the idea that land is passive or neutral. Country is a living teacher, holding knowledge, stories, and relationships (Hamm & Boucher, 2018). As Iorio et al. (2020) explain, learning is relational, shaped by our connection to place. Through this lens, I now see that playful inquiry is not just personal but political. It happens on land that carries histories of dispossession.

Moving forward, I am committed to ongoing learning and action. I will continue deepening my understanding of Indigenous histories and knowledge, support truth-telling, and make space for conversations grounded in respect. Living here means recognising my responsibility to honour the land and those who have cared for it since time immemorial.