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Inspired by my visit to Werribee Beach for my Assessment 2, I have created three short activities for Music, Movement, and Drama.

1. Music: Children will listen to the beach's soundscape and mimic the sounds with their body and voices, forming a sound orchestra.

2. Movement: Children will work on gestures, balance, and imaginative physical expression inspired by the tides and waves.

3. Drama: Children will participate in a role-play activity and explore the interaction between the performer, the wind, and waves.

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These three curated activities are directly related to my country visit on Assessment 2, and are inspired by the session readings and Aboriginal and torres strait islander standpoints, where the roaring wind and high dancing tides invited music, movement, and drama.

At Werribee Beach, the clashing of tides and music of wind invited deep listening, which shaped my music activity guided by Pauline Oliveros idea of deep listening, along with Dadirri, where children will listen to the layers of sounds and respond/recreate them using their own voices. Meanwhile, the movement activity was inspired by a close-up view from the tides guided by Reggio's idea of The Hundred Languages of Children, which suggests children express themselves in many ways. Lastly, supported by Wilson (2018), who suggests nature encourages children to engage in the moment, explore imaginative play, which is reflected in the activity as seen in the way the wind, tides collaborated to form drama.

These activities promote creative and varied forms of expression that correspond with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) Outcome 5: "Children are effective communicators.", Outcome 3: "Children have a strong sense of well-being.", and Outcome 4: "Children are confident and involved learners". All three activities were completed with the help of 2 enthusiastic volunteers, including the implementation of the activity, which allowed me to reflect on the outcomes and insights for my future teaching.

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Inspired by Indigenous ways of deep listening to the sound of the country (DADIRRI, 2017) and linking with EYLF outcome 5, Children are effective communicators, this activity uses the environmental soundscape from the beach to create a creative expression/ activity.

Materials required- Sound clips from assessment 2, quiet area, small percussion such as shakers, drums(for future).

Steps for Wave(sound) Orchestra activity:

1. Play a 50-second clip from the main artefact and ask children what they hear.

2. Invite each child to pick one sound they want to replicate. Example:

Sound of waves- clap quickly/slowly.

Wind -Whisper softly/sharply

3. Children will combine as a group and layer the sounds to form a sound orchestra with the teacher.

4. End the activity with slowly disappearing sounds until complete silence.

This activity will foster deep listening in children as they listen to the layers of sounds, including pulse, rhythm, silence, and noise, all in a playful way. It also fosters their emotional connection, communication skills, turn-taking, and cooperation when they participate as a group.

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Inspired by the idea from The Hundred Languages of Children (Edwards et al., 2011), the movement session explores the ways children can express themselves in different forms and have different ways of expressing themselves through gestures and movements, and we should embrace children’s unique, creative responses.

This movement activity also connects with the indigenous practice, where movement helps children to embody the flow of water and the wind while honouring the land they are standing on.

Materials required- Beach close-up view, open area

Steps for the Flow with the Tide activity:

1. Play the clip and show children the video of the tides

2. Ask children, "How do waves move?" and encourage them to show their ideas.

3. Demonstrate moving swaying like waves, for example, step forward and step back to demonstrate tide flow, crouch and rise to demonstrate tide levels.

4. Encourage children to copy the movements together.

This activity is closely related to EYLF learning outcome 3, which states that Children have a strong sense of well-being and it encourages children's body awareness, coordination, and balance, while allowing them to explore movements on their own. This activity will enhance their confidence and general well-being.

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Inspired by my own creative response video at Werribee Beach, this drama activity encourages children to explore movement with tension, release, while exploring environmental forces and learning how to balance with wind and waves. It also resonates with Wala is Life(2018), which highlights storytelling and body movement as a way of understanding and relating to the land, aligned with Learning Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners.

Material required- Creative response video, open area.

Steps for the The Wind and the Dance activity:

1. Show children the creative response video at the beach. 2. Ask questions such as, "What is happening in the video?", "Does it look like the wind and waves are making the person spin and sway?"

3. Encourage children to choose a character and act like it, for example, act like wind/waves by using gestures like push, swirl, and swoosh, and see how it affects the dancer.

In the activity, children will explore and develop creative, imaginative thinking, express ideas through dramatic movement, and engage collaboratively with their peers

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This unit and my reflection on all three assignments across the units have shifted my view on the arts, and now I consider music, movement, and drama as intertwined expressions of identity instead of recognizing them as separate activities. After engaging with the unit contents, it also demonstrated that music, dance, and drama can foster empathy, observation, and effective communication in children.

The most impactful resource for me has been Children, creative play and the natural environment by Wilson(2007) who states, "play engages all the senses as powerful modes of learning"(p.3), highlighting that play itself is a part of learning. I now perceive the arts and nature play as vital instruments for assisting children in understanding their world. In future practice, I will design nature arts experiences that prioritise listening, improvisation, and play, rather than rehearsed outcomes, ensuring that they align with all the EYLF Outcomes, especially 3, 4, and 5.

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The participant easily recognised and recreated the sounds of winds and waves. But imitated the unexpected sound of the vehicle driving shown in the first clip of the main artefact. Next time, when planning the activity, I will provide small instruments (shakers, drums) to expand the sound palette.

As stated by Oliveros (2015), "Listening is a mysterious process that is not the same for everyone". It made me realise that the correct reception is not about copying everything, but about the attention.

In my future teaching practice, I will design music activities that will value children's unique perception and allow creative exploration rather than seeking perfection.

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The volunteers copied the modelled movements, but when it was their turn to start the movement activity, one of the volunteer invented their own movements, like jumping to demonstrate the rising tides. For next time, I would encourage the participants to lead movements themselves, allowing self-exploration and expression.

Using the insights from my reflection in my future teaching practice as an educator, I will provide opportunities for children to design their own movement ideas freely, rather than giving them instructions on what to do.

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During the activity, the volunteers engaged with movement and explored gestures, supporting drama. However, what I didn't expect was that at one point, one of the volunteers offered to become the dancer, and I became the wind/air. Next time, to make the activity better, I would encourage children to swap the roles so everyone gets equal experience. I would also extend the drama further by talking about the story of "The Wind and the Dancer," which will allow children to create narratives to dive further into the drama.

I will use the insight from this activity in the future to support children in experimenting with roles while embracing opportunities that offer imagination and collaboration.

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Australian Government Department of Education. (2022). Belonging, being and becoming: The early years learning framework for australia (V2.0). In ACECQA. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf

DADIRRI (Official Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Video) :: 3 minute promo. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tow2tR_ezL8&t=2s

Edward, C. P., Gandini, L., & Forman, G. E.(2011). The hundred languages of children: The Reggio Emilia Experience in Transformation (3rd ed). https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/reader.action?docID=820317&c=RVBVQg

Oliveros, P. (2015). The Difference between Hearing and Listening | Pauline Oliveros | TEDxIndianapolis [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QHfOuRrJB8

Wala Is Life(2018). | Allara- Topic [Youtube Video]. In Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XACgej9L80

Wilson, R. A. (2018). Nature and young children: Encouraging creative play and learning in natural environments (3rd ed.). Routledge.https://go.openathens.net/redirector/vu.edu.au?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.taylorfrancis.com%2Fbooks%2Fmono%2F10.4324%2F9781315148533%2Fnature-young-children-ruth-wilson

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I would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we stand today, and pay my respect to Elders past, and extend my respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.