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Experience: Dancing with scarves outside, bare feet and pretending falling leaves
Props : Scarves and Music
Music: Singer : Gurrumul - Song: Wiyathul

Rationale: This experience was inspired by my time spent in the Flagstaff Gardens. I listened back to my voice note on how i used my senses to take in my surroundings. I could feel the wind on my face and see the majestic trees swaying and the leaves falling, it was like the leaves were dancing to the wind and hear an array of sounds.
For my movement and dance experience, i thought to start our mindfulness session by listening to Gurrumul, Aboriginal artist of the Yolnu People, from Northern Territory.

The children will have a scarf each and pretend move like trees. The children will be encouraged to take their shoes off so they feel the connection to the earth’s electrons which can positively influence their wellbeing. According to Dance Teaching Ideas (2013) “children whose senses have come alive to the here and now are more able to find focus with what is being presented in the learning environment.”

Reflection: This experience worked well for the two minutes. The children were engaged, swaying away (two children had no interest at all). A little while later some children started to drop and crash to the ground. Unfortunately, a few other children also followed which disturbed the group. Some of them kept swaying using their hands like big branches. I changed up the experience and asked for the children to scrunch up the scarf into their hands, throw it up and try and catch it like falling leaves. This modification brought some of the children’s attention back.

Reference:

Hollingworth, M.J, 2021, Barefoot Dancing A Learning Activity. Viewed on 11th March 2023, https://danceteachingideas.com/barefoot-and-dancing-a-learning-activity/

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Experience : Drama (and Music and Movement)
During this experience, the children will be provided with baskets before heading outside for a Treasure Hunt.
Props: Baskets and Natural materials as props for when singing the song.
Song: We're Going On a Treasure Hunt  (to the tune of We're going on a Bear Hunt")

Rationale: Whilst on my On Country walk, i saw so many artefacts around me that if i was child, my pockets would be full. Children are natural gatherers. They love collecting random items. I therefore drew inspiration from my walk and thought about how children see the beauty of nature and the wonderful things nature can offer to their play. We are getting quite low on gum nuts, leaves, bark in the making trolley. As an educator i wanted to give the children the opportunity to be outside, whilst taking ownership of the materials they might need or want. The children would be provided with our "group plan" before we headed outside. Adding an element of music to the experience would add a dramatic feel to the experience. According to Ridgers, Knowles & Sayers (2012), being outside helps the children connect with and learn not only about their natural environment, but also helps in the developing their social skills, confidence with the natural world as well as strengthen their motor skills.

Reflection: This was the most successful experience. The children loved the song and some recognised the tune of “We’re going on a Bear Hunt”. The children worked in pairs as they collected the natural treasures from the ground. Some children could be heart singing some verses of the song when they found an item, i.e. “A bark! A small, small bark”.

Reference:

Ridgers, N. D., Knowles, Z. R., & Sayers, J. (2012). Encouraging play in the natural environment: A child-focused case study of Forest School. Children’s Geographies, 10(1), 49–65.

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Musical Instruments Experience using claviers

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Musical Instruments Experience using claviers

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Experience: A Clapping Sticks Music Experience
Props:  Clapping Sticks and Didgeridoo Dreamtime Music

Rationale: Walking through Flagstaff Gardens i couldn’t help but remember my Place Thought Walk that took place last year. I started thinking about the first nations peoples who walked through Flagstaff Gardens and made it their home. I was so mesmerised by the trees and the wind, i wondered if any of those trees had been carved for purpose. Hamm (2015) mentions how “thinking about the land in different ways opens up a space to explore many possibilities”. The didgeridoo, a wind instrument dovetails so well with my surrounding amongst the trees, wind and huge trunks. My experience would start with an Acknowledgement to Country. The children would be encouraged to follow the beat created by the teacher. The music will be stopped intermittently so the children can use their olfactory sense to listen when it stops, as a cue to put their clapping sticks down. This strategy is used to give the opportunity for the children to focus on the music and know when they need to stop, so it doesn't get out of control.

Reflection:

Prior to starting our experience, as a group we did our acknowledgement to pay recent to the past, present and emerging first nation peoples of the Bunarong Land. The experience went for three minutes. The first half, the children were trying to listen to the animals that could be heard through the didgeridoo instead of following the beat to the music. After we paused and regrouped most children were able to follow and stop with the music. It was a successful experience. The children mentioned that they liked hearing and guessing the animals through the didgeridoo. Listening and guessing the animals through a didgeridoo would be a wonderful extension of this experience.

References:
Hamm, C 2015, ‘Walking with place: storying reconciliation pedagogies in early childhood education’, Canadian Children, vol. 40, no. 2, Canadian Association for Young Children, pp. 56–66, viewed on 8th March 2022 <https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=117176256&site=eds-live&authtype=shib&custid=s1145751>

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Class Reflection via Google Doc - Session 1-8

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Class Reflection via Google Doc - Session 1-8

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Class Reflection

Week 1  - Classes

Session 1 and 2

Temporal Movement and Dance

At the start of the session I thought the classes were going to be more about the sharing of different resources we can use in the classroom as well as seeing dance/movement as a language. I did not expect to go so deeply in music and movement. There’s a relationship between dance, music and acting.  Movement is often people coming together to convey a message. When movement is in a group it is less overwhelming.

The Power of Listening and the power of silence struck me… what are the different things you can hear? How your ears hear but your brain listens was a revelation. Maybe whispering when we need to get a child’s attention would work better than calling out!

The new terms have been interesting to learn and use within context at work in our documentation.

It’s been slightly challenging to connect with the context after such a long break!

Week 2 Session 3 and 4  - Drama

Session 3: What is drama?

What is drama: Drama is theatrical ...it's a performance...

Drama Meaning: Fiction- Non Fiction through performance of written dialogue

Combined meaning : A fiction- non fiction production consisting of a group of people  performing through written dialogue

1. Explain being affected by place: The different emotions and different places affect behaviour. Using our senses might affect place as well as past trauma.

2. What is storytelling compared to simply reading a story?
Storytelling can be changed and adapted to the group depending on the interests and dynamics whereas whilst reading a story we need to stay on track

What a wonderful session that was! Reading the chapter “Is Beauty a way of knowing” was truly captivating. Being aware of the difference between what is actually an atelier and what people might think it is and also what an "atelierista" does …. Like educators they become researchers alongside children.

After making up our story today, i feel that i am confident in my storytelling… I'll be more confident in giving it a good go, there isn't any right or wrong way of doing it. As long as i am able to captivate my audience!

Session 4 : No Class… due to Kat not being well.

Reflection: Read the Ruth Wilson piece which was mind blowing especially the sustainability part where it shouldn't be the children’s responsibility.  I added it to the padlet. The piece is a great read to keep and refer back to for future documentation. I loved the part where Ruth mentions how sustainability shouldn't be put onto the children’s shoulders.  She also mentions adults taking over the children’s play, taking their ownership away as they try to “join in” rather than waiting to be asked to. We have to remember is an active form of learning that unites the mind,body and spirit, it’s holistic.

Saturday - Face to Face
On Country Walk

Reflection: Being face to face is so much more interactive! It’s nice to meet my peers and be able to brainstorm. I enjoyed learning about the 8 senses and the different experiences connected to them that can be used in the classroom.

I thoroughly enjoyed my walk and reflection in Flagstaff garden.  I went through the perspective of being a child/ at a child’s height and wandered around looking up the trees. The sounds, smell and what I saw got me really attuned to my surrounding. I never take the time to sit and just be, what a joy it was to be given the time to do this in a different area! This experience taught me to embrace stillness, it did me wonders... How much of a positive effect

My highlight was the Cool Cats song and the Inanay Capuana song. I loved the actions and the discussion prior to the Torres Strait island song around Acknowledging the origins.

Session 7 and 8 - Connecting with place

Reflection: I find that with 2 assignments pending we are all focused on those assignments and I personally find that my brain cannot focus on the content as much. The article “ LET'S PLAY OUTSIDE - THE IMPORTANCE OF PRETEND PLAY IN NATURAL SETTINGS (WALLIN, 2019)”. It embedded a lot of what we have been learning and putting into practice. I agree with Wallin (2019) who says that as educators, caregivers, and parents must be even more vigilant about every child’s human right to play in the great outdoors.

The activity “Life is drama, drama is life, we just need to notice” where we needed to notice what changed made me reflect on who do i notice ? Do I notice the quiet child that goes under the radar? The one who always does the right thing? There was a lot to think about!

Session 8:
Reflection:
Thank goodness for Kat coming on early to go through our assignment and help with any questions. Loved the video about the different sounds we can make using different props like blocks for a horse running, walking over plastic for a crunchy feel/ sound.

The body percussion section was interesting, it does tie in well with pattern making and cross patterning that we do at Kinder.  We thankfully finished earlier today to finish our A3.

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                             Reflection on Music, Movement and Drama

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At the start of this unit, I had a different perspective on what we would engage in. Personally, I thought that the Music Movement and Drama unit would be a great opportunity to build on my music, movement and drama repertoire. Little did I know how deep this unit was going to be.

The unit started strongly with terms I had never heard before, such as “temporal art” and “musicing”, yet we do these every day.

In the first week, the two resources that inspired me now and in my future practice are the videos of Victor Wooten (2013) “Music as a Language” and Didarri “Inner Deep Listening”. In his video Wooten (2013) explains that music cannot be taught, just like language it’s all about exposure. The more exposed a child is, the more natural it becomes. His idea of how music is learnt brought me back to Howard’s Gardner Musical Intelligence. For this intelligence to further developed as educators we need to provide an array of musical inspired experiences, so the children are always exposed to it and music becomes a natural gift. As Wooten state, “Music is a “powerful communication tool--it causes us to laugh, cry, think and question”. (Wooten, V, 2013) so why wouldn’t we expose the children to it from a very young age?.

This unit has also taught me the difference between “Listening and Hearing” two different actions. It has made me reflect on myself as an educator how can I embed their vision of stopping and listening more, so all the children feel connected and heard.

As am ECE I and will be mindful of stopping, listening and being more in the moment with the children throughout the day.

Ruth Wilson’s (2007) “Children, creative play and the natural environment” has been the epiphany of this unit. Wilson (2007) reminds us how childhood is the most important time in the children’s life and how it should be nurtured and not hurried. She values the importance of creative play and states that it is only through the world of play that children can learn about themselves and the world around them, it cannot be taught only discovered.

This is where, as educators we need to learn to observe from a distance and wait to be invited in the children’s play, so we don’t change the narrative and the learning outcomes. This is something that I have already put in practice and will continue. As ECE educators we need to remember that play is a basic right, and we need to provide interrupted play opportunities to the best of our abilities.

Throughout this unit I was reminded how the eight sensory system play a great part in the children’s development. As ECE’s, it is fundamental to remember that when children are provided with an array of opportunities to use their senses through play where “they are actively building nerve connections in the brain’s pathways, which is crucial to brain development.” (Gano & Krull, 2020).

In my future practice, I will be mindful to create those opportunities through the different play experiences and spaces that will be set up for the children so all of their eight senses are further developed.

Whilst revisiting all of the senses, I do believe that our interoception is one of our most important sense that can sometimes go unnoticed. If we lack interoceptive signals, it can be an indication of our ability to regulate our emotions, crucial to our wellbeing. As an ECE, normalising the importance of emotional development, providing children with the language and tools to express their emotions and read those of others would be a wonderful start. Exploring emotions through drama can be a wonderful and interactive way for children to explore different emotions and when doing it in group setting and adding humour helps the children feel more comfortable.

Dramatic Play, a type of play where all the drama happens. This type of play is one of the most important milestones in early childhood as it teaches the children how to make sense of their world as they observe and mirror society. Meyers and Berk (2014) state that “early childhood is a vital time for laying the foundations of self-regulation”. How is self-regulation and dramatic play connected? They interconnect, where one cannot operate without the other. Dramatic Play teaches the children how to navigate different social situations where they often must wait for their turn, share and resist the urge to take.

Looking at different theoretical perspectives, Vygotsky’s (1978) belief that play is a form of social cultural learning connects with the idea that children who engage in dramatic play can further develop their self-regulation, a skill that assists in functioning in acceptable ways in making friends and become independent. For this to take place as an ECE, I would draw on my knowledge to model and support children in different scenarios in pretend play so to scaffold their ability to develop skills within the zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978) needed to develop appropriate the social skills needed as they grow.

This unit has allowed me to explore the language of music, movement and drama at a deeper level. I will now be aware of the importance of including temporal arts daily. As an ECE, applying the language of dance, music and drama will provide an array of opportunities for children to move, sing and play. This is fundamental for the holistic development of a child as we need to remember that “stillness in young children causes fatigue. They need to move” (Dance Teaching Ideas 2023). As ECE's we know that movement is what develops the brain and not the other way round.

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References (Harvard Style)

Creative dance for early childhood, 2022, Creative Dance Teaching Ideas and Resources. Viewed 12th March 2023, https://danceteachingideas.com/creative-dance-movement-for-toddlers/

Gano, D. & Kroll, S 2020,  Natural Sensory Learning. Viewed 12th March 2023, https://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/natural-sensory-learning

Marenus, M 2020, Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Viewed 11th March 2023, https://www.simplypsychology.org/multiple-intelligences.html

Meyers, A. B, & Berk, L. E, 2014, Make-believe play and self-regulation. The SAGE Handbook of Play and Learning in Early Childhood, 43–55. Viewed 11th March 2023, https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473907850.n6

Robson, David, 2021, Interoception: the hidden sense that shapes wellbeing, viewed 11th March 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/aug/15/the-hidden-sense-shaping-your-wellbeinginteroception

Roth, A, 2020, Early Childhood Music Education: Does it deliver?, image, The Spoke, viewed 12th March 2023 https://thespoke.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/early-childhood-music-education-delivery-matter/

Stock Unlimited, 2023, Little Girl Practicing Piano, image, view 12th March 2023, https://www.stockunlimited.com/image/little-girl-practicing-piano_1681389.html

Ungunmerr, M.R. (no date) Dadirri: Inner Deep Listening and Quiet Still Awareness, Miriam Rose Foundation, viewed 24th February 2023, http://www.miriamrosefoundation.org.au/dadirri/

Ungunmerr, M.R,  1988 Dadirri: Inner Deep Listening and Quiet Still Awareness Reflection, Miriam Rose Foundation. https://www.miriamrosefoundation.org.au/

Vygotsky, L.S, 1978, Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Mental Processes (M.Cole, V.John-Steiner, S.Scribner and E.Souberman, eds and trans), Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. (Original work published 1930, 1933, 1935.).

Wilson, R, 2007, Children, creative play, and the natural environment, in R. Wilson (edn) Nature and Young Children : Encouraging Creative Play and Learning in Natural Environments, Routledge. Ch 1, pp 1-18. Viewed 10th March 2023 https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/detail.action?docID=324894

Wooten, V, 2013, Music as a Language: Victor Wooten at TEDxgabriolaisland, YouTube. Viewed 10th March 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zvjW9arAZ0