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My experience during the nature experience outdoors was calming, especially with the wind swishing noise. It gives such a calming sensation to listen to that sound and feel the wind on your skin. Personally, with technology advancements and busy lifestyles, I believe that the appreciation that people have for nature has been forgotten. However, there is so much nature offers such as the sound of birds chirping and singing, leaves rustling, etc. Fallen branch sticks can be used as musical instruments when used together and when hit against the bark of a tree. The learning I believe is, that it's important for children that even natural objects as simple as stones and sticks can replace certain musical instruments. These aspects are related to the connection that the culture of Aboriginal people practice, in terms of the connection to nature. This includes the nature such as:wind, water and animals that helps children connect with the natural environment.

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Drama begins with the exploration of nature. Dramatic arts take inspiration from the movement of plants and animals in the wildlife. Children's expressions as they get excited for outdoor exploration/play creates drama. Some experiences that can be obtained is the role playing of the movement of a caterpillar or the formation of a butterfly. Some cultural stories from the Aboriginal culture can be included, which would promote cultural awareness within children. These activities can specifically help children from the Aboriginal community to help them have a strong sense of identity relating to Outcome 1: "Children have a strong sense of identity" (DETA, 2022) from the Early Years Learning Framework [EYLF].

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In session 4 of the unit, we learnt about how babies can create music known as "percussion". This can be created simply by our body itself just by clapping, stomping or even humming. UNICEF (2019) also states how the sound created by vocal chords can be soothing for children. Likewise, home objects such as wooden spoons and containers can be used to create music.

According to Schafer (1994), participation in the soundscape in the natural world can have a creative and aesthetic impact.

The TEDxMelbourne (2013) by Tania de Jong AM elaborates how people with disabilities can also enjoy music such as deaf people listening music with heavy beats and how anyone is capable of singing using the vocal chords, regardless of their capabilities. In most cases music is illustrated as a method of communication

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Arianaca (2017) explains how nature can bring out the expressive felling within our bodies. It also states that our sensory system connects with the natural movement. Black et el. (2016) suggest that movement/dancing in nature can encourage children in physical activity which links to a healthy lifestyle.

The Atlier (2018) provides us with the benefits of a school without any walls such as fostering connection with the nature within children. This means that children who spend most of their time outdoors adapt to the natural changes much quickly. Furthermore, our learning about movement in nature fosters imagination and creativity, would be my takeaways from this unit to my practice.

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From the research by Carr et al. (2017), states that children who are exposed to playscapes more often than when compared to traditional playgrounds, it instill "self-determination, inquiry, and science learning" and are engaged for a longer time. This helps children focus on their imagination which fosters creativity for drama. Role-playing is linked to dramatic play because, exposure to the outdoors facilitates abstract thoughts in children (Bergen, 2002). The unit material has also helped us understand how children perform dramatic arts from a very young age perhaps by having an imaginary friend or an attachment to a specific inanimate object such as a toy.

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I believe that nature brings some inner calmness for people which makes us move slowly while exploring. This helps us appreciate the surroundings. I believe that the experience gets children excited and more engaging due to curiosity. Movement of the wind, rain and birds is really astonishing for children that they sometimes impersonate this movement. Traditional dance of the Aboriginal culture can also be expressed by children during movement, which can encourage cooperation leading to improved social skills.

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Experience #1 - Sound/music

Audio and visual observation by the children. Use of natural objects such as stones to make sounds.

Experience #2 - Movement

Movement was shown by the children when climbing the tree, the play area and logs. Children were able to experience using these skills during the activity. The wind made allow themselves to relax and feel the movement of the wind on their skin.

Experience #3 - Drama

Drama in terms imagination through creativity using natural objects such as a stick as wand was shown by the children.

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Experience #1 - Sound/Music

Children mirror the rhythms and flows of nature. Instead, the weather was too windy and these natural weather changes sometimes hindered the outdoor experience.

Experience #2 - Movement

Representation of movement shown by moving like animals wasn't show cased by children as expected due to the weather conditions.

Experience #3 - Drama

Role play by children depicting different animals as there were no animals found in the selected surrounding due to the heavy wind and rain.

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Experience #1 - Sound/music

Provide guidance to children in order to find objects that could make sounds together.

Experience #2 - Movement

Pick a better time for children to explore outdoors freely. Making sure that the weather conditions are appropriate for children to explore nature comfortable is important for them to improve their skills.

Experience #3 - Drama

Use of puppets of animals that have already been used to represent them, which helps children make the connection between what they already know and ascertain new knowledge.

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Experience #1 - Sound/music

I understand from this experience that children are unpredictable and their curiosity in nature may overwhelm them with different objects therefore, the attention span for one task may be less.

Experience #2 - Movement

Allocation of time during my practice for children to explore nature which, enables them to be more creative in their movement using nature as their inspiration.

Experience #3 - Drama

My takeaway from this is that some children may not always be comfortable in expressing themselves in drama and therefore, as educators, we would need to be extra patient.

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Experience #1 - Sound/Music

This unit has helped me understand that regardless of the place and capabilities a person possess, it doesn't constraint people from using their vocal cords to make music or even their own body to create percussion.

This relates to the "Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators" of the Early years learning framework (DETA, 2022), because music/sound are methods of communication that are used to express ideas, leading to improved social skills.

Experience #2 - Movement

Discussion of movement in this unit has helped me understand that movement doesn't necessarily involve of someone/something moving from one point to another, instead, movement means that when a person's body becomes expressive from the emotions within. This can be perhaps by children jumping with excitement when they find a hidden nest in nature. This relates to Outcome 2: "Children are connected with and contribute to their world" (DETA, 2022) and also Outcome 3: "Children have a strong sense of well-being" as children connect to the natural world with movement. In addition, movement can involve the participation of other peers as well, therefore, it can build relationships and connections.

Experience #3 - Drama

My perspective of drama always seemed as an extra-curricular activity that children would do for fun. However, I now understand that drama can be important to learn academic knowledge such as the life cycle of animals in the wildlife. This relates to the outcome 4: "Children are confident and involved learners", which means that children are able to grasp knowledge from the interaction with nature which instill imagination in them.

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Arianaca. (2017). Movement in the Wild: Nature as Dance Partner.

https://www.theearthbodyinstitute.com/2017/03/movement-in-the-wild-nature-as-dance-partner/

Back, J., Heeffer, C., Paget, S., Rau, A., Sallnäs Pysander, E. L., & Waern, A. (2016, June). Designing for children's outdoor play. In Proceedings of the 2016 ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems (pp. 28-38).

Bergen, D. (2002). “The role of pretend play in children’s cognitive development.” Early Childhood Research & Practice, 4(1).

http://files.eric.ed.gov.ez-proxy.brooklyn.cuny.edu:2048/fulltext/ED464763.pdf

Carr, V., Brown, R. D., Schlembach, S., & Kochanowski, L. (2017). Nature by design: Playscape affordances support the use of executive function in preschoolers. Children, Youth and Environments, 27(2), 25-46.

Department of Education and Training. (2022). The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Australia: DETA.

https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-02/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf

How singing together changes the brain: Tania de Jong AM at TEDxMelbourne. (2013).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_HOBr8H9EM

Schafer, R. M. (1994). The soundscape: Our sonic environment and the tuning of the world. Rochester: Destiny Books.

The Atelier - The school without walls. (2018).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNAKhgATlAo

UNICEF. (2019). Is your baby getting enough music?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIwhGbnY_uI&t=9s