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Angie Dean has observed 5 different children ages 12 to 17 months within the outdoor space with wooden trolleys, cars and sand truck space to the indoors home corner, reading and welcome family’s indoor space.  These observations were taken before morning tea at around 9:30am when the children had settled after parent/carer drop off, and while the children were settled playing and connecting with the space.  The children’s current interests are rolling car wheels of the wooden cars both along the ground but also with their index fingers, flipping the axels on the wooden walking trolleys, crawling quickly to and from the outdoor to indoor spaces following and chasing peers, bouncing and rolling balls, crawling in and out of spaces, underneath home corner table, crawling and walking in and through indoor wooden obstacle course, some using the wooden obstacle parts like the wooden mirror stand to pull themselves up for those who are still crawlers but almost walking.

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To summarise, the three observations demonstrate how children use movement to explore their environment for example by crawling, using wooden walker trolleys to walk from indoors to outdoors and vice versa (Ob1).   Using obstacle course objects to pull themselves up to view others using the obstacle course, walking in and out of peek a boo box with peers, clapping hands, pointing to objects and to peers (Ob 2).  Pulling on others to help them crawl faster towards objects, throwing and bouncing balls, tapping and slapping objects, rolling ball, physically throwing objects out of the way to get to rolling ball (Ob 3).

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My interpretation about these three observations I could see several different stages of children’s development being displayed.  Their physical development through crawling, pulling themselves up to stand, walking, throwing objects.  Their social development, playing with their peers in the ‘peek a boo box, at the obstacle course area and outdoors with the wooden walking trolleys.  Language development cooing, babbling, making sounds at their peers, or when pointing to objects or seeing themselves in the mirror.  I understand from these observations that babies and toddlers are very capable learners, but they are also very intelligent, and can communicate in their own ways to each other and to other adults, when us as adults are listening with all our sensors.  The children I observed used all their senses to communicate and build connections to help guide brain development Bronson, S.  (2009). In all three observations all the children showed some form of serve and return towards another peer or towards an educator, by a child pointing to making sounds while pointing to the top of peek a boo box, more of her peers responded by coming over to see what she was doing and pointing at Harvard University (2021).  There were also many forms of attachment displayed in all three observations.  Erikson’s theory on human development in stage 2 autonomy versus shame and doubt, he suggests that children being left to explore their spaces freely but within the boundaries the care giver has set them.  A child crawling out to explore the outdoor space but stops before leaving the space looking around the room, once spots the room leader they leave the space, goes out but crawls back in looks around for room leader and returns outside to play checking for circle of security Circle of Security Network (2013).  The child’s actions can also be a display of what Bowlby suggests as phase two of the development of attachment system where children aged 6months to 3 years ‘set goal’ attachments, where the child keeps close enough to the mother or care giver and uses them as a base for exploration, when threat is minimal and they can still signal danger, cry or have a tantrum when care giver or mother is still close by.  The development of the children is able to continue when they feel safe, secure and connected to their environment.  They become more confident in exploring their spaces freely, individually and with their peers and care givers.  According to the research (Edwards et al.,  2011) observing using all our five senses the educators were able to create spaces that connect with the children which created engaging experiences.  The Victorian Early Years Learning and Early Years Learning Framework ensures that children’s rights aged from birth to eight within their society, in this case the childcare spaces, that they are capable of participating within their social worlds through their connections and relationships with others.  The right for the child’s development, the right to be heard, the right for the child’s best interest to be upheld and encouraged as demonstrated within the observations Department of Education and Training (2016).  The Australian  Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority has developed the Early Years Learning Framework which advocates that children from birth to five years of age have a strong sense of identity and are connected to and contribute to their world.  Children have a strong sense of well being as shown in one of the observations with children communicating and sharing their thoughts about the peek a boo box, one child noticed, shared with her peers which encouraged them to explore with her.  This also shows that children are confident and involved learners as well as effective communicators Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA 2022).

Early Years Learning Framework ensures that children aged from birth to eight that their right’s within their society, in this case the childcare spaces, that they are capable of participating within their social worlds through their connections and relationships with others.  The right for the child’s development, the right to be heard, the right for the child’s best interest to be upheld and encouraged as demonstrated within the observations Department of Education and Training (2016).  The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority has developed the Early Years Learning Framework which advocates that children from birth to five years of age have a strong sense of identity and are connected to and contribute to their world.  Children have a strong sense of well being as shown in one of the observations with children communicating and sharing their thoughts about the peek a boo box, one child noticed, shared with her peers which encouraged them to explore with her.  This also shows that children are confident and involved learners as well as effective communicators Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA 2022).

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Child crawls outside to wooden trolley, begins turning the mirror, cogs and running their index finger along the xylophone, smiles when they hear the music.

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Indoor wooden obstacle course which children used to climb, crawl, walk, roll on, jump and pull themselves up using the wooden ladder triangle.  Also crawled through the peek a box, and stopped to look at themselves in the mirror cooing, babbling, kissing and slapping their reflections in the mirror.

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Children walking and crawling in and out of the peek a boo box, some children stopped and noticed the animals on the roof of the box, one animal being a tiger, child said “raah raah raah”.

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Child has crawled from outdoors through to indoors, underneath home corner table, underneath high chairs, crawled past adults feet, and other peers to get the ball.

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Child grasps the ball, shakes the ball, smiles and looks at educator Briley.

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In discussion with room leader and educators, I discovered children’s current interest in singing nursery rhymes.  I decided to add the nursery rhymes by singing to the beating on an Aboriginal drums of three sizes small medium and large to ensure all children crawling babies, older babies and babies that needed to be sat on a special cushion due to child not being able to sit on their own were all able to participate in the activity.  I added the small xylophones, and shakers so babies as well as toddlers were able to be involved in singing and banging the drums, shaking the shakers to the songs and rhymes like “Row row row your boat”, “The wheels on the bus” and “Twinkle, twinkle little star” which are some of the children’s favourites.  These particular instruments were chosen to capture the children’s interests in bright colours, different sounds, but small enough for the children to explore, some babies began to chew on the end of some shakers and clap sticks, some toddlers were looking to see where the shaking sound was coming from and trying to tap open the shaker eggs.  One toddler through the bells, grabbed another child’s bells and through theirs away also putting his hands over his ears.  Another child start rocking backwards and forwards tapping on the drum while the we sang together “Row row row your boat”.  While I was listening and watching the children I thought to myself why did that child throw away his bells and another child’s bells? What other questions arises from that moment (Edwards et al.,  2011)? Is there more to why he threw both his bells and another child’s bells, does it bring up bad memories, is it a trigger for this child?  The more I watched the children the more questions flowed through my mind about each child’s interaction with the instruments, with each other and interacting with the space which was outdoors.   I am curious to see how the children will move to the tempo and rhythm of the music (ACECQA, 2022).

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PLAN 2 Sleeping Bunnies book, song and puppets

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PLAN 2 Sleeping Bunnies book, song and puppets

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This planned provocation is connected to the children’s interest in music, singing, movement, and books, in particular their interest in singing the song “Sleeping bunnies” Firstly reading the book Sleeping Bunnies, to see how the children respond to reading the book than I’ll introduce finger puppets of the bunnies on wooden sticks.  Once I’ve laid the puppets on the floor I will allow the children to collect their own puppet if they choose to, by doing so this allows the child agency to connect if they so desire to and at their own pace allow them to make their own positive connection with the elements of the space as they so choose too, as Rinaldi says allowing the children to have the pleasure of research, the pleasure of searching for answers with others (Edwards et al.,  2011).  I would end the provocation by singing the “Sleeping Bunnies” song reenacting the movements with the wooden bunny stick puppets. I am curious to see how the children will respond to the singing through movement?  How will the babies respond to the music, singing and the puppets compared to the toddlers?  Will there be much interaction between the children, or more interaction with the puppets than the singing I wonder.  Does this provocation ensure that children experience a safe and stimulating learning environment according to the Department of Education and Training (2016) which requires that early childhood professionals provide these types of environments.

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This planned provocation is to connect with the children’s interest of movement of children crawling through the ‘Peek a Boo box’ which is connected to the wooden obstacle course.  Educators are singing Old Macdonald had a farm, educators get to point to which animal on the roof of the peek a boo box and making the animal sound.  We could add animal puppets to extend as child crawls or walks through the peek a boo box.  Must ensure that each child is given the time they need to explore the space and not rushed through, in order for myself to listen to the children and the children to be listened too by others (Edwards et al.,  2011).  I am curious to see with each child’s brain development stage how each child interacts and hears singing and music from educators, how each child of different ages and abilities responds to educators singing voice, the space, and with other peers within the space Brotherson, S.  (2009).

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·         Provocation 1 Music time outdoors.

Before implementing this provocation, I had discussions with the room leader, senior educator and parents of the children regarding their thoughts on children’s interest with music?  Was there any favourite songs or rhymes the children enjoyed singing? Do they sing to the children?  Or do they prefer songs from an ipad or off television shows or characters like The Wiggles?  According to Rinaldi’s research (Gardini & Edwards, 2001) we can determine that involving the children’s parents, their teachers, educators when forming ideas to create the learning space.  Educational creativity blooms when the creativity involves not only the children, but the teachers, parents and the entire society around the child.  Particular size of instruments were chosen to encourage child’s physical development ensuring children can grasp, shake, bang, rattle, the instruments ensuring that they are able to grasp and play them, thus using different smaller drums, and tamborines, to help build children’s brain development through singing and playing Brotherson (2009).  The area chosen was outdoor space which has plenty of light, air and space.  Due to gastro outbreak in the nursery room that week we had limited resources available as most had to be removed to be sanitised.  Many of our children in our room were also sick that day, we were expecting 12 but only 4 children  attended that day.  Many instruments were set out on display in the open space for the children to explore. I started using the clap sticks first singing “Row row row your boat”, a familiar song that the children enjoy, I waited for children to come outside and join me.  After a few minutes 3 children came out to join me, one picked up clap sticks started hitting the drum after he saw me hit my drums to the beat.  Another child started tapping the tambourine while rocking back and forth to the singing.  Overall it went better than expected as many of the children in the room were recovering from gastro the week before, or coming down slowly with the illness.  I felt what could have been better was having less instruments or taking away a few after learning that more children would not be attending that day.  Too many instruments I feel made the children hesitate to touch them at first and made them possibly feel overwhelmed.  Not rushing the children as they explored the instruments allowing them to make the connection with the instrument, allowing them time to get use to holding the instrument.  Some children would smell and chew on the end of the clap sticks, others would suck on the end of the bells as they rang them but allowing them time to explore the instruments within the space made them more interested in continuing to explore other instruments in the space (Gardini & Edwards, 2001).

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Provocation 2 Reading and singing Sleeping Bunnies with puppets.

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Provocation 2 Reading and singing Sleeping Bunnies with puppets.

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Provocation 2 Reading Sleeping Bunnies Book and singing the song with puppets

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Provocation 2 Reading Sleeping Bunnies Book and singing the song with puppets

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This provocation was specifically chosen to be set up near the entrance as parents have spoken with room leader indicating difficulties still in dropping off their children.  After speaking with room leader and educators regarding changing the space to a reading/calm & singing corner.  A space where parents can still drop off their children into a space where children can feel calm and become settled through reading books and singing a family song.  In this case I choose one of the children’s familiar books Sleeping Bunnies followed by singing the song with bunny puppets.  I wanted to create a space that was open for the children to explore through song and movement after they have been dropped off by their parents, but they are also able to return if they are upset and need to be comforted creating a circle of security for the child Circle of Security Network (2013).  After reading the Sleeping Bunnies (Kubler, 2019) story to the children, some started to rock back and forth and bounce up and down at certain parts of the bppk.  After reading the book I showed the children the bag with the bunny puppets in it.  The children were too interested in seeing what was in the bag, Child A started taking out puppets one by one and showing his peers saying “oooo aaaaa”.  Most of the provocation went well, except one or two children took longer to settle after dropping off, the child wanted to sit on my lap while when his mother dropped him off which set another child crying who had already settled.  But overall, the experience went well as parents were able to drop off their children easier and more children settle quickly with a familiar story and action song being sung at drop off time.  Rinaldi suggests that by constructing a space that can offer children a sense of security, which comes from feeling accepted welcome.  A space that welcomes the child, their family, the teacher and everyone, this encourages a new place for our culture perhaps through singing, movement, music and stories (Gardini & Edwards, 2001). The modifications that were made was to the puppets, they had ice cream sticks that were not secure, so I used wooden spoons attached to the back instead which were bigger and easier for the children to hold in their hands. The space I added different books which were related to children’s rhymes which they enjoy singing and dancing too.  I added more larger triangle cushions so the babies that cant sit up are still able to see, and participate in the actions when we sing.  I had to take a step back at one stage and allow the older children to explore the puppets and let them take them around the space and some engaged with their peers when we sang the Sleeping Bunnies actions.