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I enjoyed going on the on-country visits and just listening to what was happening around us. When I first did this activity, I admit I struggled to listen, but the more visits I did, the better I became at listening and discovering things in the world. It felt very calm, taking in all the sounds and at the same time noticing myself, my breathing, and my heartbeat, and how everything is alive and connected. (Ungunmerr, 1988). I took that practice into my assessment 2, which links to Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world, because I thought of what my presence is doing to the animals around me. (EYLF). For my music lesson plan, I took inspiration from the activity we did in class, where we used loose parts to recreate sounds from movies. Instead of movie sounds, I will use loose parts to make the sounds of the wetlands from my assessment 2, which will be my music lesson.

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Step 1 - Listen to the sounds of the wetlands, or if able, go for a walk in the wetlands.

Step 2 - Let the children pick what sound from the wetlands they want to be.

Step 3 - Get the children to find loose parts to recreate the sounds they just picked.

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Honestly, I didn’t love the movement activity; they just didn’t speak to me. I did enjoy dancing, but I think if there were a different range of music, I would have liked dancing more. I did appreciate the concept that movement is a language and it’s a way of storytelling, which is something I will always think about. The Mutton Bird dance really made me gain a grasp of how much feeling can be provoked by movement. (Bangarra Dance Theatre, 2015). In my assessment 2, I only thought about how little movement I could make so as not to disturb the environment. In my movement lesson now, I will get the children to actually embody the animals and to move like them. I want them to actually think about the animal they are playing, which connects to Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world (EYLF), because they will see the perspective of an animal.

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Step 1 - Gather the children in a group or in a line.

Step 2 - Give children different animals that live in wetlands. Examples: duck, frog, and snake.

Step 3 - Call out one of the animals (duck), and they then run like a duck to the end line.

Step 4 - Call out one different animals from before (frog), and they then run like a snake to the end line.

Step 5 - Call out wetlands, and all the animals have to run.

Step 6 - Repeat steps 3, 4, and 5 as many times as wanted.

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Going around and taking photos of stuff that would help us be dramatic was a fun experience. I thought it was very clever how, in class, we made a dragon inspired by smoke from a truck. I liked the idea of being inspired by nature, so for my assessment 2 and my lesson plan, I heavily played into the wetlands. In my assessment 2, I dramatized how much I was annoying the animals. For my assessment 3, I wanted to step into the world of the animals, letting the children create their own imaginary worlds, and having them interact with each other can help them see different perspectives, and also connect to the world around them. (Wilson, 2007). Thinking about Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators (EYLF), allowing children to play as new characters in games could help them express themselves in ways they never thought possible.

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Step 1 - Let the children set up the wetland environment.

Step 2 - Get the children to choose their characters.

Step 3 - Let the children make up their own adventure or storyline.

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Everyone quickly picked a sound and tried their best to recreate it with the loose parts, which went as planned. It was a bit hard to play the audio of the wetlands because my phone could only be so loud. Next time, I might bring a speaker or actually get the group to go into the wetlands to get a better listen to the sounds. I would like to advocate for getting children into nature and listening to all the different sounds in my future teaching practice. Teaching children to listen to the world, not just hear, so they can gain a deeper understanding of their world. (Oliveros, 2015). Overall, I feel like we are all musicians, even if we’ve never picked up an instrument, and that it’s not hard to make music.

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Everyone followed the instructions very well and got into character happily. Next time, I will let people pick their own animal groups and make the game less structured because it might be too structured for younger children to play. When I make an activity in the future, I will keep in mind that games should have more freedom. Overall movement is a very important skill to practice because it’s a language that can help express yourself.

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Bangarra Dance Theatre. (2015). Bangarra Education Resources Mutton Bird.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-PV98Oshkc

Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). (2022). Belonging, Being & Becoming.
https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf

Oliveros, P. [TEDx Talks]. (2015, November 13). The difference between hearing and listening | Pauline Oliveros | TEDxIndianapolis. [video]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QHfOuRrJB8&ab_channel=TEDxTalks

Ungunmerr, M.R. (1988). Dadirri, Inner Deep Listening & Quiet Still Awareness, https://vucollaborate.vu.edu.au/content/enforced/1816406-ECE2008-1-2023-HWB-151670/Dadirri_Handout%20(1)%20(1).pdf?ou=2253526

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. https://vucollaborate.vu.edu.au/content/enforced/1816406-ECE2008-1-2023-HWB-151670/Nature_and_Young_Children_Encouraging_Creative_Pla..._----_(Chpater_1_Children_creative_play_and_the_natural_environment)2.pdf?ou=2253526

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The adults who are playing as the children in the videos didn't have any involvement in making the activities.

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Expectedly, the group picked their characters and played well. Abby played a protective swan well and got the other to join in on that storyline. The group was hesitant to become their new personas and interact with each other. Next time, I think we should give more time and consideration to creating the setting because I think that would have helped the play. I think it’s a good activity to have in my future practice, because it gets children to use their own imagination to create whatever story they want. Having imagery play can help children learn about their environment and themselves. (Wilson, 2007). Overall, I have a new respect for drama and how much value it can have on children.