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Pacini-Ketchabaw, V, Kind, S & Kocher, LLM 2016, Encounters with materials in early childhood education, Routledge.

ISBN: 9781317588573

Department of Education. (2022). Belonging, being and becoming: The early years learning framework for Australia V2.0. Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority. Referenced from
https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-02/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf

Pelo, A 2016, The Language of Art : Inquiry-Based Studio Practices in Early Childhood Settings, Redleaf Press, La Vergne. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [18 April 2023].

Kind, S 2014, ‘Material encounters’, International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies, vol. 5, no. 4:2, University of Victoria, pp. 865–877, viewed <https://go.openathens.net/redirector/vu.edu.au?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.proquest.com%2Fdocview%2F1954614016%2FE6D8232A494B4C6BPQ%2F10%3Faccountid%3D14844>.

ISSN: 1920-7298

Deleuze, G., & Guatarri, F. L. (1987). A thousand plateaus: Capitalism and schizophrenia. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

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The land that we carry - Understanding the piece

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The land that we carry - Understanding the piece

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At my kinder, we do the Acknowledgement regularly but not every day. I believe acknowledging our First Nations Peoples should be part of our everyday practice through a variety of mediums including stories, activities, learning spaces and conversations. We have implemented hands-on learning of the Acknowledgement with one of our teachers who has strong connections to First Nations Peoples and who also taught in the Kimberly for 10yrs establishing the first Indigenous school in the area.

In 2020 one of our classes created this piece using gum leaves from one of our trees. Using items from nature is a big part of our practice and in our Acknowledgment, we often pass gum leaves to each other as part of a unified custom. With this idea in mind, I wanted to use gum leaves from our local area to show unity with the circle of the piece. I then used the wooden hand (one of my own items to represent myself) to symbolise the importance of holding the land and taking care of it. In essence, the stop motion means that when you carry the land with you, you will always hold it dear.

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I initially wasn't happy about doing a stop motion animation as I didn't understand how this related to Early Childhood. I thought doing something like this would be too time-consuming for children to focus on so it would not be something I could implement. Once I actually started creating the stop motion for the assignment, I absolutely fell in love with it. My husband and I set up two planks of wood on top of the chairs on our table. We then used blutak to position my phone so it stayed still and looked down on the artwork. It took a little bit of trial and error but once we played it back we were both excited. I actually said to my husband "Wow, this is the coolest thing I've ever done!" and he thought that was pretty funny.

In class watching everyone's movies was wonderful. There were so many different ideas and a variety of ways of creating their piece. It was actually a really enjoyable session. To see everyone's interpretation of their chosen art piece and how proud they were of their work was beautiful.

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Clay, Gothic Art- The Virgin attended by three holy women - Antonio Begarelli - 1530 Italy. Photographed at NVG.  

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Clay is a unique medium as it is evolving in its texture. From soft, slippery and pliable, to firm, solid and cold, clay provides a number of sensory experiences for children and adults alike. The experiences highlighted in some of the readings indicated various ways to introduce clay to children. From standing on the clay barefoot to squeezing it through your fingertips. The readings displayed many methods used to share an understanding of clay within the aspects that each child is comfortable with and willing to open up to (Pelo, 2016).

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I was unable to get a photo of the clay items on the day due to the complexities of my class (an example is above). 

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Sample piece - connecting clay back to nature

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Sample piece - connecting clay back to nature

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Nature items including leaves, sticks, gum nuts, bark and flowers from our outdoor area were placed on a large table outside with lumps of clay for the children to create with.

In Encounters with Materials in Early Childhood Education (2016), there was so much discussion about thinking outside the realm of possibility. If we set our minds to using clay in only one particular way, we are in fact, teaching children to do the same (Pacini-Ketchabaw, 2016). After researching this throughout this unit, I will move forward in my teaching to allow children to experiment with clay without defined content to give them the ability to explore, form and create using their own chosen techniques.  Perhaps instead of choosing the nature items myself, I can ask the children to go pick some items outdoors to add to the table to create with.

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Light represents safety for many people. My daughter has always struggled with the dark. She has a light to relax her with music every night. She also has one beside her bed and around the ceiling trim for when she first goes to sleep. Evie has just turned 7 and one of her gifts was a kit to make a lava lamp. We wanted to send a photo to her Nannie as a thank you for buying the gift and to show her that we had made it. Evie felt that you couldn't get the best effect just holding it in the light so built pillows up around it to make it dark for her photo. This highlighted the trial-and-error aspect of light used in play. Evie positioned the pillows and lamp to see the colours a certain way. After I took a photo of her she then took photo's herself of the lamp and the colours it changed into.

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Sample piece - Painting community spirit

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Sample piece - Painting community spirit

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This artwork was created to represent Harmony Week with each child and Educator painting their hand. I decided to try something different and create a happy face with the paint and then transfer it onto the tree. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work but I was still happy to participate and see a few children smile when I showed them my hand.

Unit correlation: In 'The Language of Art' (2016), Pelo discussed children using items in unexpected ways and giving them time to explore this further (Pelo, 2016). When painting my own hand, trying something different allowed me to explore the medium using my own creativity. It may not have had the desired outcome, but if given the opportunity (which I would with a child) I would have tried a different technique to increase my efficiency.
This activity wasn't one of my own, I was only adding to it, but I was the first person to paint something different to add to the tree. Afterwards, more people tried something different so experimenting with peers also encourages others to have the confidence to experiment in their own right (Department of Education and Training [DET], 2019).

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My oldest daughter (17) is very creative and made roses out of lollies for her boyfriend. He in turn created a bouquet of flowers made from paper. My youngest daughter Evie (7) and I thought it was wonderful and decided to try it out ourselves. Evie cut up some printer paper into long strips and then coloured them fuchsia (because I love purple and she loves pink). Evie then rolled the pieces up, and wrapt some paper around it to create a tiny bouquet. She then gave it to me as a gift. It was tiny but a very cute thing to make and something I plan to make more of with the children in class once kinder goes back for Term 2. Coincidentally we are having a celebration for two of our staff members on the 30th with all families invited to the kinder. I messaged staff this morning suggesting the children make decorations this week to display. Maybe creating flowers with paper is an excellent way to decorate.

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These Asian shadow puppets were created using a number of materials including parchment paper that was hand-painted to create beautiful animals and characters. I thought this was a unique use of paper and found it fascinating that this was the way things were created centuries ago.
This photo represents two categories that we have been exploring, both paper and light. It is interesting to see the characteristics of both combined and how something as simple as paper can be transformed through light and shade.

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The light of the candle has completely transformed the pumpkin. 

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Carved pumpkin at night with the light of a candle.

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Carved pumpkin at night with the light of a candle.

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This unit has opened my eyes to insights into art and materiality. I personally have always believed texture is an important aspect of Early Childhood Education. Play-based learning is the foundation of what we teach, therefore, using your senses is an essential part of exploring an element to its highest benefit.

I attended the art gallery on 16/04/23 to see the Alexander McQueen exhibition with my oldest daughter Allyra. I was able to see so many different elements in paintings, sculptures, designs, light, texture, fabric and colour. Most importantly, I was able to appreciate pieces from an expanded viewpoint because of the different elements we have been discussing within this unit.

In the readings, Sylvia Kind (2014), spoke of thought creating itself through encounters and this is something I feel akin to (Deleuze, 1987). In my practice, I am spontaneous with children, if they see something they are interested in, we will explore it at that moment. I still form routines within my classroom but I also try to be flexible to allow for experimental exploration. This unit, however, has encouraged me to go beyond this in my practice. For children to be freer in their artistic exposure to materiality and discover elements in a less structured way. I will not just see materials as elements of the complete learning experience, I will challenge thinking to go beyond the greater design so children can appreciate each medium to expand it through their own creativity.

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I love the aspect of light and shade for children to experiment with. At kinder we had a light box in the room with different shapes that were both solid and transparent. We use a lightbox regularly in our room for children to question and use trial and error methods to create.
I love to step back in moments like this and observe the different things that children come up with. It's often not what we originally thought it would be used for.

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Painting with water - art reignites memory 

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Painting with water - art reignites memory 

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At Kinder I took out the pots with attached paint brushes for the children to explore with. This is one of my favourite water/painting activities because it reminds me of when I used to do it as a child. I actually have a photo of me painting like this when I was very young at the same kinder as it's where I attended playgroup. So for me, this experience ignites my memories of childhood just as we discussed in the unit.

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This beautiful ceiling at the National Victoria Gallery represents beauty in light, shade and colour. As the sun rises, the room changes in colour and brightness. I thought this room was absolutely stunning and embodied everything we discussed in the unit.