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Artefact - The relaxing stream, like a dream

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Artefact - The relaxing stream, like a dream

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Riding through Dimensions to see Canvas of Michelangelo

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Riding through Dimensions to see Canvas of Michelangelo

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The bird is still, and van Gogh or may be John Constable is painting his portrait, I wonder if the bird is smiling or if it is sad in the picture like the Mona Lisa. Whether thinking to walk on the surface of the water to discover the whole world around him. Imagining riding on a horse and going through to see different portals other dimensions and time travel.

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This looks like a beautiful stage when the night comes with shiny stars on the sky or full bright moon, all creature of the water come to shore and watch the beautiful performances of everyone. Cool breeze blowing I can imagine the long, shiny hairs of mermaids blowing and sweet fragrance of jasmine flowers in the atmosphere. Everyone holding each other’s hands and dancing round like in a carousel.

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The sun was out bright and clear like a big egg yolk. I can hear the crackling sound of frogs, swishy wind passing my ear, waves of creek were moving like dancing on the floor and a big troll looking in the water and clapping, swamping his big feet on the floor to see if water is moving. The tall grass nodding with breeze. And saying hello to blue sky’s reflection and looking for running clouds and clouds were saying hello to troll, frogs and grass..

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During my visit to the local park, I found myself immersed in soft, living world where the wind whispered to me and frogs crackled and the creek was dancing to reflecting the clouds above. This experience was bringing me into a deep state of listening and reflection, which I feel was resonating strongly with the Aboriginal practice of Dadirri and the Reggio Emilia philosophy of having environment as a teacher.

Dadirri, a Ngan'gikurunggurr concept, teaches us to listen deeply and with our whole being but not just to words, also to silence, and movement. As I was standing there among the dancing bushes and watched the seagull searching for its food, I was practicing this quiet awareness. I wasn’t just observing nature and I was in the same tune with it. The frogs croeaking performances became the metaphor for relational listening since I saw in that moment they are not only my objects of study, but have their own souls with personal life and many stories, rhythms, and presence of their own just like mine but a lot smaller than me. And this aligns with Dadirri’s emphasis on patience, respect and connection to Country.

Also the Reggio Emilia approach views the child as a capable, curious learner and the environment as the third teacher. My experience in the park mirrored the Reggio principle of the hundred languages of children where it is taught that learning is being expressed through movement, sound shadow play, and imagination. As I moved like the bushes and shapes formed with my shadow, I was deeply engaging my self in embodied learning. The natural world became like a canvas for creative expression and meaning making, like how Reggio educators encourage children to explore materials and spaces to gather knowledge.

Both philosophies do have a value where listening is like as a form of relationship to self, others and environment so in this moment, I was not separate from nature but I was also part of its story. This reflection deepened my understanding of how outdoor environments can nurture emotional wellbeing, and creativity in early childhood settings.

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Ungunmerr-Baumann, M. R. (1988). Dadirri handout [PDF]. Victoria University. https://vucollaborate.vu.edu.au

Wilson, R. (2007). Children, creative play, and the natural environment. In R. Wilson (Ed.), Nature and young children: Encouraging creative play and learning in natural environments (pp. 1–18). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203940723

References

Victoria University Login Service - Loading Session Information. (2025). Proquest.com. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/reader.action?docID=820317&c=RVBVQg&ppg=176

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Look it’s an alien spaceship searching for a good spot to land and will tell us about the shiny blue sky, beautiful colourful rainbow, shapes of clouds which they are changing like audience of the earth and smiling on us and saying hello.

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I wonder puppets, elves or gnomes moving with me on the dirt floor, fireflies showing me their magical kingdom and gardens with full of gigantic mushrooms, where my hands became butterflies and birds and here, I look like a swan and have big feathers and flying over colourful rainbow. Slide on it and found a big pot of chocolate coins.

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 Where nature meets imagination (painted by Afifa Asif) :)

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 Where nature meets imagination (painted by Afifa Asif) :)