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What went as expected?

Children responded positively to natural materials. The music activity was engaging and led to spontaneous rhythm play. They easily embodied the river's movement.

What did not?

The drama activity was harder to facilitate; some children found it abstract. A few needed more scaffolding or visual cues.

What could be improved?

Maybe next time I will prepare visual story cards or props with river scenes to support dramatic engagement. Allow more unstructured time during the music play to enable child-led discovery. Let children take the lead in rhythm creation by offering them simple tools like a "sound leader stick" to guide the group. Additionally, I aim to improve how I respond in the moment by observing more closely and adapting activities on the spot to follow children’s interests and rhythms.

In future practice (ECT)

This affirmed my belief in deep listening, play-based learning, and the power of nature as pedagogy. I would definitely include sensory-rich, Land-based, embodied learning experiences in my teaching practice.

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Theoretical perspectives and Relation to Assessment 2

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Theoretical perspectives and Relation to Assessment 2

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These activities connect to my Assessment 2 experience at Werribee River, where I filmed water flowing and reflected on Allara’s song Wala is Life. As someone from Mauritius, I connected deeply with water as both life-giving and historically painful, symbolizing colonial trauma and cultural resilience. The river became a third teacher – a storyteller- revealing connections to the Land, ancestry, and identity. This experience aligns with the Reggio Emilia approach, where the environment is seen as the third teacher (Rinaldi, 2006), and with Victor Wooten’s idea that music, like language, is best learned through immersion, not instruction (Wooten, 2013). It also echoes Pauline Oliveros’s concept of Deep Listening, which values silence, sound, and presence in communication (Oliveros, 2015). From a theoretical perspective, Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory reminds us that children’s understanding is shaped by their cultural and environmental contexts. At the same time, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences highlights how children learn through sound, movement, and visual-spatial engagement (Wilson, 2007).

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Bowls or tubs of water

Natural items: pebbles, twigs, leaves

Cups (in case we don't have enough bowls)

Speaker for playing audio

calming river sound

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The speaker

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Outcome 5.2: Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning through listening, sound and rhythm (Australian Government Department of Education [AGDE], 2022).

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1. Gather & Welcome (2 mins)

Invite children to sit in a circle. Acknowledge Country and connect to the river as a living being with a song.

2. Collect Natural Materials (5 mins)

Encourage children to search for leaves, pebbles, twigs around the outdoor area (if available) to contribute to the sound exploration.

3. Sound Provocation (2 mins)

Gently play river sound audio in the background.

Ask: “What sounds do rivers make? Can you hear splashes, drips or rustling?”

4. Exploration Time (5–7 mins)

Children test each material in the bowls of water:

Pebble drops

Leaf rustles

Stick tapping

5. Group Soundscape Creation (5 mins)

Facilitate a guided rhythm play:

“Let’s make a splash… now a trickle… now a big wave!”

Support repetition and pattern creation.

6. Record the Soundscape (2–3 mins)

Record the children’s final group sound creation (audio or video). Let them listen back.

7. Reflect Together (2 mins)

“What did our river sound like? What part did you play?”

Invite gestures or words to describe the feeling of the sound.

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Long blue fabric or scarves

Speaker for ambient music or river sounds

Open space for movement

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The speaker

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Long fabrics/Scarves

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Outcome 3.2: Children take increasing responsibility for their own health and physical wellbeing (AGDE, 2022).

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1. Calm Entry & Acknowledgement (2 mins)

Welcome children with deep breaths and Acknowledge Country. Ask: “How do you think the river flows?”

2. Sound Cue (1 min)

Play soft flowing river sounds or instrumental ambient music.

3. Copy Movement Prompts (3–5 mins)

Lead slow, flowing body movements (arms swaying, feet gliding). Use prompts:

“Be the river… slow and smooth.”

“Now a rushing stream—can you move faster?”

4. Introduce Blue Fabric (3–5 mins)

In pairs or small groups, children use fabric to mimic ripples, waves, and swirls.

“Work together like water.”

5. Spontaneous Flow Time (5 mins)

Allow child-led movement—running streams, waterfalls, twirling eddies.

6. Still Pond Meditation (2–3 mins)

Invite everyone to lie down or sit, imagining becoming a still pond.

Guide a calming breath: “Inhale like a breeze, exhale like a ripple.”

7. Short Reflection (2 mins)

Ask: “How did it feel to move like the river? What part of the river were you today?”

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Blue fabric or paper stream (for the river)

Natural loose parts: leaves, pebbles, sticks, shells

Small animal figurines (fish, frogs, etc.)

Recyclable materials (bottle caps, paper scraps)

Buckets or small containers

Dress-ups (optional capes, vests, River Keeper badges)

Signs (e.g. “River Spirit Zone”, “No Littering”)

Soft background sound of river or water flowing (optional audio)

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Blue fabrics for the "river"

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Natural items (Google, n.d.)

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Small figurine animal frog (Google, n.d.)

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Small figurine fish (Google, n.d.)

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Small bucket to carry the "pollution" (Google, n.d.)

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Bottle caps for the recycled materials (Google, n.d.)

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Fishing net (Google, n.d.)

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Paper scraps (Google, n.d.)

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Outcome 2.4: Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment (AGDE, 2022).

Outcome 5.1: Children interact verbally and non-verbally to convey and construct messages (AGDE, 2022).

Outcome 4.1: Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation and creativity (AGDCE, 2022).

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1. Welcome & Acknowledgement (2 mins)

Begin with an Acknowledgement of Country and introduce the river as a place with memory and meaning.

“Today we are going to become River Keepers and help take care of the Land.”

2. Set the Scene (2–3 mins)

Lay out the blue fabric as the river, with natural materials around it. Scatter animal figurines and “pollution” items gently.

Invite children to sit around the river.

3. Introduce the Story (3 mins)

Tell the children a short story:
“The River Spirit is sad today. The river has been littered and the animals need help. - We are River Keepers. Can we listen to what the river needs?”

4. Assign Roles (2–3 mins)

Invite children to choose or be guided into roles of the river keepers.

5. Dramatic Play Begins (10–15 mins)

Allow child-led engagement in the scene.

Support role play by responding in character, e.g., “Oh no! A frog is stuck under a log—how will we help it?”

Encourage children to listen, move, sing or speak for the river.

6. Reflection Circle (5 mins)

Gather back together to reflect:

“What did the river sound like today?”

“How did we help the animals?”

“What do you think the River Spirit wants us to remember?”

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Bowls of water

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Natural items (Google, n.d).

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Empty cups (in case we don't have enough bowls)

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Allara. (n.d.). Wala is Life. YouTube. https://youtu.be/1XACgej9L80

Australian Government Department of Education [AGDE]. (2022). Belonging, Being and becoming: the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (V2.0). In ACECQA. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf

Hoffman, J. & Russ, S. (2012). Pretend play, creativity, and emotion regulation in children. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts.

Li, J., Hestenes, L. & Wang, Y. (2016). Links between preschool children's pretend play and peer conflict. Early Child Development and Care.

Mackett, R. & Paskins, J. (2008). Children’s physical activity: The contribution of play. Community Playthings.

Oliveros, P. (2015, Nov 12). The difference between hearing and listening. TEDxIndianapolis. https://youtu.be/_QHfOuRrJB8

Rinaldi, C. (2006). In dialogue with Reggio Emilia: Listening, researching and learning. Routledge.

Wilson, R. (2007). Nature and young children: Encouraging creative play and learning in natural environments. Routledge.

‌Wooten, V. (2013, May 29). Music as a Language. TEDxGabriolaIsland. https://youtu.be/2zvjW9arAZ0