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This panel shows three short teaching experiences I did for kids, but i tried them at home with my sister. Each experience looks at one temporal arts language – music/sound, movement/dance, and drama – and encourages imagination, sensory play and cooperation. They are designed to be done indoors, no props needed, and safe for a small space.

1. Music / Sound – “Indoor Park Beats”

2. Movement / Dance – “Indoor Nature Flow”

3. Drama – “Indoor Explorer Adventure”

These experiences let kids explore creativity, rhythm, body movement, and pretend play, and all come from things I noticed in my park visit for Ass 2.

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I connected these activities to my park experience in Ass 2, where I noticed different sounds, movements and make-believe play. These indoor activities try to bring that experience inside.

Music / Sound: like the leaves and sticks in the park, using hands and feet to make rhythms

Movement / Dance: copying natural movements like stretching, bending, tiptoeing or jumping

Drama: pretend exploring, like finding animals or plants

Some readings I used:

Wilson (2007) says creative play and sensory exploration helps kids learn

Barblett (2010) says movement and arts help kids express themselves

Walker & Bass (2015) shows drama, dance and music help kids learn together and make friends

I also tried to include Indigenous perspectives about connection to place and nature even indoors.

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Activity 1: Music / Sound – “Indoor Park Beats”

Materials:

Table or book

Hands and feet

Lamp or flashlight

Phone to record

Steps:

1. Sit next to your partner

2. Tap hands on table or book

3. Stomp feet/hands lightly

4. Try slow and fast rhythms

5. Record 10–20 sec video (hands/feet side/back view)

6. Repeat and try new sounds

Expected:

Explore rhythms and sound patterns

Work together to copy each other

Like park sounds: leaves, sticks, footsteps

Unexpected:

New rhythms might happen

Someone might tap different surfaces by mistake

Reflection / Evidence:

My sister tried different patterns and copied me

We learned to listen to each other and follow rhythm

Next time maybe add different surfaces for more sounds

EYLF Link:

Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators – exploring rhythm and copying each other’s tapping helps children communicate ideas through music and sound.

Connection: Using hands and feet to create rhythm indoors mirrors how children interact with natural soundscapes in the park (Ass 2).

Future ECE Practice:

I would include hands/feet music activities indoors or outdoors to encourage listening, cooperation, and creativity.

This shows that music experiences don’t need instruments; natural rhythms are enough.

Theoretical Perspective:
This activity connects to Wilson (2007) who emphasises sensory exploration in creative play. Using hands and feet to create rhythms lets children explore sound just like I experienced in the park, where leaves and sticks made natural patterns. It also aligns with Walker & Bass (2015) because making music together encourages social collaboration and imitation, building confidence and creative thinking in early childhood.

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Activity 2: Movement / Dance – “Indoor Nature Flow”

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Activity 2: Movement / Dance – “Indoor Nature Flow”

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Materials:

Open floor space

Optional scarf

Lamp/flashlight

Phone to record

Steps:

1. Stand in space with partner

2. Stretch arms like tree branches or bend like water

3. Walk, tiptoe, jump or spin

4. Move together or separate, slow and fast

5. Record 10–20 sec video (hands/arms/feet side/back view)

6. Try new movement paths

Expected:

Explore space and body movements

Like movements in the park: balancing, tiptoeing, stretching

Improves coordination

Unexpected:

Might invent new movements

Movements might overlap in funny patterns

Might move faster or slower than expected

Reflection / Evidence:

We tried different movements and had fun

Showed how you can use imagination inside

Next time: add music to guide rhythm

EYLF Link:

Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing – stretching, bending, tiptoeing supports physical development, coordination, and body awareness.

Connection: Children experience the environment through movement, just like I observed balancing and tiptoeing over natural elements in the park.

Future ECE Practice:

I would include body-movement activities indoors to develop coordination, spatial awareness, and confidence.

Even small spaces can support meaningful physical learning.

Theoretical Perspective:
This activity connects with Barblett (2010) who highlights embodied learning. Children learning through stretching, tiptoeing, and flowing movements are physically connecting with ideas of nature. It also relates to Wilson (2007), reinforcing the idea that physical exploration supports cognitive and sensory learning. By moving together, kids also learn cooperation and social awareness, which was evident when my sister mirrored my movements.

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Activity 3: Drama – “Indoor Explorer Adventure”

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Activity 3: Drama – “Indoor Explorer Adventure”

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Materials:

Open floor space

Hands/arms for gestures

Lamp/flashlight

Phone to record

Steps:

1. Pretend the room is a mini park

2. Walk, tiptoe, pause to find “animals” or “plants”

3. Use hands to pretend interact with things

4. Work with partner to create story

5. Record 10–20 sec video side/back view

6. Try new story and repeat

Expected:

Pretend exploring like park adventures

Gestures show curiosity and imagination

Kids learn cooperation and role-play

Unexpected:

Partner might make new storylines

Gestures might mix with movement

Could create unplanned funny moments

Reflection / Evidence:

We explored together and made up stories

Gestures showed imagination

Next time: add simple sounds for animals/plants

EYLF Link:

Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity – role-playing as explorers encourages imagination, social interaction, and confidence.

Connection: Reflects imaginative play I observed in the park, translating outdoor experiences into indoor drama.

Future ECE Practice:

I would include drama games to support social skills, imagination, and emotional expression

Gesture-based storytelling is especially good for younger children in small indoor spaces

Theoretical Perspective:
This drama activity connects to Walker & Bass (2015), who explain that drama helps children explore identity and social collaboration. Role-playing the park environment indoors mirrors my On Country experience from Ass 2. Wilson (2007) also supports imaginative play in natural contexts, showing how children can recreate experiences using gestures, movement, and storytelling. These activities help kids build narrative skills, cooperation, and imaginative thinking.

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Doing these indoor activities with my sister showed me how music, movement and drama can be done anywhere, not just outside. I learned:

Kids can be creative in small spaces

Cooperation and improvisation are important

Hands, feet and gestures are enough to show learning without faces

These activities link back to my park experience in Ass 2

Integrating theoretical perspectives helped me see why each activity supports sensory, social, and cognitive learning

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Barblett, L. (2010). Pedagogy of play: Understanding children’s learning. Sydney: Pearson.

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.

Walker, S., & Bass, P. (2015). Dance, drama, and music in early childhood: Creative arts perspectives. London: Routledge.