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Pacini-Ketchabaw, Veronica, et al Encounters with Materials in Early Childhood Education, Taylor & Francis Group, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/detail.action?docID=4649662.Created from vu on 2022-10-07 12:48:05.

Wooten V 2013, online video, TED TALK, viewed 20 September < https://youtu.be/2zvjW9arAZ0>

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Every child has the capacity to be an artist in their own unique way and throughout this unit and particularly this assignment, I have reflected on myself as a current educator. I have gained insightful knowledge regarding artistic exploration and discovery. I have learnt that art does not require an end goal but rather can be looked at as a journey of discovery.

Nature and natural resources offer endless possibilities for children’s learning. What I believe to be so unique about nature, is that no matter where you may be, natural materials surround us all and art is always going to on the paths we cross.

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I started to think about my time on placement thus far and it became apparent to me how natural materials have been rarely used in dramatic play.
Being draw to my previous clay experience I begun sculpting with leaves, sticks and clay. Unintentionally, I created a figure with a happy facial expression, hair, and an outfit. It made my giggle. I first thought how silly my sculpture looked but I was reminded to have fun creating and to not take myself too seriously.

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As mentioned in Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind & Kocher (2016 p 64), sculpting allows to focus creatively on an idea and fosters problem solving through trial and error. I found parts of my sculpture were falling apart as I created, however I remained persist.
Sculpting is a form of artistic expression and strengthens children’s fine motor skills development.

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Based on my experience and reflecting upon my time on placement, I would like to set up natural resources to design and craft finger puppets and props used in dramatic play. Clay, leaves, sticks, twigs, pebbles are some of the many resources that can be set up to create these. The finger puppets and props have opened ended learning opportunities for creativity and language (story telling).

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For this art experience, I was in my home. I wanted to see what natural resources I could find/use. There was no intention in mind of how my art piece would be created. Firstly, I took notice of the rhythm, movement and sound the paper was making amongst the wind. It became apparent to me how various materials travel through time, encountering a diverse range of people, and natural elements (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind & Kocher 2016, p.40).
When making this artwork, I thoroughly enjoyed finding natural paper items that were recycled. I used my fine motor skills to grasp, scrunch and glue the recycled material down. This was a great reflection for me as an educator as I begun to think about the recycled materials that can be used for art and crafts, rather than always finding something new to create with.

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(89) Music and Nature part one - YouTube

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(89) Music and Nature part two - YouTube

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Music and Nature part three - YouTube

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(89) Nature and Movement - YouTube

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As I entered the outdoor yard, I was provided with an array of natural resources. There was a slight breeze, so I took some time to observe the artistic language of movement within my surroundings. The sand was damp and still and the leaves on the branches were slowly rustling. I was eager to continue my discoveries on the art of movement, so with a clear tray I begun collecting natural materials. As it started to drizzle, I entered back inside, however I was still eager to continue exploring.
I was inspired by the weather, the way the rain started to get heavier. I was drawn to adding water to my tray. Mimicking the pouring that was occurring outside, I watched to water crash down. In a blink of an eye, everything was emersed in water. I used a branch to sway the natural materials side to side. It felt peaceful, almost as though I was watching water streaming by on a nature walk.

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My exploration fostered my appreciation for the natural environment and my ability to recycle and reuse materials for later exploration. What was once a gladwrap box was now part of my colourful collage. I find beauty in being able to transform something into another, and with this experience, I was able to do that.
I started to think about sustainability, and the intentional teaching practices used in the kinder classroom. Having a growing appreciation and caring for our planet is passed on from generation to generation and embedding children’s learning grows their appreciation for the natural world.

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My exploration with natural materials continued with clay. I instantly grasped and begun pressing my fingers into it. The clay was smooth, soft, and easily manipulated. I took notice of the grooves and indents forming. The creases were imperfectly perfect and sculpting the clay felt effortless. In a way, the clay calmed me. It felt as though there was no worry in the world. It was just me with the clay, and I was having fun. As I continued to roll it, the clay latched onto my hands. It became quite messy. This brought me back to my childhood, as I was never afraid to get dirty but rather, I enjoyed touching and exploring textures.

Once I smoothed the clay out, I begun pressing the leaves into the clay. I found it satisfying peeling the leaves out. The imprints were unique, and no lines were the same. The smell of the leaves oozed into the crevasses of the clay, giving the clay a pleasant smell.

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Quoted in Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind & Kocher 2016 (pg. 63), ‘clay reminds us that not everything is a human construct, that there is no norm, and that each piece of clay acts differently’. My experience with clay was exciting and I was intrigued to reflect on the journey clay goes on. Not only can we use our hands to manipulate clay, but adding natural materials further adds to the imagination, enthusiasm, and excitement.

As mentioned in Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind & Kocher 2016 (p 64) so many different hands touch the same piece of clay. Supporting fine motor skills, clay provides, natural, tactile exploration for children.

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Clay is a classroom staple that I would have accessible for children regularly. When thinking of how it can be implemented into early learning, there are an array of possibilities.

I would encourage the children to utilise a variety of natural materials as part of their clay exploration. Sand. leaves and bark can be found in the kindergarten yard, so children may want to utilise these natural materials along with clay. Clay also opens the path for scientific exploration, making new discoveries and meaning. I would set up ongoing learning where children can observe, make predictions about differences e.g., this may involve exploring consistency/ texture when clay is wet or dry. Because clay supports open ended exploration, children’s creativity, imagination and representation of ideas are supported.

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I collected a variety of different sized leaves and flowers. I was drawn to using my senses (grasping and gliding my fingers along the leaves and flowers and smelling the different scents). They were softened from the rainwater and the smell was potent. I spent time observing the water droplets trickle from the leaves. It was calming and soothing to observe, and, in this moment, I felt content and connected to my environment. It reminded me of how precious water is, how it is a necessity for life and growth.

I was drawn to using the materials I collected as natural paint brushes. Unintentionally using the colours orange, yellow and blue, I started pressing and swiping the leaves and flowers across the paper. It was beautiful to see how the painting started to unfold. I allowed the movement of the leaves, and the flowers take control. I noticed how the paint grasped to them, leaving a sprinkle of vibrancy.

The colours crossed paths along the white paper with the orange paint intertwining with the blue and yellow. Traces were left behind and the white paper now has its own story. It was a piece of experimentation between paper and nature.

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Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind & Kocher (2016 pg.16) state ‘Basically art asks us to make sense of things, or to figure them out’. My time painting with the leaves and flowers allowed me to use my individual judgement and interpretation to foster my creative exploration. Not knowing what the final art piece would look like has strengthened my appreciation for experimentation and open-ended exploration using nature.

Supporting the use of natural materials in art and crafts fosters children’s sense of creativity, delving into cause and effect whilst opening new potentials for expression Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind & Kocher (2016 p. 56).

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Based on my time with paint and natural materials, I would intend to extend on this by encouraging children to collect loose natural parts from the kindergarten yard and from their home. As a class, we could come together to discuss, share, and explore what was found. The group time may lead to conversations about sizes, scents, textures, and the names of different flowers. What has been collected could then be used to make various types of paint brushes or be used as resources for loose parts creativity such cutting, gluing, stamping etc..

Rather than asking “What are you creating?” I would encourage children to think more deeply about the interactions between the natural materials and the paper, sharing their thought process and individual experience.

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Natural materials and nature play foster children’s learning and understanding of the world in which they live. They enable children and teachers to engage in open ended exploration, leading to a journey of discovery and appreciation of the natural world.

Not only can natural materials be used in the learning program and throughout the classroom, but they are also fundamental in connecting children and teachers to place. By immersing ourselves in the simplicity of its beauty, nature provides children and teachers with the opportunity to connect to the land they are on whilst being respectful towards their environment.

Upon reflection, what is so unique about nature and natural materials, is they are versatile. Whether using them for art and craft, music or even throughout dramatic play, the possibilities seem endless. Because natural materials are all around us, it can foster child-led learning, meaning they are encouraged to make independent choices about when, how, and why they may use these materials. In turn, this allows for open ended exploration, drawing upon memories, actions, stories, and communication (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind & Kocher 2016, p.10).

For this assignment I will be using my creative uniqueness, using nature (paper, leaves, bark, water, clay, recycled materials) to explore art and craft, movement, drama, and music.

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Using nature, I wanted to explore the various songs/ music I could create freely. As I entered the yard, I begun to think about materials that capture noise and movement. Utilising my body, I was able to grasp the tree, splash in the water and stomp my feet in the sand. This was my first-time making music with these natural materials, so I found the sounds I was able to create were peaceful and allowed me to connect to nature.

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To support the use of recycling and reusing, the children will be encouraged to bring items from home that can be used for art and craft experience.
I would also like to implement teaching going beyond art and craft experience. Rather. supporting the use of these materials across the whole room e.g., recycled boxes to store away learning resources. The children would be encouraged to design/ decorate and label these, according to different resources being put away.

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Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind & Kocher (2016 p 32) delves into the concept of movement and how things move at varying rhythms. My time exploring movement and nature was interesting. I found when the natural materials were in the water, there was subtle movement and at times no movement at all.
Whilst I used the branch to move the water around, the rhythm intensified, as though there was chaos occurring in the water. Encouraging children to observe what happens when different elements come together fosters the understanding of movement and how everything moves and how movement is a form of artistic exploration.

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To support the children’s understanding of the relationship between movement and nature, I would set up an outdoor experience such as an excursion to a park. This is to encourage children immerse themselves in nature and movement.
I would bring along equipment such as magnifying glasses for children to explore with. Whilst supporting scientific exploration my aim would be to encourage children to primary be in the moment, observe their surrounds and what is happening in the natural environment.

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Throughout my exploration, it became apparent to me the minimal use I have with nature and sound making. This experience was surprisingly fun, and it reminded me that as an early childhood teacher we should be looking for/ embedding resources beyond what is already in the classroom.

Roy, Baker and Hamilton 2015, discuss how music and movement enables individual expression and communication, and at times, conveys meaning. The use of natural materials for music allows for children’s creativity and self-expression whilst supporting language development.

Noted in Victor Wooten’s TED TALK ‘Music as a Language’, he stated - “It’s called music and every country has their own version of it, and it works. It brings people together".

Music created natural and organically fosters children's decision making whilst enhancing a sense of community and togetherness.

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Based on my experience, I would like to encourage the children to make their own musical instruments that go beyond the ones in the classroom. To do this, I would encourage the children to collect natural resources throughout the yard whilst using materials from the recycling box. E.g., the children may want to design their own drums using recycled boxes or they may ever collect pebbles, bark, and sand to create musical shakers.
Their instruments are ongoing and would be part of the classroom resources. Some examples of how they may be used but are not limited to - group times, dance parties, dramatic play etc...