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Sound Hunt

Children do quiet walking on a  “sound hunt” in  an outdoor setting , and pause and listen to their surrounding sounds (birds, trees, wind, dogs, etc). Then they return to a sound station with instruments made of loose parts (bamboo chopsticks, rice and garden pebbles wrapped in toilet rolls, salt and sugar in a tin can, pebbles, and dried leaves ) and create their very own versions of what they heard.

Each child contributes to a group echo song by adding one sound from their version that they like the best.

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Textures in Motion

Children freely use their hands to feel different textures under their feet and hands in an outdoor environment, such as grass (soft), dried leaves (crunchy), pebbles (rough) . After touching textures, they are invited to move like that texture and they also can blue ribbons, and loose parts in “Sound hunt” activity to support their movements. For example, soft texture -slow and soft movement using ribbons, crunchy texture- stomp their feet/ rub pebbles

They then build a very short “texture dance”, moving from one area to another like explorers under soundscapes (for example ambient nature sounds) play quietly in the background to support rhythm so that children can express their dance.

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Action with Sunny

This is an interactive drama game where both educators and children take on the character of Sunny, and lead the group in a series of playful, imaginative actions inspired by natural elements. The game follows the structure of “Simon Says”, but the leader prompts thematic movements related to the nature like:“Sunny says fly like a swing”, “Sunny says hum like the wind”

Children express themselves by using body language, facial expressions, loose parts in activity 1 & 2, and their own creative interpretations . At the end, children are asked:“Can you think of one Sunny move for us to try?” This lets children have a sense of ownership and enhance their learning experience and engagement.

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The three learning experiences are inspired by my creative response video. In the video, I used natural sound, movement, and various textures from the real outdoor setting to create an imaginative game that mirrored how children explore the place. These activities transform the creative concept into child-led activities , embodying learning that values children’s agency, expression, and connection with the environment and the land.

In assessment 2, I used artefacts like the clack of the swing, the softness of grass, the crunchy sound of tanbark, and sunlight patterns as starting points for a creative journey. These elements then reappear in my teaching pedagogy: children now recreate sounds that they heard using loose parts, move in response to different textures, and dramatise natural elements using guided imaginative prompts. This approach aligns with Reggio Emilia philosophy, where the environment becomes a co-constructor of children’s knowledge.

Gandini (2012) notes that spaces like the atelier are used  to “reveal and interpret our ways of observing… and documenting the children’s sequences responses” (p. 305). In my activities, the outdoor space serves as an open-air atelier without walls, enabling children to use their senses to interact with the real world as creative material for exploration and storytelling.

These experiences emphasise sensory and play-based pedagogy, which values movement, rhythm, and the body as a tool for learning. For example, in “Textures in Motion”, children explore textures in their environment with their hands and feet, then respond physically, such as flying like a swing or stomping like dried leaves. “play-actions occur when the child’s interest and ability interact with the potential affordances of the environment” (Gurholt and Sanderud, 2016, as cited in Wilson, 2018, p. 11), highlighting what nature can offer to shape meaningful learning experience.

In my “Sound Hunt”, children have the opportunity  to recreate the sound they heard from their  memories through loose parts instruments and all contribute to the echo song.This reflects what Niland (2009) belief “It will provide opportunities for freely chosen musical play—exploration of sound, composition, improvised movement, and dramatic play—as well as for guided group musical experiences”

Finally, “Action with Sunny”  uses drama prompts based on the fictional character named Sunny. . The adapted “Simon Says” structure encourages symbolic thinking through imaginative movement. While doing this activity, children are given opportunities to become co-storytellers, linking gestures and language to sensory play. This links with Wilson’s (2018) notion that being creative in play “helps children explore, experiment, and discover” in ways that develop literacy, collaboration, and boost their self-esteem (p. 1).

All three experiences embed First Nation perspective by fostering respect, rhythm, deep listening and connection with the land. In “Sound Hunt”, children engage in stillness and deep listening, which is a practice similar to ”Dadirri”,noted by Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann (2002) as “inner deep listening and quiet, still awareness” (p. 1). In “Textures in Motion”, children once again move to interpret the land’s physical language- showing the connection and the respectness to Country. Slater (2020)concludes the key point that storying in First Nations pedagogy honours and respect the land, memory, and the child is seen as “knower,” not simply just receiver.

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Activity 1 – Sound Hunt

Learning Area: Sound and music

Age Group: 3–5 years

Duration: 5-10 minutes

a/ Materials:

Natural outdoor space (garden, schoolyard, park, etc)

Loose parts as instruments:

Bamboo chopsticks

Toilet rolls filled with rice and pebbles

Small tins filled  with salt and sugar

Dried leaves

b/ Learning Intentions

Children  develop deep listening skills by identifying sounds in their surrounding

Children explore rhythm and sound-making through loose parts

c/ Learning outcomes

Outcome 4.1: Children develop a growth mindset and learning dispositions such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence,creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity.

Outcome 2.4: Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment.

d/ Lesson steps

Introduction

Invite children to take a short walk through the outdoor space.

Explain that they are going on a “Sound Hunt”, which means using their ears to listen sounds around them

Guided Listening Walk

Do a quiet walk for 2 to 3 minutes.

Prompt with open-ended questions: “Can you hear the birds singing?” “Can you hear the sound of the wind?”

Reflection

Invite each child to name one sound they like the best

Sound-Making with loose parts instruments

Present all instruments

Allow time for children to experiment.

Encourage each child to select their instruments and recreate one of their favorite sounds

For example: Crunching dried leaves = shake a tin can

Wind = shake the rice shaker

Allow time for children to try and practice

Create a Group “Echo Song”

Children take turns to contribute a sound to the group rhythm.

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Activity 2 - Textures in Motion

Learning area: Movement and  dance

Age group: 3–5 years

Duration: 5-10 minutes

Location: Outdoor space

a/ Materials

Outdoor textured surfaces like grass, tree bark, dried leaves, pebbles, dirt, sand, etc

Blue ribbons or fabric strips (for children to express their movement )

Ambient nature sound playlist

*Suggestion:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd212H6kjEQ  crunchy texture

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq7bHAkSWZ4 soft texture

https://youtube.com/shorts/ry-IoKqykWk?si=QApSDft0aXHjT2NZ hard texture

b/ Learning intentions

Children use their bodies to express different textures through creative movement.

Children explore how the land feels and try to interpret their feelings and experience   through their dance.

c/ Learning outcomes

Outcome 4.3: Children transfer and adapt what they have learned from one context to another.

Outcome 5.1: Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes

Lesson steps

Introduction

Gather children in an outdoor space.

Introducing the activity : “Today, we are going to use their hands touching everything under our feet,  and then we move together  like that feeling.

Feel the texture

Invite children to use their hands and feet to feel the texture of anything under their feet

For example: grass, leaves, pebbles

Prompt them with: “How does this feel? What does it make you want to do?”

Introducing Ribbons/Fabric

Hand out ribbons or fabric.

Suggest children to use  the ribbon to their soft movement

Educators wave ribbons as an example for children

Movement Exploration

Invite children to freely dance, showing you how that texture that they feel might move:

For example: Grass (soft)- slow stretch

Leaves: light jumps, rustling arms, waving hands, rub palms together

Texture Dance

Children create a very short 1 to 2 part “texture dance” by moving from one area or texture-inspired movement to another.

For example: dried leaves -> rub their palms

Soft grass -> wave the ribbons in the air

Optional: play ambient nature sounds quietly to support rhythm.

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Activity 3: Action with Sunny

Learning Area: Drama

Age Group: 3–5 years

Duration: 5-10 minutes

Location: Indoor/ Outdoor

a/ Materials

Open and safe space

Small sun image

b/ Learning Intentions

Children explore new concepts:  symbolic movement and imaginative action.

Children learn how to use body language, and facial expression in drama.

Children practice listening, responding, and developing their creativity.

c/ Learning outcomes

Outcome 4.1: Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, creativity, confidence, and cooperation.

Outcome 5.3:Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts

Lesson steps:
Welcome: Meet Sunny

Briefly introduce Sunny- a fictional character

Hold up the  picture of the sun and. Say:“Sunny  loves to explore. Today, we are going to play ‘Sunny Says’ . It is  like Simon Says, but we move like nature.”

Prompt suggestions:

“Sunny says fly like the wind”

“Sunny says tiptoe on leaves”

“Sunny says lie down on green grass”

(Optional)Add fun “freeze” cues: “Touch your ears!—Wait… did Sunny say it?”

Child-led play

Invite children to create their own Sunny move by asking  “Can you think of one Sunny  move we can all try?”

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Children enjoyed and responded well to all three experiences, especially in “Action with Sunny”, where the structure of “Sunny Says” gave them clear, joyful guidance. I noticed they engaged and were confident and engaged in using their bodies to express prompts such as “fly like the wind”. In the “Sound Hunt”, the encouragement to use loose parts instruments also sparked children’s curiosity, let them freely express themselves, and it reinforced their sense of achievement in recreating the favourite outdoor sounds.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uuSsUMxM0hsmAULSuWgk6NaXRjoJ--dg/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nhQPq0Iop6hwT0t7_mkRPLCLUBtpixHw/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uuSsUMxM0hsmAULSuWgk6NaXRjoJ--dg/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GJoG1WV8S32lasPA1Lr7l5CAdJJhnpyl/view?usp=sharing

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I realised that children were not given enough time to settle into the natural environment before starting the activities. As a result, children stayed in “fast” or distracted energy rather than having a full mindful state at some stages. I also forgot to ask the children reflection questions after each experience. For instance, “How did that sound make you feel?” or “Which movement was your favourite?”. This meant I overlooked valuable opportunities for children to verbalise and deepen their experience.

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Reflection: What I would do differently next time

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Reflection: What I would do differently next time

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In future practice, I would begin with a slow “tuning in” moment, such as sitting with children in a circle and closing our eyes to listen to nature. I would also prepare simple reflection questions and visuals to support deeper discussion, particularly for children still developing expressive language. These small adjustments would help children more deeply connect with their experiences, foster critical thinking and extend creative responses.

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Reflection: How I will use this growth in future practice

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Reflection: How I will use this growth in future practice

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This process reminded me that  what children do, how they feel and respond in early childhood are interwoven. I recognise the essential role of providing open-ended, sensory, and movement-based activities that allow space for fostering imagination and emotional expression. Niland’s notion (2009) highlights that music education should concentrate  more on play and child-led creativity. Similarly, Gandini (2012) and the Reggio Emilia approach constantly remind us to see the environment as a co-teacher  in children’s  learning process- something I now practice  more intentionally.