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Kable, J., 2010. The theory of loose parts. Creative star: Learning company.

Pacini-Ketchabaw, V., Kind, S. and Kocher, L., 2016. Encounters with materials in early childhood education. Taylor & Francis Group, pp.30-72.

Pelo, A., 2016. The Language of Art : Inquiry-Based Studio Practices in Early Childhood Settings. Redleaf Press, pp.92-106.

Orozco, G., 2021. Thinking with Clay — Art21. [online] Art21. Available at: <https://art21.org/read/gabriel-orozco-thinking-with-clay/>
[Accessed 24 November 2021].

Walker, T., 2016. At the Junk Playground, Children Play Freely With Hammers and Saws. [online] The Atlantic. Available at: <https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/08/the-junk-playground-of-new-york-city/495371/> [Accessed 24 November 2021].

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To reflect on this unit, I thoroughly enjoyed being able to take a step back and look at the finer details of each material, how they came to us, and what they can do for us as educators, I feel as though you need to know the material you’re using before you preach it onto your students. The part I found most surprising about the material inquires is that there was a lot I didn’t know about these materials, and I felt like I was learning things I should have already known. The clay material has resonated with me the most as there are endless opportunities to work with this material in the classroom and I enjoyed investigating as well. I think this unit has changed my outlook on materials in a way of appreciating the finer details of each material I use, and now when I’m conducting future teaching practises, I have this perspective of these materials that I can influence onto the children.

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1. I wonder how engaged children would be at an attempted light puppet show within classroom.

2. How could you encourage the continuation of light play at home with your class?

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I put the torch in a cup I was using and this interesting pattern lit up the room

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I put the torch in a cup I was using and this interesting pattern lit up the room

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As an educator I have explored most art materials to work with in my kinder room, this is one of my favourite light set-ups that I did a few months ago which shows how my set- ups would be for this material.

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Throughout history light has been known for its main purpose to help light rooms up, but over time the creative side of light came to life, being used for movies, puppet shows, art, exploring, and more. When I think of light I am led to the thought of a torch, hence why I decided to explore light for this assessment with a torch.

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1. Why don't more schools and early childcare centres use clay?
2. how would an excursion that involved finding and working with natural found clay along rivers work in early education?

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When I think about how this material could be used in the classroom my first thought is when my own workplace brought In clay for the kinder children and they all made whatever came to mind, no rules or direction, and then a few decided to paint their creations afterwards, and that free play was an amazing idea to watch unfold.  You could also use clay with natural elements so children can imprint or do whatever they pleased. Working with clay in the classroom is really beneficial “because it demands different kinds of emotional, intellectual, and material skills which lead to clay ecologies” (Pelo, 2016).

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I began thinking about the deeper meaning of clay and its history and firstly I always think of how the Indigenous Australians used natural found clay from riversides for many different purpose’s, face painting and drawing in particular. I then thought about an article we read in class and how the artist described working with clay as a “combination of elements: geometric and organic. Organic—hands, and body. And geometric—the table or the spheres. And mass, which became a mass in movement, eroded by the forces” used to sculpt the clay (Orozco, 2021).

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I was eager to work with the clay as it’s something I haven’t done since high school, when I started exploring it, I quickly realised how messy of a material it was, which leads me to think that is the reason why not many kindergartens use It. I gave it a good chance and really got into the material, bending, and twisting and shaping this clay, the warmer it got from my contact the easier it became to sculpt.Different ideas came to mind, and though we were only told to experiment with the clay I felt a strong urge to finish a piece and leave it to air dry, so I created whatever the first thought in my head was, and it ended up being a ash tray with a horse built into it.

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Reflection on the link between loose parts and beauty:

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Reflection on the link between loose parts and beauty:

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For me the link between loose parts and beauty is not only the history involved in what the purpose of these loose parts used to be, and who used it before us, but also that we are giving these items a chance to be reused for something challenging and experimental that will benefit kids greatly, and the beauty in that, is that whatever they decide to create is going to be magical because children have the biggest imaginations and they craft and make art out of the most simplest things and turn them into whole narratives if you ask what they have made.

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1. If you created a junk playground area within a kindergarten setting would parents and company owners allow it? Is the idea of loose/junk play still not completely ideal for all settings yet?

2. I wonder if parents would be more encouraging towards loose parts play if the recycled items were brought from their homes?

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The ideas that come to mind when bringing loose parts play into a classroom is that you could leave it all out on a table alongside glue, scissors and other items that could assist in creating with these junk materials and let the children play without any guidance and just observe their creations, very similar to mini maddern experiences earlier this year, and the junk playground readings we went through in class. “Loose parts play awakens the potential of using junk more creatively and allows the imagination to expand” (Kable, 2010). Loose parts play alongside undirected play encourages children to “learn how to work in groups, to share, to negotiate, to resolve conflicts, and to learn self-advocacy skills”, it completely engages all passions, learning and interests they wish to peruse (Walker,2016).

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All these materials obviously have a history because they are recycled objects, and that’s what makes it so beautiful to work with, you can choose to include its history in the play or create a whole new purpose and story for this material, there are no limits or rules when playing with loose parts. It is such an amazing way to teach sustainability, and that recycled objects can be used for anything you put your mind to.

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1.I wonder if containers of different liquids (E.g., Water, mud, food colouring, slime) were placed in a room with loose paper, would the children explore combining these liquids with the paper?

2.What if you asked children to create something in particular out of paper without using any scissors, glue ect.. what would be created?

3.What types of exploring would take place if loose paper play was brought outside in different places (e.g., by a river or in a forest)?

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To think of ways, I could use paper in the classroom, well the opportunities are endless. Children can create, draw, paint, write on, they can even just explore, touch, feel, and scrunch up if that’s how they felt about this material. Giving children the opportunity of free play with this material allows for “constant negotiations and movement’s” and no matter which direction the children choose to go with the paper the complex ways of thinking and “working with paper in continuous motion as one” makes amazing learning experiences and pedagogies for the children (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind and Kocher, 2016).

Paper connects to children in hundreds of ways, through every touch, thought, movement, twist, bend, rip, tear. Children don’t view paper in the same way that we do, they view it as endless possibilities to create things with, to roll in it, throw it, draw, cut, wear and the best part is being able to watch it all unfold as a teacher.

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The first initial thought that comes to mind when I use paper is its history, where had it been? What was it once used for? Endless answers could be used, and you never really know the true history of the paper you’re working with.  I think as adults we don’t see paper the same as children, its often viewed as something to read headlines on, drawings, lists, messages, mail and so much more but never just as an individual piece of material that can be used for literally everything.

Papers history goes back to the tree but its history also lies with every touch, the persons hands it was in before, the making of it through the machines, the people delivering it, the places it sees, if you wanted to go really far back maybe you could even talk about the tree it was made from, the endless ideas that come from what that tree could have been, maybe that tree was a spot where people hung out, or animals lived in, or maybe once upon a time someone used this tree in ceremony. We don’t know, and that’s what makes this material so beautiful.

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Paint on paper: "read it, draw on it, flip it, collect it, paint it, propel it, drape it, color it" (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind and Kocher, 2016).

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Paint on paper: "read it, draw on it, flip it, collect it, paint it, propel it, drape it, color it" (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind and Kocher, 2016).

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Sadly, I feel like it was rushed when exploring light as a material but from what I did get the chance to do I found interesting. This isn’t my first time working with light as I have used light-boxes within my job as a kinder teacher. At home exploring with just a torch and seeing the shadows I could make and trying to add different things around me I was happy with how entertaining it actually was, and I feel light play is underrated within early childhood education.

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Exploring paper: "tears, rips,rolls, gathers, crumples, crimps, folds, bends, covers, swishes, pauses, bunches, scatters, yields" (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind and Kocher, 2016).

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Exploring paper: "tears, rips,rolls, gathers, crumples, crimps, folds, bends, covers, swishes, pauses, bunches, scatters, yields" (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind and Kocher, 2016).

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I found it exciting to collect different recycled items and had a really big collection prepared for class. When it came to exploring the materials, I had so many ideas pop into my head on what I wanted to create, and the realisation that children would have amazing learning experiences with loose parts play made me think about all the different items I could collect in bulk to bring into my classroom as a future teacher. Thoughts of wanting to make boats, cars, instruments, animals, random things that I don’t have a name for but could possibly create a narrative for, there are endless opportunities.

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When I began exploring with paper, at first, I felt silly because something I have used and been involved with for years of my life suddenly had become something I had to look at from a raw perspective and the whole idea seemed unnatural. I still did the activities I was asked to do and read the readings and slowly but surely my perspective changed, I noticed how flexible and versatile paper was, and then began looking at it from a child’s perspective and imagined all the possibilities that would come to their minds. As I sat with these new thoughts in my mind and crumbled paper in my hand, I paid close detail to every fine line and mark of history on the paper, every action left a scar, bend, or crinkle and my mind had exploded with ideas and thoughts.