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Exploring encounter materials are associated with the natural materials of early childhood education such as charcoal, paint, paper, clay, blocks. The material can find in many different ways. Engaging with materials will help recall memories and tell stories. Materials and objects create a meeting place where we gather material around us to explore, share, and discuss. Material such as natural colours collected from the garden, a block of clay, a piece of charcoal, a brush, paper boxes, a sheet of translucent paper, can use to create art. The material is not immovable, inactive, or inanimate until we do something to them and material has no boundaries, they participate in our early childhood projects to help children for a better education. According to Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind& Kocher (2016).  In the concept of early childhood education, ‘’engaging with materials often find their meaning within the scope of children’s development .activities such as making a paper collage art, painting using a brush and working with blocks of clays are helping to contribute children to the social, emotional, physical and creative development. My inquiry into how children explore natural materials to create arts.

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Natural materials are any kind of product or physical substance derived from plants, animals, or the ground. Minerals and metals that can be extracted from them are also considered to belong to this category. Natural materials are also often used for textiles. Types such as Organic Materials, Wood Natural Fibers Inorganic Materials, Stone Indigenous, Metal Compounds or Other Natural Materials which we can found around us. Ernst (2014) states that children explore their world with all their senses, experiencing experiments that they see their evolving designs, colors, patterns, and feel the texture of materials, Soft petals, rough bark, smooth stones, and fragrant leaves and flowers.

Collage using natural leaves and flowers

Children gain vital social, physical, and emotional abilities and the child builds and strengthens a partnership between their parents and teacher. If you succeed, you will set the framework for your early childhood education and beyond. To equip children for their development and knowledge with the necessary tools and resources; the job of a professional is to help children learn to the best of their ability. When children paint, their minds become active. Bonus: The child's intelligence can contribute to the child's development in other areas of their lives. Making a collage using natural flowers and leaves will help to develop their fine motor skills. As refer to image 1, I made a collage using flowers and leaves, I ripped pieces of leaves and flower to place in to collage art.

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Paint assemble using natural materials

The paint is available in several colors including acrylic, oil based paint and synthetic. When exposed to air or sunlight, most paints dry out into a solid, and as a result, they are usually stored, marketed, and liquidized. There are two basic types of paintings: oil and watercolor as per resources, but making image 2 and Image 2.1 , I wanted to do more exploration with house hold materials such as vegetables, fruits and colors with spices. Everyone has their own set of characteristics that distinguish them from others. Disposal of indoor drains or oil paint systems is prohibited in most cities. Water-based paints, in contrast to oil-based paints, do not contain hazardous components. Paint assembled human and inhuman bodies and became an assembly of itself. According to Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind, & Kocher (2016) paint generates insight, problems and obstacles for children and educators. Paint was invited to collaborate, to work collaboratively. It invited forces to interact and intervene with each other. I have used turmeric, chili powder, coffee, wheat grass powder and some acrylic paint to assemble the image 3. Mixed colors together, used vegetables, leaves and flowers, dabbed with fingers, used leaves brushes.

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Playing with shadow

Light, or visible light, is the electromagnetic radiation contained within a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum visible to the human eye. Children who play with their own shadows or shadows, such as puppets or their own bodies, not only allow children to be creative, but also to become scientists when experimenting with shadows. Moreover, children can explore shadow with natural materials such as plants, flowers, vegetables, fruits. They can see the reflection through shadow, and learn the patterns, shapes. Refer to image 5 I have used a plant which with a light to make the shadow. The experience of light and shadow gives children a rich environment to appreciate the wonders and wonders of the world around them and to develop their natural curiosity. Such opportunities allow adults and children to engage in sustainable shared thinking and to develop relationships that are open to discussion of joy and fear. (Thornton and Burnton 2010)

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Patterns using paint
Painting helps children learn sizes, shapes, patterns and designs. All of these are crucial elements of their curriculum during preschool. Painting helps children develop their decision-making skills. They need to plan in advance when choosing what color to use for different parts of the painting. A combination of establishing a rich art environment, setting boundaries, but allowing children agency can create a rich and engaging art education, and it is important in any context to develop children's aesthetic understanding, artistic skills, and critical, abstract, imagination, collaborative and creative thinking. The role of the active art educator is crucial for the development of children, and it influences the professional development of teacher preparation and service. (Cutcher and Boyd 2018).  Refer to image 4 I have tried a pattern making using leaves and colors, which is an enjoyable activity for children.

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Collage using natural leaves and flowers

Implication for early childhood education practice the materials are and one of the main important part and this will improve children create something using own ideas. Moreover the artistic experience produced through the creative arts plays an essential role in encouraging children to imagine and experience the world from new and multifaceted perspectives. I would like to explore the material with children how they coming together, how they mixed and how it flapped, ripped and how they assemble together to create an art.

Paint assemble using natural materials
Implication of practice for paint in early childhood education is important because paint has no bounders, this make children creative, and help to improve their brain functions. Painting is a sensitive experience. Builds a knowledge base of different sensory experiences such as how children feels to touch paper with finger painting or how to move a brush with your hand through paper. Sensitive experience is important because it helps children explore and understand the world around them. Assemblage gives children a chance to experience cause and effect. While drawing, children is also doing research and thinking like a scientist. Allow children to try new combinations and mix colors together to explore with paint and colors.

Music using natural materials
Implication of practice for music in early childhood is very important. Listening, deep listening to and creating music helps children learn numerical, literate, and emotional skills. Early year routines and the inclusion of music for play have a positive impact on your child's early development. It can motivate them to move, think and be creative. I would like to implicate music using fun actives like DIY instruments using natural items, explore sounds with water and stick drumming.

Playing with shadow
Implication of practice of light, Encourage children to explore what happens when they stand in front of a window at sunset. I will help them to see the shadows created on the opposite wall. What happens when they move back and forth between the window and the wall? Do their shadows vary in size? Also  Thornton and Burnton (2010) state that the light boxes add interest to any setting, creating a place for careful observation or exploration of patterns, shapes, forms, opacity and color mixing. The calming effect of a light box invites sensory exploration and keeps children’s attention for a long time.

Patterns with paint
Implication for practice of learning patterns will help children to predict as they begin to understand what will happen next. This will help children to learn how to make logical relations and use reasoning skills. Patterns can be found everywhere in our day to day lives and should be pointed out to children. I would like to use their own idea to implicate how they would assemble the color and materials together.

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To sum up, exploring encounter materials is a main important element in early childhood education. Also exploring natural materials helps children to care for their natural environment, the importance of environment and develop respect for living things. The use of natural materials such as leaves,  flowers, shells, stones, paints, clay ,fabrics, art prints and other materials in the curriculum will help children learn to appreciate the beauty of nature. Moreover natural materials, with the complexity of shapes, textures and colors, they are the perfect medium to use for loose parts playing as they provide many opportunities for innovation, innovation and creativity.

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Ernst, J., 2014. Early childhood educators’ use of natural outdoor settings as learning environments: an exploratory study of beliefs, practices, and barriers. Environmental Education Research, 20(6), pp.735-752.

Pacini-Ketchabaw, V, Kind, S, & Kocher, LLM 2016, Encounters with Materials in Early Childhood Education, Taylor & Francis Group, London, Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [18 March 2022].

Levinowitz, L.M., 1999, The importance of music in early childhood, Music Educators Journal, 86(1), p.17.

Thornton, L & Brunton, P 2010, ‘Exploring light and dark with early years’, Teaching Expertise, Wordpress, viewed 17 March 2022,
<https://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/exploring-light-and-dark-with-early-years/#:~:text=Playing%20with%20light%20and%20dark%20creates%20magical%20experiences%20that%20both,Dowling%20terms%20’gratuitous%20fear>.

Cutcher, A and Boyd, W 2018. Preschool children, painting and palimpsest: collaboration as pedagogy, practice and learning,International Journal of Art & Design Education, 37(1), pp.53-64.

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Refer to paint assemblage

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Music using natural materials

Music is a universal language that express emotions, feeling through lyrics and sounds and it is a combination of vocal and sound which made with any kind of instruments. Levinowitz (1999) state that, Music is freely available anywhere, can be played at any time, and is a powerful stimulus for a variety of memories, that have played an important role in the education of children for centuries. But the majority of early childhood children today are not significantly reached through music. We can make music using any kind of natural materials, such as leaves, water, rocks and sticks. I have used four glasses of water with different level (video 1). To assemble the water I have added some food coloring to the glasses and created sound using a wooden stick.