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About myself and what I think about material in early childhood..

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About myself and what I think about material in early childhood..

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As I am Gen Z, the young generation, in my memories about my childhood is almost plastic toys that my parents bought for me. It is very sad to say that I have no interest in natural materials. I think the reason is I were born in the city. That why I feel like I am so lucky to have a chance to study in Australia. As the way I am learning to teach children is the way I learn to teach myself. In this unit, I could engage with different materials such as: paper, junk, clay and light.

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Since the first week of this unit, I started looking for resources, materials around. I feel like I am curious about what I would do and what I could do with this or that materials. After collecting some recycled materials such as: bottles, boxes, can, toilet rolls, it was so messy so I organised the shelf to put all the resources and materials that I got.

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Going around CBD to explore local artwork

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Going around CBD to explore local artwork

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Today, I went to Melbourne CBD to visit State Library of Victoria to see some artworks from famous artists for assessment 1. This is not the first time I went to the CBD, but this time I am going with my curiosity. I wondered about who is the artist, why they did that and which materials that they used to  create the artworks.

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What is paper?
- Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically and chemically processing from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water. There are different products which made from paper such as: book, toilet paper, ruled paper, carton, etc..
- "Paper is regarded as a surface that we use to hold messages, lists, marks, meanings, drawings, stories, news." (Pacini-Ketchabaw, 2016)
- According to Pacini-Ketchabaw (2016), paper encounters with other materials, because it moves through time and with the world. In early childhood, since the 19th century, materials were known as the important thing for children's development and education. Steiner, Reggio Emilia and Montessori education approaches have also stated the significance of materials resources in supporting imagination.

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This is the children artwork in Kingfishers room (3-4 years old) at my workplace. I provided old magazines, news, papers, glue and scissors for them to create their own artworks. Some children want to use their hands to tear the magazines, and some of them would like to do by the scissors. Then the educator helped them to hang it up for decorating the room.

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By using eye drop and colour water, I created this on paper towel to see how the colour mix together.

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What is junk/ loose part?
- It is a kind of material that can be used alone or combined with other materials.
-"Loose parts are materials that can be moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up, and taken apart and put back together in multiple ways." (Kable, 2010)
- According to Kable (2010), the theory of "loose parts" was proposed in 1971. It has influenced child-play experts and the people who design play space for children. The theorist also believed that loose parts will empower our creativity.

What I think about the benefit of junk in play space?
- Children can choose the materials that they want to play, and can think in any way that what they would do with that. Children can be more creativity and use more imagination and develop more skills.

This is a photo of some junk that I started collecting when I was studying the unit.

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The Yard playgrounds is on Governors Island, with some rules such as: no iPads, no electronics, no flip flops, and no adults. In this playground, children are watched by specially trained workers, they will teach children how to use these tools have provided.
As I can see, loose parts and junks offer many opportunities for children to use natural materials and objects in their environment. Children could manipulate materials in the way they like. They can be creative, curious and imaginative. This materials are important in children's learning because of it is open ended and encourage problem solving. It also gives children the freedom to arrange, create their own rules and it also focus on the process rather than the product.

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Pablo Picasso - Goat Skull and Bottle

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I made this from shoes box, paper plate and paper. It can be placed in the kitchen area.

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I set up this activity at home for my cousin by using old pot, pan and natural materials from the garden.

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Light is a natural energy that makes us see things and makes things visible. Light can be used as the material that let children investigate the properties of light and how it interacts with different materials. Exploring lights helps children to be able to explore numerous artistic and scientific theories including shadow, texture and shape.

This activity below set up in the Duckings room (babies room) in Explorers Williamstown. As I observed, babies love spending time in there as they are curios about the colours and the light while the room is dark.

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Robot Spaceland in Chapel Street, South Yarra, VIC

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Robot Spaceland in Chapel Street, South Yarra, VIC

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This is the air exhibition that I went to see. The robot is the ultimate recycling machine made by up-cycled materials. It looms overhead and lights illuminated. Children were attracted by the different colours of the light from the robot.

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Making glow jar by using glow stick. Super easy and beautiful !

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In 14000 BC, people began to fire clay in China and Japan. This material is the combination of the minerals kaolin, illite, chlorite, sepiolite, and smectite. Clay plays an important role in early childhood education as it helps improve eye-hand coordination and build gross and motor skills. Moreover, "processes such as painting with a brush and working with clay are seen as actives that contribute to children's social, physical, emotional and creative development" (Gollom, 1992 citied Paccini Ketchabaw 2016).

"Pinch it, poke it, press it, shape it, throw it, scrape it, form it, lift it" (Pacini-Ketchabaw, 2016). Clay is flexible, there are many ways that we could have fun with it. Clay can be sliced, engraved, shaped, transformed, washed, polished. This picture below is the clay that created by the children in Kingfishers room (3-4 years old) at my workplace. By using different tools, children smashed it, pushed it, shaped it and added their own choice of variety natural materials on.

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Clay creation corner in Reggio Emilia inspired centre.

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Clay creation corner in Reggio Emilia inspired centre.

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The corner is in Explorers Early Learning Williamstown. As I can see, the use of clay supports the values and beliefs in Reggio Emilia approach. Because clay allows for exploration, built on individual needs and interests.
"The idea that materials have the ability to take on expressive aspects and meaning comparable to verbal language is foundational to the pedagogy of Reggio Emilia" (Vecchi, 2015)

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"Thinking with Clay" interview Gabriel Orozco

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"Thinking with Clay" interview Gabriel Orozco

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Orozco said that working with clay is the combination of elements: organic (his hands and body) and geometric (the table or the spheres). When working with clay, the idea is very important with the artist. He also thought about the location, the situation to make the work. Based on Orozco, the clay is a recipient as it receives the actions and forces as a mass.

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By using the air dry clay from the University, I created different shapes such as: heart, star, circle, square, and triangle.

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Conclusion about what I learned, and what I achieved in this unit

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Conclusion about what I learned, and what I achieved in this unit

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It is very good to learn about material in Early Childhood in this unit. From the studying about 4 materials: paper, junk, clay and light, I realised that they are not just an object. They have their own movement and their own stories. "Materials live in the world in multiple ways (Bennett, 2004). Materials play an essential role in early childhood classroom as educators and children gather around materials to investigate and share. "Materials can evoke memories, narrate stories, invite actions and communicate ideas" (Pacini-Ketchabaw, 2016). According to Ven Vecchi (2015), materials have the power that can capacities to represent, and tell stories. By encountering and exploring, children became aware of what happen with materials, when adults can observe and support them.
I also think about the role as a Pre service Teacher, what I would do and how I can apply what I studied in this unit into my future career. We should think about materials because it will "transform early childhood education provoking educators to notice how materials and young children live entangled lives in classroom, how they change each others through their mutual encounters" (Pacini-Ketchabaw).

During this unit, I found most surprising in the stories behind each material. To be honest, I had no idea about light as the material and the importance of it. Think with light, listen to light is my role from now. I also found out more about junk and I think it is so cool. We are easy to find junks by recycling and it is sustainable.
In my opinion, the material that resonated myself a lot is junk as I could think about it most of the time and I could always think about what to do with it. On the other hand, I love the sustainability of junk, and it's open ended.

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1. Art 21 (2003), "Thinking with Clay, interview Gabriel Gonzo", viewed 15th March 2021.
https://art21.org/read/gabriel-orozco-thinking-with-clay/
2.  Christopher (2019), "Making playground a little more dangerous", viewed 3rd March 2021.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/10/well/family/adventure-playgrounds-junk-playgrounds.html
3. Damien Hirst (2016), "Junk Art of the 20th Century", viewed 3rd March 2021.
https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/junk-art-history-artists-politics
4. Kable (2010), "Theory of loose part", viewed 4th March 2021
http://hfweb.co.uk/cpnl/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Loose_parts1.pdf
5. Pacini-Ketchabaw( 2016),"Encounters with materials in early childhood education", viewed 2nd March 2021
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/reader.action?docID=4649662
6. Vecchi (2015), "Poetics of learning", viewed 28th February 2021.
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/reader.action?docID=3544852&ppg=34