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Making sound/music using water with the children. Children will use their hands and cups/bowls to see what sounds they can make with the water in an outdoor tray, whether it be swishing their hands, splashing, or pouring from the cups/bowls. I will first play some sounds of music to give children an idea and then they can attempt to recreate these sounds themselves.

This experience links to my assessment 2 creative piece; I used the sounds of water layered over my voice and other sounds in nature. This added the element of music/sound, I spoke about the two rivers meeting in Wangaratta and the sounds the water made in my on-country visit. When planning this experience, I reflected on the ‘Sensory Story Telling’ video and how they used different items to make noises (such as water and rain) and the added sensory elements to the story telling. (Sensorium theatre 2016) It also reminded me of Victor Wooten’s ‘Music as a Language’ video and children learning music through experience over it being taught. (Tedx Talks 2013)

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Resources/Equipment: Tough tray, cups and bowls for pouring, water

Step 1. Fill tray with water, only half full leaving room for pouring and splashing.

Step 2. Play water sounds using a music device such as an iPad

Step 3. In small groups, encourage children to listen to the water sounds and think about how we can make them together

Step 4. Show children to the water tray and place hands in making different sounds.

Step 5. Stand back and watch them create sounds/music

Experience links to the EYLF-

Outcome 1.2 Children develop their emerging autonomy, inter-dependence, resilience and agency

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

Outcome 4.2 Children develop a range of learning and thinking skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating

(AGDE, 2022)

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When I completed this experience with children at my centre, I had 4 children at a time join in with the water play, they were quick to join in using the water and different resources. I first played a video from YouTube of the different types of sound water can make and then asked them to see what sounds they could make. The children begun being interested in the sounds the water could make, but moved on quickly to what else they could do with the water.

The positive take aways from this experience were some leaves and petals fell into the water which added another element to the experience and the children were excited to see them falling into the water. All children were interested in having a play in the water to make different sounds. One child used a small milk jug to slowly pour water into the tray and said it sounded like a waterfall. The negative was how wet the children became but, in the future, we could use long sleeved art smocks or pick a warmer day.

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Experimenting with movement and dance using experience golden wattle and eucalyptus branches. I will collect the wattle and eucalyptus from where I had my on-country visit and take it to my centre. Children will use the wattle and leaves to move and sway with as if they were a tree being blown by the wind. I will be doing the activity also to demonstrate what it feels like to be a tree and how they can use their props creatively.

This experience links to my assessment 2 creative piece; I included the golden wattle and eucalyptus trees while describing my surroundings and sense. I will source these both from where I had my on-country visit and they were also included in my artefact video and photos. The article ‘Creative Dance-Play for Early childhood’ gave me the idea to use props when moving and dancing in nature, in the article it mentions scarves and pieces of material to emphasise movement. (Dance teaching ideas n.d) I will use the wattle and leaves in place of the scarves to encourage children to join this experience and learn through dance and movement. The same article also talks about the importance of children dancing in nature to allow all their senses to explore.

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Resources/Equipment: Wattle, eucalyptus leaves and branches

Step 1. Hand children a variety of the plants so everyone has some wattle and eucalyptus

Step 2. Ask children to imagine they are a tree, blowing in the wind and what this would look like

Step 3. Demonstrate the activity yourself. You can add sounds by waking whooshing noises with your mouth

Experience links to the EYLF:

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

Outcome 3.2 Children become strong in their physical learning and mental wellbeing

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

Outcome 4.2 Children develop a range of learning and thinking skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating

(AGDE, 2022)

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The children enjoyed the use of an added item/resource, they were excited to participate in this experience. I did it as a whole group, using all 16 toddlers, some left the experience quickly and others were happy to stay and move with the wattle and leaves.

A positive take away from this experience was that children were able to extend on their learning by incorporating the plants into their play for the rest of the day in other types of outdoor play like the sandpit, and in the café as flowers. Later in the afternoon I could hear children saying they were being blown away by the wind and were zig zagging across the yard, restarting our experience from earlier in their own way.

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Dramatic story telling using the kookaburra puppet and being expressive in my talking and gestures with the puppet to tell the ‘Koo Koo Kookaburra’ story by Gregg Dreisse. I will ask the children to join me with their kookaburra laugh and the children will be able to touch the kookaburra and talk to it after the story telling.

This experience links to my assessment 2 creative piece, there is kookaburras laughing as one of the layers of sound, it is also included in my original artefact. Sophia’s video of ‘Journey to Healesville’ (DETV 2018) showed me how using puppets, props and costumes for a dramatic experience can be very engaging and exciting for children and let them become immersed in the activity. I want to create something similar and know that the children already really enjoy playing with puppets.

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Resources/Equiptment: Koo koo Kookaburra book, kookaburra puppet

Step 1. Begin my telling the children someone special is coming to read them a book and ask them to sit down together

Step 2. Introduce Koo Koo to the children and remind them to be gentle

Step 3. Read the book in an expressive and interacting way allowing time for questions and comments from the children

Experience links to the EYLF:

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

Outcome 5.2. Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts

(AGDE, 2022)

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The children were excited to see the Kookaburra and were interested in listening to the story being told for the most part. They crowded the book and kookaburra and had to be reminded to give it some space and to be gentle. The book I chose was not age appropriate for all the children and it was also too long, this meant children lost interest quickly or just wanted to touch the kookaburra. If I was to try this experience again, I would ensure the book I chose was appropriate first and maybe choose a different time of the day when the children are not ready for their sleep/rest.

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In my future practice I plan to incorporate more dance, music and drama after seeing how the children enjoyed it through my 3 experiences and learning about why and how to implement this through the unit content. I will use more puppets and props for storytelling and role play; I will include more reading and children’s choice in reading also. I will attempt to use more natural resources and encourage all movement not just dance in similar activities and allow it to be inclusive for all children. I will attempt to incorporate music making without using specific musical instruments to show children what other resources and natural elements can be used instead. I will have children more involved in the music making process and choosing how we make music and being encouraged to not just sing but also using body percussion and nature.

I have learnt how temporal arts can be beneficial for children and an important part in learning and developing and plan to carry on this knowledge as a teacher

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Australian Government Department of Education. (2022). Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (V2.0)

https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf

Dance Teaching Ideas (n.d.) Creative Dance Play for Early Childhood https://danceteachingideas.com/creative-dance-movement-for-toddlers/

Department of Education and Training VIC (2018) Journey to Healesville- learning through drama [Video] Vimeo.

https://www.vic.gov.au/literacy-teaching-toolkit-early-childhood/videos/journey-to-healesville

Sensorium Theatre (2016, April 19) SENSORY STORYTELLING Guide: A Webinar for Teachers and Parents [Video] Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/163371099?fl=pl&fe=sh

Tedx Talks (2013, May 30) Music as a Language: Victor Wooten at TEDxGabriolaIsland [Video]. YouTube.  https://youtu.be/2zvjW9arAZ0