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Paper is a thin material that has been used throughout history for many different reasons and is still a very important material utilized in an individual’s day to day life. The invention of paper helped change the world with making communication between people easier, spreading news faster via newsletters and magazines, keeping information for contractual obligations and helped the spread of sacred literature and literacy across the nation. Historical records show that paper originated from China in 105 AD, under the Han Dynasty emperor Ho-Di by Ts’ai Lun, who was an official of the imperial court. Early Chinese paper was made from the bark of a mulberry tree but later plant materials such as hemp and bamboo were used, making it highly used and widely produced in factories for the citizens, continuing to spread throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.  As paper is a versatile material, children can use paper to record their ideas, design three-dimensional objects, paint and draw on and most importantly they can keep it and make it more of a memorable piece that can last for eternity. “The material world acts on our thinking as much as our thinking acts on the material world” ( Hillevi Lenz Taguchi, 2010, p, 49). Today’s paper comes predominately from two sources, pulpwood logs, and recycled paper products. Even though paper has many uses and properties, it also carries negative impacts on the environment due to the cutting down of trees and water wastage, affecting aquatic life. That is why is it crucial to make use of recycled paper in classroom settings, which minimizes the demand for wood, helping preserve the forests and reduces wastewater production. Paper is capable of folding, tearing, scrunching and reusing. Paper flaps, sways, flies, rolls, and scrunches. Teaching children about recycling paper, allows them to be more conscious of their usage, educates them about the environment and teaches them responsibility. I personally believe that children at a young age should be using paper, recycled paper, because nowadays they are exposed to digital technology all around them. “We treat these materials as active and participatory. They set things in motion, incite questions, produce ideas. In other words, they become productive moments. Throughout the book, materials generate insights by provoking human” (Pacini-ketchabaw, V, Kind, S & Kocher, L 2016). With the ever-improving development of technology it is it critical to show exposure of such materials as it allows them to find their true self, whether it’s from painting or drawing, use their wildest imagination, become more engaged and just be free from digital explosion that they return to, once leaving the classroom.´” Paper became ordinary yet magical in its effects as educators and children joined together in movement.´ (Pacini-ketchabaw, V, Kind, S & Kocher, L 2016).

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This is a painting,  that i had to copy off from my phone to see if i can try mimicking it. Unfortunately, i didn't accomplish what i wanted to, but it allowed me to give myself a try at getting close and tested my ability. I was unable to change the colors and go out of line because i was trying my hardest to replicate the flower. I believe it was certainly a learning experience, that can be useful for a child's growth and development.

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This is a painting that i completed in class that i drew without having an image to look off at. I found that painting whatever you like with no instruction is more free and allows you to be more creative and use your imagination. In this photo i was able to mix and match any color i wanted, go out of line, use different strokes and brush techniques because there was no structure of stencil.

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Junk material is material that is saved from going into the garbage and becoming something useful that children can experiment and play with. The utilization of recycled objects allows children to become creative and innovative, explore open-ended resources and their properties, strengthen their eye-hand coordination and motor skills while seeing, touching and hearing how found materials look feel and sound. Junk is a great resource for children in a classroom setting to become more collaborative with one another, make mistakes and redo, and gain hands-on knowledge about cutting, taping and gluing parts to desired places. A junk playground is a place where children can run wild as they aren’t controlled or have a structured lesson plan. It is said that “Children are better at figuring out how to have fun than many adults who build playgrounds for them.” A Danish landscape architect Carl Theodor noticed that “children in Copenhagen during World War II preferred to play in abandoned lots and construction sites than on the well-appointed asphalt playgrounds that had been built for them. Mr. Sorensen developed what he called “junk playgrounds” to help foster children’s independence and creativity.” (Schiffman, May, 2019). Exposing junk materials to children not only benefits them but also benefits the environment as it’s a more affordable and sustainable option. Children should have access to materials such as bottle caps, empty cereal boxes and egg cartons. When given these assortments of materials, children have a greater opportunity in practicing how to sort and categorise and once completed with their work they feel a sense of accomplishment as they were the ones who initially came up with the idea and end product. Just like paper has its disadvantages so does recycled objects, as they might not be safe or fit for every group age.  We learn that” materials are always and already on their way to becoming something else” (Ingold, 2013; relying on Barad, 2013, p.31). I believe that introducing junk or recycled goods to children, helps in educating them on reuse, reduce and recycle, generates questions such as ‘what it was before it became junk?’ and ‘how do these materials come together to make something else?’

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This is a rocket ship that i managed to make during class. I found many "junk" objects that i thought could help deliver the picture i had in mind. This activity was really fun and made me feel free to do whatever i think of when i get presented random junk materials. To make it more thrilling for children, you can add sound to the object by adding rice or rocks into the bottle!

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Clay is a natural finely grained rock that comes purely from nature's ground and is often found in early childhood spaces. It can be used for many reasons such as for architectural purposes, cement production and pottery. Pottery and ceramics were used predominantly in places like Egypt, where they used to store food and carry water in and Persia, where they used ceramics to make tiles and create intricate mosaics. Modelling clay is beneficial for the developmental growth of children as they build their ability to squish, pull, push and form different shapes and sizes out of clay teaching them the basic skills that can aid and support their creativity and dexterity. Processes such as working with clay “contributes to children’s social, physical, emotional, and creative development (Golomb, 1992; Lowenfeld & Brittain, 1987; Matthews, Thinking with Materials 3 2003). Unlike paper and junk, clay is more malleable, making it different from the materials mentioned above. It feels like flour when dry and smooth when moist, enabling children to develop their fine motor skills and manipulate it into different shapes and forms. “Materials do not just feel or act differently from each other, or have different properties, or produce different forms and images. They also provoke different ways of thinking as a child engages and works with them.” .´ (Pacini-ketchabaw, V, Kind, S & Kocher, L 2016). As children have the freedom to create whatever they like with the material, it helps them tell a story through their construction and invites different interactions amongst others through experience. Having my own experience with clay, I found it to be very therapeutic, calming and felt a sense of peacefulness as the softness of the material squashed between my fingers and palm. The earthy smell infused in the material, made me feel a sense of belonging to nature, as it has a similar smell to mud and soil. As a preservice teacher, I would definitely introduce clay into my practice because I find that it's a good way of learning about various shapes and textures. "We follow clay’s unexpected movements as it interacts with shoes, with pockets, with hands, with boots, pine needles, water, rocks, twigs. As we follow clay, again, we generate questions” (Pacini-ketchabaw, V, Kind, S & Kocher, L 2016).

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This is a triangular prism made out of clay, that i thought could come in really handy when teaching children about different shapes and sizes, especially when educating them about three-dimensional objects. At first, i found that the material was really easy to use and mold but once i left it out for too long, it began to harden up, making it difficult to remold and manipulate. The only downside to playing with clay may be that it can stain your clothes, but hey! What's a little stain gonna do!

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Light is natural energy composed of particles called photons, allowing you to see things whereas shadows need a light source and an object to bounce off.  Magical lights and shadows really intrigue young minds. As a child, I was really fascinated by glow up in the dark lights, fairy lights, kaleidoscopes, and lava lamps. The Reggio-inspired approach uses light as a material to help support children’s exploration and discovery. There are many great ways for children to use light and shadow play. For instance; setting up shadow puppets with lights and creating a storytime where the children can participate in. It’s a great way for children to explore a different way of seeing perspectives. To have an understanding of where every child is at with their knowledge of light, it is important to first ask questions about their pre-existing knowledge. This way we can educate them further on areas that they are unfamiliar with from which they can have a better and clearer understanding of light play. To form engagement, open-ended questions such as “Can you make a shadow with your hand? What about your feet?” should be asked to capture their attention and put more of a focus on the subject presented.  Introducing light play encourages collaborative play, creative experimentation and discovery-based learning. As a child when I saw a red and blue light flashing, I immediately connected it with police, fire brigade or an ambulance. This shows that certain types of lights have significant meanings behind them, calling attention. Whether you can hear the sirens ringing or not the light sets a sense of awareness and alerts the people around them that there is an emergency ahead. Experimenting with light was a different outlook for me, as I never really thought of using light in a classroom setting through that perspective. There are many things you can do with light that can educate children and make it more engaging and exciting for them by setting up light related activities.

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- In-text: (Schiffman, 2019)

Schiffman, R., 2019. Making Playgrounds A Little More Dangerous. [online] Nytimes.com.
- In-text: (Pacini-ketchabaw, V, Kind, S & Kocher, L 2016).
Pacini-Ketchabaw, V, Kind, S & Kocher, L 2016, Encounters With Materials in Early Childhood Education, Routledge, viewed <https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/detail.action?docID=4649662>.

ISBN: 9781317588573
- In-text: (Four Inventions of Ancient China: Paper Making, Gunpowder, Printing, Compass, 2020)

Travelchinaguide.com. 2020. Four Inventions Of Ancient China: Paper Making, Gunpowder, Printing, Compass.