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Artifact - Ocean, waves, rain, wind and clouds. Natural beauty on a cloudy day 

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Artifact - Ocean, waves, rain, wind and clouds. Natural beauty on a cloudy day 

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This painting was created by padlet, perfectly reflecting the freedom I felt on a dark, stormy beach. I decided to write a poem about these emotions.

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Creative Response - The Tempestuous Beauty of Freedom

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Creative Response - The Tempestuous Beauty of Freedom

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Written and recorded poem can be found below. Enjoy my recording with sounds from my ocean.

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The Tempestuous Beauty of Freedom - An original poem

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The Tempestuous Beauty of Freedom - An original poem

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As I stand, and walk in the sand, my feet are slipping. My soul though, feels grounded. They say there are more grains on earth than stars in the sky, I am completely surrounded.
I hear the waves crash, with a tumultuous BOOM! Looking out amongst them, I warily eye the surfers, I think to myself...'Only a fool'.
The water, is it blue? It looks uninviting, so cold and dark. I can't help think of the creatures in the deep. Where there is no light, not even a spark.
To me the clouds look grey, matching the water with such ease. How I feel this may be a pathetic fallacy, because even though grey, the sky seems bright. As I stand underneath this big heavy sky, I stand with a heart full of pride.
The wind and the rain, are getting colder and stronger, I can feel. Another false notion, for it cleanses, my soul is revealed.
Keeping my eye on the horizon. Seeming so  out of reach, so unattainable, so distant. Yet I feel hopeful, and free. As I breath it all in. Natural beauty of the Ocean, in all of it's BRILLIANCE

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Artifact - Ocean, waves, wind, sand and rain. 

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Artifact - Ocean, waves, wind, sand and rain. 

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A different perspective, from a top of the dunes

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This particular photograph and how I remember feeling when I took it, reminds me of 'Dadirri’ The vastness of the beach and the sounds of the wind and the ocean helps centre me. There is a dark calmness as I take in all the sounds individually. It can help clear my mind, as I breath in the fresh ocean air.
If I think about how often I come to the beach, or how often I bring my children, I realise it is not enough.
We spend time outside, however, is it really enough? Thinking back on the moment, they would have loved it. It was dark, and the rain was only clearing, so if I am honest with myself, I would not have brought them with me on a day like this.
Marisa Wallin (2019) highlights the importance of nature and the natural environment in a child's development. Nowhere in this article, or any of the other readings or resources from the unit did it state only fair weather is good for children. Why is it then, I will only let my children play outside when it is sunny? Why is it many schools and childcare centres only let children play outside when it is dry? Is it really so inconvenient or 'bad' for them to get wet that we are willing to possibly hinder development by keeping them inside? As I think deeper about this issue, I realise as educators, we must critically reflect on these questions.

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As I walked in the sand, I noticed I am rather unbalanced. Everyone knows it is hard to walk in dry sand, however, how often do we actually conciously think about how we walk? I noticed,  when walking in the sand, every single muscle I am engaging. I am consciously thinking about my balance, concentrating hard to keep moving forward while my feet are turning outwards and the sand spreads my toes as wide as they can go. I cannot grip. Reflecting on this feeling, I am reminded of the eight senses.
Taste, sight, the auditory system, the olfactory system and tactile, we all engage with often. People can tell you what they smelt, felt, heard or saw. How often do you noticed what your muscles are doing (proprioception)? How often do you think about your inner ear and all the nerves involved in keeping you upright and balanced (vestibular system, or inner ear).
Do we pay attention to our sense of interoception? How we are feeling, psychologically or physically can play a huge part in our perception of the environment. We often tell children to listen to their bodies, when toilet training, when developing gross motor skills. However I do not listen to my body at all. If we only engage a certain amount of our senses, we are missing out on experiencing the world. If we only engage a limited amount of our senses when engaging with children, we are missing out on being a part of their world.

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Standing up on the dunes, as I was about to leave, I began to feel cold. I realised I was not enjoying the sight as much as I was, I was letting a physical feeling effect my emotions. We, as educators, need to realise the power of the interoceptive sense when engaging with children. It can help our empathy for our children and also help us understand some underlying fundamental reasons for children's behaviour and emotions. We expect children to 'calm down' or behave appropriately, but if we cannot understand our own emotions or feelings a lot of the time, how can we expect children to do so? And furthermore, control those emotions? Interoception is a neglected sense and it plays a pivotal role in emotional regulation, development and connectivity to children. We, as educators, need to give it more thought and reflection.

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Mirriam-Rose Ungunmerr. (2018). Dadirri https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tow2tR_ezL8

Robson, D. (2021, August 15). Introception:     the hidden sense that shapes wellbeing. The Guardian.

Wilson, R. (2007). Children, creative play and the natural environment. In R. Wilson (edn) Nature and Young Children: Encouraging creative play and learning in natural environments (pp. 1-18). Routledge.

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Gano, D., Krull, S. (2020). Natural Sensory      learning. Community Play Things. https://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/natural-sensory-learning