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The tasks below explore the intersection between art and early childhood education. Each one focuses on a different art medium, including paper movement, charcoal, paint assemblage, and clay ecologies. Through documentation and reflection, we consider how these materials can create rich, multidisciplinary learning experiences for young children.

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My documentation includes various experiments with paper as a medium for movement. I have explored different techniques and processes, including folding and crumpling. I have also used sound recordings to capture the movement of paper. I chose to make paper cranes. I chose to make paper cranes because they are not only movable but also symbolize good wishes in Chinese culture. I also recorded the process of making the cranes and the final movement of the paper. The paper crane is the result of my understanding of the connection among the movement of paper, the creation, and the physical movement.

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I used charcoal to keep drawing circles, which also represents an endless cycle, the same as the annual rings of trees in nature. In this constant drawing of circles I felt the cycle of life. The charcoal was once a small sapling that grew and then changed due to the flame, and finally became my brush. The color of life changed from green to black. For me, I never knew that charcoal could be turned into a brush until I studied charcoal painting. As Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind and Kocher(2016) said, we feel a sense of 'not knowing' when we use charcoal to draw.

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I choose to create paint-assemblage artwork which shows the rainbow's colors. Using a combination of red, yellow, green, blue, and brown, I have created vibrant and colorful pieces that are sure to brighten up any space.  I always strive to incorporate a range of hues and tones that evoke the beauty of the natural world. By documenting my creative process through photographs, I hope to inspire kids to explore the possibilities of paint assemblage. At the same time, I combined the paint with wool. The connection formed by the combination of wool and paint made the paint glow with different tensions. The final painting work shows the interplay between the combined elements formed by the paint（Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind and Kocher,2016）.

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I found some soil from the Dandenong Mountain, and I collected some soil from my flower pots. In the process of collecting soil, I felt the connection between soil and nature even in different places, and even when not in nature. Soil is a part of the earth (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind and Kocher, 2016, p. 69). Because I can always smell the soil. At the same time, my final work shows the relationship between soil and nature. The clay comes from nature and eventually returns to nature and becomes a certain clay animal(dog) under my hands.

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This work is the one that most reminds me of my childhood memories. Playing with lights and shadows can be a fascinating experience. I used shadows to show a small bird flying in light and shadow. I used to play like this on the wall before bedtime when I was a child. The light I used was artificial but I showed the growth process of life. This way of finding a connection with nature and life using man-made objects makes me feel the importance of creativity.

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The song I choose was Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Because the song is very simple and the repetition of the words stimulates the child's ability to remember the vocabulary. The word star also triggers children's association with the night sky and the universe, stimulating their imagination.At the same time, I will add hand movements and star patterns made of paper cutouts to the production process. The introduction of movement, music and star materials is a combination of the tactile, visual and auditory senses of chu jue. This mix allows children to maximize their imagination to a certain extent and feel a connection to nature.

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Twinkle Twinkle Little Star | Nursery Rhymes for Kids | Super Simple Songs

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Connections to ECE Research and Literature

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Connections to ECE Research and Literature

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My artistic inquiry connects to the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education, which emphasizes the importance of materials in the learning process. According to Malaguzzi (1993), materials are not just learning tools but co-constructors of knowledge. In other words, children's learning materials are essential to their cognitive development. I felt the paper move constantly under my fingers as I used the folded paper. Since paper cranes need to go through many folding steps, a mistake in any one of them is impossible to make a paper crane that moves. But in the process of moving, I felt the creativity that comes from focusing on this movement. According to Encounters with materials in early childhood education (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind and Kocher,2016), children learn to move with the material and pay attention to the way it moves as they work with the paper. At the same time, the process of transforming an ordinary piece of paper into a moving and blessed crane is a reflection of the process of material becoming something else, as Ingold's research suggests(2013).

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Connections to ECE Research and Literature

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Connections to ECE Research and Literature

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Doing artistic activities that use charcoal as a medium is one way to use the information from Charcoal Encounter in the context of early childhood education research. For young children, charcoal drawing can be a fun and convenient pastime that encourages creativity, self-expression, and fine motor skills. Also, the use of charcoal as a material can help people from different origins and cultures communicate and understand one another. Charcoal-based artists that produce works that depict various viewpoints and experiences can support the advancement of inclusivity and cultural knowledge in early childhood education. For example, accept the black color as Van Dooren and Rose(2014) suggests” ethics as an openness to others in the material reality of their own lives”.I collected large and small charcoals from different places, they came from different spaces and eventually met inside my painting. I perceive the joy of meeting (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind and Kocher，2016). In the process of drawing, I keep feeling my fingers moving, feeling the rough texture of the charcoal, and the touch makes me pay attention to my body (Manning&Massumi,2014). The transformation of charcoal from tree to my brush makes me start to pay attention to the transformation between the different forms of life and to notice the relationship between things(Springgay,2012).

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One potential link between paint-assemblage and early childhood education studies is the significance of encouraging young children's creativity and self-expression. According to research, giving kids the chance to partake in artistic endeavors can aid in fostering their cognitive, social, and emotional development (Day, 2022). Children can express themselves uniquely and creatively while honing their fine motor and hand-eye coordination abilities by making paint-assemblage artworks. The ability of art to facilitate dialogue and understanding amongst people from different cultures and backgrounds is another connection.

Play-based learning is also a successful strategy for early childhood education. Children's critical thinking, problem-solving, and imaginative skills can all be developed through artistic endeavors, such as paint-assemblage (Bundy et al., 2018). I refocused on the creative potential in the process of making because of the combination of different colors of paint as well as different materials, and in this combination (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind and Kocher,2016). The various materials can be broken up and combined to eventually become a rainbow painting. In certain fleeting moments, I felt a link between the combinations.

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Connections to ECE Research and Literature

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Connections to ECE Research and Literature

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According to Mantere(1992), Clay is a natural material that can be used to create a variety of forms, from functional objects to abstract sculptures, and has the potential to connect children with nature and the environment. In my process of collecting soil, I thought of the carefree time I always spent with other children playing in the mud when I went to the countryside every year as a child. This "betrayal" of clay, as Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind and Kocher（2016） says, gave me a new connection to the concept of life and childhood memories.

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Connections to ECE Research and Literature

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Connections to ECE Research and Literature

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My artistic inquiry connects to the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education.

Among the light and shadow game, I explored the connection between different depths, distances and perspectives, etc. For example, if I put my finger more in front, then the shadow of the bird will become smaller. At the same time, because I was in a dark environment, my senses of sight, touch, and even sound were fully mobilized. And in the process of creation, my creativity is also greatly stimulated, eventually connecting to the relationship between light and life. The play of light helps children develop creative and critical thinking (Mahshulah, Syaodih and Rachmawati, 2020). When light waves pass through my hands, they tend to bend and spread out, a process known as light diffraction. This can help children understand natural light because according to Boyes and Stanisstreet(1991) children under 10 years old have misconceptions about light.

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Discussion & Implications for practice as an ECT

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Discussion & Implications for practice as an ECT

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My artistic inquiry connects to the Reggio Emilia approach to music education. Singing songs can help children develop language skills such as vocabulary and pronunciation. Songs with repetitive lyrics like "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" can help children learn and memorize new words(Triningsih,2013). And I will let the kids sing songs along with dance together. Singing songs together can help children feel a sense of belonging and foster a sense of community in the classroom and promote gross motor development and coordination. It can also help children regulate their emotions and feel more relaxed. According to Kanellos(2018), music is the three-dimensional abstractions of shape, sound, and rhythm. And can create illusions. And introducing simple songs like "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", can introduce children to basic musical concepts such as melody, rhythm, and tempo(Jeong, 2021). Teachers can use these songs as a starting point for further musical exploration and learning.

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Through my artistic inquiry, I have learned that using paper as a medium for movement can facilitate children's creativity, imagination, and experimentation. Therefore, I would like to provide children with a rich, multidisciplinary learning experience that includes paper movement as a medium for exploration.

To create this learning experience, I would provide children with various paper types, textures, and colors. I would also provide tools such as scissors, glue, and tape to facilitate the manipulation of the paper. Additionally, I would incorporate various techniques and processes, such as folding, cutting, crumpling, and tearing, to encourage experimentation and creativity.

In conclusion, my artistic inquiry into the paper movement has allowed me to connect my artistic practice and early childhood education research and literature. I have understood the importance of materials and art experiences in children's cognitive development through my learning. As an ECT, I plan to incorporate paper movement into my practice to provide children with a rich, multidisciplinary learning experience that encourages creativity, experimentation, and imagination.

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If I were a craftsperson using Charcoal Encounter as a medium, I'd be considering the various ways I might utilize charcoal to make intriguing and fun works of art that young children would love. I would be considering the various methods that may be applied to my designs to add textures, shadows, and highlights. In order to make my artwork more interactive and captivating for young learners, I would also be considering how to include elements of play and exploration in them. I would have learned the value of giving young children the chance to partake in artistic activities that foster their cognitive, social, and emotional development via my experiences making handmade art with Charcoal Encounter.

In the future, I would provide children of all ages the chance to create art utilizing a variety of mediums, such as Charcoal Encounter. Children should experiment with various drawing methods and styles, and they should be encouraged to use their imagination and creativity to produce original works of art. To encourage young learners' critical thinking, problem-solving, and imaginative capabilities, I would also incorporate play and exploration into my lessons. Ultimately, I learned from my experiences making homemade art with Charcoal Encounter the value of encouraging creativity, self-expression, inclusion, and play-based learning in the early years of education. In fact, as ECT, we need to think more about using different materials to guide children, and we need to be creative in the way we teach.

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As an ECT, I would incorporate paint assemblage as a part of a rich, multidisciplinary learning experience for children. To create unique artwork, the children can explore materials such as paper, cardboard, sticks, leaves, and other natural materials.

I would set up a space with a wide range of materials for the children to choose from, encouraging them to experiment and create freely. The children would be provided with different types of paint and tools, such as brushes, sponges, and rollers, to encourage them to explore different techniques. Moreover, I encourage the children to work collaboratively to create large-scale artworks that require them to work together to problem-solve and communicate effectively.As a teacher, including paint-assemblage in the curriculum can be a useful tool for encouraging young children's creativity and self-expression. Teachers can encourage kids to experiment with various colors, forms, and textures to produce original and meaningful artwork by giving them a choice of materials to work with.

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As an ECT, I can use clay as a medium to create a rich, multidisciplinary learning experience for children and can incorporate aspects of science, nature, and sustainability into my clay projects, encouraging children to explore the ecological implications of their art-making. For example, we could create planters from recycled materials and use them to grow herbs or vegetables or create sculptures inspired by natural forms found in the environment (Bundy et al., 2011).Clay ecologies offer an opportunity for children to explore their creativity while also engaging with the natural world and I can use clay to promote cognitive, social, and emotional development while fostering ecological awareness and a sense of environmental connection.Clay is actually a very common material found in nature, but through our constant transformation, children will use their imagination to make new connections.

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As an early childhood educator, providing opportunities for children to explore and play with light can have a variety of positive impacts on their growth and learning. The following are some implications for early childhood education practice. This phenomenon can produce a variety of attractive patterns and hues, making it an exciting topic of research in the sciences and arts. But not many people have yet adopted light as a creative teaching method(Mahshulah, Syaodih and Rachmawati, 2020). By mixing scientific ideas such as the diffraction of light into art activities, I can give young students a unique, holistic learning experience that promotes both scientific exploration and artistic expression. Children can also learn about concepts such as colour, pattern and texture by studying the diffraction of light.

To encourage children to explore light and its properties, I can give them tools such as prisms, mirrors, flashlights, and coloured cellophane. These tools can be used in both structured and unstructured activities that allow children to investigate the properties of light in a variety of ways. Incorporate light exploration into other areas of learning. Science, reading, and arithmetic are some areas that can be integrated with light exploration.

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The tasks above demonstrate the diverse ways art can promote learning and development in young children. Whether through paper movement, charcoal, paint assemblage, or clay ecologies, art provides opportunities for children to explore their creativity while developing important cognitive, social, and emotional skills. By drawing on early childhood education research and literature, we can create art experiences informed by best practices in the field. As early childhood educators, we can inspire a lifelong love of art and creativity in children.

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Boyes, E. and Stanisstreet, M., 1991. Development of pupils’ ideas about seeing and hearing‐‐the path of light and sound. Research in Science & Technological Education, 9(2), pp.223-244.

Bundy, A.C., Naughton, G., Tranter, P., Wyver, S., Baur, L., Schiller, W., Bauman, A., Engelen, L., Ragen, J., Luckett, T. and Niehues, A., 2011. The Sydney playground project: popping the bubblewrap-unleashing the power of play: a cluster randomized controlled trial of a primary school playground-based intervention aiming to increase children's physical activity and social skills. BMC public health, 11, pp.1-9.

Day, L., 2022. Discover Creativity with 2-5 Year Olds: Promoting Creative Learning and Development Through Best Practice. Taylor & Francis.

Ingold, T., 2013. Making, growing, learning: Two lectures presented at UFMG, Belo Horizonte, October 2011. Educação em Revista, 29(03), pp.301-323.

Jeong, A.A.Y., 2021. Using letter boards in client-centred music therapy:" Autistics can teach if some are ready to listen". New Zealand Journal of Music Therapy, (19), pp.34-53.

Kanellos, E., 2018. Visual trends in contemporary visual music practice. Body, Space & Technology, 17(1), pp.22-33.

Mahshulah, Z.A., Syaodih, E. and Rachmawati, Y., 2020, March. The Ray of Light: An Activity Approach of Reggio Emilia. In International Conference on Elementary Education (Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 785-790).

Malaguzzi, L., 1993. For an education based on relationships. Young children, 49(1), pp.9-12.

Manning, E. and Massumi, B., 2014. Thought in the Act: Passages in the Ecology of Experience. U of Minnesota Press.

Springgay, S. and Freedman, D. eds., 2012. Mothering a bodied curriculum: Emplacement, desire, affect. University of Toronto Press.

Triningsih, N.K.W., 2013. THE LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT BY THE CHILDREN AT TK NEGERI NEGARA IN ACQUIRING ENGLISH VOCABULARY THROUGH THE ENGLISH CHILDREN MUSIC VIDEO. LANGUAGE, 3(2).

Van Dooren, T. and Rose, D.B., 2016. Lively EthographyStorying Animist Worlds. Environmental Humanities, 8(1), pp.77-94.