There are multiple concepts like interaction with natural things, movement, assemblage, music, art, and a lot more. The concept which I am going to present is natural things. I will share my emotions and feelings while interacting with natural things and the way I observe them, as well as learn new things. Moreover, I will use six entries with my concept and relate it to early-year childhood learning.

I choose paper for playing activities and observe the way I improve my knowledge regarding an inquiry into materials. I had different papers of different bases. I had crape paper, plain paper, wrapping paper, and a thin cardboard sheet. I chose paper as it is readily available in the house. I gathered all papers and tried to make a boat with them. Then I took a tub full of water and kept all boats on the water. I observed the movement of each boat and looked at the way each paper boat floated on the water.

Paper is an active material, and if we think about its making, we can find that the movements are continuous and sequential in a linear sense. When we play with paper, we explore a series of movements and gestures to achieve our goals. The paper is material that led us from one state to another (Gross 2012). Children like to play with paper; they get excited when the paper is crafted in a different way. The paper boat, snails, origami art, and a lot more. Thus, movements are recursive and help in getting different avenues. Children have always explored nature; they check different sizes and shapes of paper. They observe it with curiosity and try to make different things to observe the movement through paper.

Paper is available in every child care centre. One can do a lot of activities with paper. Children can use paper for origami art, making 3D crafts, painting, drawing, and for writing purposes. Thus, paper is an essential part of the educational curriculum. I will like to give the paper to children so they can use it in the way they like. I will invite children to play with paper making, drawing, boats, origami, flowers, trees, and whatever they like to do. No one will be forced to make a particular craft. Rather everyone plays and observes movement with paper to develop their cognitive abilities.

I like to play with paints. I think colors are life, and these give us a reason to live. So, during my free time, I always prefer painting and try to make different crafts with paints. I also used to blend different colors to get to know what colors could be created with the blending of paints. One day I took white paper and folded it in one half. Then I put the drop of purple color paint on one side and on another side dropped the orange paint. After that i folded back the paper, and when I opened it created a unique pattern with a blend of colors. Also, where the colors mixed, they formed a butterfly. This looked amazing. I tried this with different colors and got amazing color blends and patterns with this painting experiment. 

Paint gives the concept of assemblage and gives the creative potential that gives a person to create in a different form. The bodies become momentarily stable, and one can express their feelings through colors. Each color has its own meaning. Blue and black reflect sorrow and sadness, while yellow and red represent love and care. In this way, blue and white are the color of peace. Thus, colors represent the personality and give people unique thinking. Painting is not a word that represents art. Rather, it reflects feelings and emotions (Thorton & Brunton 2021). We can use paint not only on paper but on different materials like canvas, glass, wood, and fabric. Paints are essential for early year childhood learning as children learn to differentiate colors and convince them to put their feelings in colors.

Children love to color and do different activities. So, I decided to introduce new activity for them, which is making natural stamps. As I followed the natural things concept is, I decided to make stamps with vegetables. I will cut okra, onion, corn, reddish and salad leaves. I will give paint colors and these vegetables to the children and allow them to use the color as well as the vegetable of their choice. Along with I will provide them with plain white paper so they can create a paint impression of their choice.

I had a charcoal stick, and I developed an interest in doing something different with charcoal. I took textured objects such coin, keys and rubbing by placing a textured object under the paper and rubbing the charcoal stick over the paper until the texture of the object appears on the paper. I also did finger painting with charcoal. I used the BBQ charcoal and crushed it to make it into powder form and then dipped by hands into water and then did finger painting with charcoal. 

Charcoal is the thing with the concept of encounter. Frequently we encounter this material. The wood, after burning from charcoal, we get for cooking our Barbeque (BBQ) meals. Moreover, we have charcoal pencils in our instate to make freehand drawings. One can approach, crush, climb, howl, extract, and discover charcoals. It offers unexpected results for the user and leaves its impression on the hands when a person uses it. Even after using, no hand gets dusted with charcoal, but if someone places his hand on paper or plate or anything, those things also get dusted. It means it leaves an impression of interaction.

Incorporation of charcoal in early-year children’s activities gives them new exposure. Usually, parents don't allow the handling of charcoal as they think that it is a messy thing, and children would leave marks on walls, furniture, and other household item leaving the mess around. But in childcare centre, it is kept for giving children exposure to encounters and provide charcoal sticks to the children so they could play. Using charcoal can also improve gross motor skills and control of children. An example that I can use with children is that a paper can be provided on which they draw the lines, and then will ask them to place their hands on the paper. Once they will do this activity, they will see charcoal painted on their hand and ask them to stamp their hands on the paper. In this way, they will print a paper with their hands, and I will observe their anticipation .

Playing with light and shadows always excites me. There was a scheduled outage of electricity. It was a good sunny day, so I decided to move towards the park. First, I decided to move in a different direction to observe how my shadow goes long and small in different directions. I captured the moment with my mobile camera. After that, an idea struck in my mind, and I started moving my hands together. I started bending my fingers and hands in a way to make shadow animals. It was to an exciting experience. I made, dogs, and butterfly with my hands. To keep the moment safe, I asked a person around me to make my video. So, I observed different patterns and shapes with sunlight and shadow made out of it.

Playing with the light always gives anticipation as one can observe different colors, patterns, and visual art with light. Light is an important factor in life. Without light, there will be darkness everywhere, and life will be no more exciting (Thorton and Brunton 2021). Light help in forming shadows, and it is one of the interesting activities not for children but for adults too. Everyone who plays with light tries to involve for hours. Children especially love to do light activities. It is because shadows are of different sizes and patterns. So light plays an integral role in early childhood education.

Light is an interactive material to play with. So, I have decided to introduce simple lighter experiments to kids that they will enjoy and improve their knowledge. For this, I will take a flashlight, mirror, magnifying glass, opaque paper plate, and pencil. The purpose is to help children understand the concept of reflection and bouncing back of the light. I will make a chart and will write what will happen when light pass-through particular material. First, I will pass light through the glass, and light will pass through. Secondly, I will direct light on the mirror, and it will reflect light. Children will observe light on the wall opposite to mirror. Then I will direct light toward the opaque paper plate, and the light will stay on the plate. In this way, different light ray passages will be observed by children, and I like to do this experiment with them so they understand the way light passes from different objects.

Clay is a creative natural material that every child plays during their childhood. Clay has always been a calming and meditative experience for me. By touching and squeezing it and making it into different things and it becomes a good exercise for your fingers as they are moving consistently. I had different color of clays which I mixed and made different objects. By playing with it so much and process of shaping and the calming experience invited me to play and interact with it more and more. I made dog, Christmas tree, a ball and a worm.

Natural material clay has been utilized throughout history to create a wide variety of artwork and sculptures. In some cultures, it is still used to create crockery in addition to being prized as an expensive decorative item or a delicate vase. Most houses have some kind of clay in them. However, it is a difficult subject that requires concentration and responds differently depending on the circumstances. Clay can be transformed in the best way possible, according to Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind & Kocher (2016), if you pay attention to its needs and manage it appropriately.

Implications

Clay is a sort of a material which makes a mess, same as charcoal but if provided to children they can learn a lot of things using same which I also did. I will provide clay to the kids and they can feel it and weigh it (how heavy it is). In this way the sensory skills are developed. They can manipulate, mend, shape and mold the clay they like which will not only develop their drawing abilities but also allows them to express their creativity and imagination in unique way which is developing cognitive flexibility and problem-solving skills.

Water is an important material of life as every day we interact with it, and without it, life is nothing. One day I was sitting, so I decided to do some experiments. Although I learned it in a science book yet I want to experiment with that. I took two containers and poured plain water in one while in the other; I added two spoons of salt along with water. Then I placed that in the freezer. After a few hours, I opened the freezer, and the plain water became ice, while salt water was chilled but not iced. So, I observed that salt didn't allow water to freeze, and it required lower water to become a cube of ice. Plain water freezes at zero degree centigrade, while saltwater needs about minus fourteen-degree centigrade to become ice.

Observation of water help in learning movements and music. When water flows, it creates some amazing sounds. Some people find it good while others feel a headache become of the shrilly noise of the water (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind & Kocher 2016). This is a natural element that helps in the development and strengthening of gross and motor skills in children. When children are given the water activity, they not only enjoy playing in the water but also love to play by making ripples and waves. Also, water activity helps in coordination and physical fitness and improves cognitive abilities. They use water for lifting, carrying, splashing, and pouring. Also, they do certain actions that help in the development of muscles.

Water helps in doing a lot of activities. I have decided to take the children to the garden and will place a few tubs filled with water. Then I will provide some items so they can throw in the water to observe the water movement. I will give them a stone, rolled paper, a pencil, and leaves. Each child will throw an item from a certain distance and will check the water movement style.