In this unit, we studied assemblage and its relation to paint, and how we can use both of them together to melt away the boundaries between human and non-human elements to create unique artworks with children (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind & Kocher 2016, p.53). In this project, I plan to inquire further into the concept of assemblage and to experiment with other materials and artistic language to dive into the limitless possibilities of assemblage.

In early childhood education, we can create a lot of opportunities to get children involved in light and shadow play. We can create special places to explore light in your setting by adjusting the light levels where lightboxes and overhead projectors are used. By their nature the materials that are used to explore light promote aesthetic awareness and an appreciation of beauty. It is equally important that these interesting materials and resources are presented to the children so that they invite exploration and investigation (Thornton & Brunton 2010 ).

Edwards, C, Gandini, L & Forman, G 2011, The hundred languages of children: the Reggio Emilia experience in transformation, 3rd edn, ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA.

Zulma Aimmatul Mahshulah, ES & Rachmawati, Y 2020, ‘The Ray of Light: An Activity Approach of Reggio Emilia’, The 2 nd International Conference on Elementary Education, Department of Early Childhood Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, pp. 1–6, viewed <http://proceedings.upi.edu/index.php/icee/article/view/687/603>.

Thornton, L & Brunton, P 2010, ‘Exploring light and dark with early years’, Teaching Expertise, Wordpress, viewed 28 July 2021, <https://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/exploring-light-and-dark-with-early-years/#:~:text=Playing%20with%20light%20and%20dark%20creates%20magical%20experiences%20that%20both,Dowling%20terms%20’gratuitous%20fear>

Department of Education and Training 2021, Natural Environments, DET, Melbourne, viewed 22 August 2021, <https://www.education.vic.gov.au/childhood/providers/regulation/Pages/naturalenvironments.aspx>.

Paper is like a riddle and has its own stories. To know paper in this way is not just to describe its properties or attributes, but to learn how it moves and to describe what happens to it as it shifts, mixes, modifies, mutates. (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind & Kocher 2016, p.31). While using paper to experiment, the focus should not be on what would result from it, but to be engrossed in the process of exploration and to be part of the alchemy that is the process of encounter with a material. In early education, we have to let the paper weave itself into our lifeworld. In my experimentation, I learned that we have to let ourselves be open to the possibility of new ways of knowing and new ways of being so that something new and surprising can happen.

One of the things to investigate about paint assemblages is what drives them. What can create such patterns and then destroy them. It is because of the creative potential of paint assemblages, that human and non-human bodies come together to create an improvisational process that “makes and produces the space or territory simultaneously” (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind & Kocher 2016, p.56). Thus, we have to pay attention to the ways in which forms emerge in the classroom in paint-easel-child-brush-educator assemblages. We have to let the paint guide us to a new pattern and a new element every day.

When children are using natural materials to develop their knowledge, they show greater concern and appreciation for the natural environment and explore relationships with other living and non-living things (Department of Education and Training 2021 ). Current research clearly shows that natural materials and outdoor play are beneficial to children in many ways. Playing outdoors and developing a connection with nature is important for developing capacities for creativity, symbolic play, problem-solving and intellectual development. Using natural materials and interacting with nature gives educators an opportunity to teach children about caring for the world in which we live.