The Secret of the Bubbling Pond by Charie Millabane

Artefacts- The Duckie underneath the pond

chariemillabane — 2025-09-05 13:01:17 UTC

The pond, the duck, trees and the sound of wind and birds.

Creative Response: Podcast

chariemillabane — 2025-09-05 13:35:02 UTC

One chilly afternoon, I decided to go for a walk in the local garden when I saw a mysterious pond. the Duckie swam across the pond when gloop! a strange bubble popped on the surface. It wasn’t just any bubble. It was a message from the Underpond Kingdom. The duck dives under, to discover a hidden world beneath the pond. There’s a lost underwater treasure, and only the duck can find it. So the duck was very persistent to keep swimming when the ducks realises why there are lots of bubbles next to the big rock underneath? What is that? The duck was swimming with curiosities towards the bubble popped. When, the duckie was very close to the rock, the duck saw the big bubble door which is a portal to another land, where the families of the ducks are royalties. The duckie realises that the treasure she was looking was not food nor gold, instead, it is home.

Bubble Cues

chariemillabane — 2025-09-05 13:36:46 UTC

During my walked while using my imagination skills with the duckie, the gentle plop of the bubbles and the sounds of water splashing became the anchor for sound exploration. The bubble cues are the natural auditory that children might imitate or using their body percussion or sticks on the rocks in creating music connection which is rooted in place.

Rock Underneath

chariemillabane — 2025-09-05 13:38:48 UTC

As I visualised the duck swimming towards the big rock underneath of the pond, my own body was swaying, gliding and seems like floating. Movement can be the central that children might waddle like a duck or imagining diving towards the bubble door. The movement in this game is echoing the freedom of what outdoor play can offer. It supports embodied learning and connects directly with Wilson’s (2007) emphasis on nature as a space for creative, physical expression.

Drama

chariemillabane — 2025-09-05 13:39:30 UTC

Through roleplay, the duck became the main character on a journey of discovery. This drama allows children to imitate the animal sound and actions and create imaginative scenarios.

Sensory Experience

chariemillabane — 2025-09-05 13:41:46 UTC

Reflecting on this scene from a child’s perspective, this awakened a multi-sensory awareness to me. As I walked, I can feel the cool breeze, the smell of the mud from the pond, the reflection of the trees, clouds and building on the pond which added another layer of duckie’s exploration (shown in the photo) and the tickles of the grass on your feet. The rustling sound of leaves, laughter of the children walking with their families, chirping birds, loud breaths of the dogs added to the sensory in creating a meaningful sensory exploration.

Analytical Response

chariemillabane — 2025-09-05 13:44:55 UTC

Through connecting to the local park and the nature, it gives me a deep sense of wonder and calm which reminds me of the video of Dadirri– Inner Deep Listening & Quiet Still Awareness, evokes me to slow down and be more mindful of the environment. It reminisces my childhood memories when I was watching the ducks in our farm while listening to the sound of the magpies, throwing stones in the river and ocean, fascinated by the mysteries underneath. It reminded me that children experience temporal arts through play by naturally responding to their environment with sounds, movement and imagination. The Secret of the bubbling pond act as a play-based which combines the imagination and learning through free outdoor exploration. Wilson (2007) notes that “The natural world offers an incredible wealth of sensory experiences and open-ended materials for motoric manipulation.” (p.8). The pond scene reflects that nature doesn’t just set the stage but provokes children’s and adult’s artistic expression through the sounds, sights and mysteries.

This experience supports my beliefs that outdoor environments are active partners in arts-based learning. I now see the value of allowing spontaneous child-led explorations of sound, movement and drama. I need to recognise that creative arts do not have to rely on materials, instead on imagination, place and play. Informed by Dadirri and Wilson (2007), this experience reinforces that importance of nature in engaging children in temporal arts where movements, sound, and story unfold naturally.

References

chariemillabane — 2025-09-05 13:46:19 UTC

-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, Routledge. Ch 1, p.8.

-MiriamRoseFoundation. (2017, November 29). DADIRRI (Official Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Video) :: 3 minute promo. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tow2tR_ezL8&t=1s