The honeycomb packing paper can be shaped into anything, showcasing a world of creative possibilities. I transformed it into a tunnel, table, bowl, and even abstract pieces that resembled works of art. I used water to bond the edge. When playing with the paper, I observed and engaged with its movements. Using my fingers, I could make the paper move closer or farther away, creating an ongoing interplay of motion (Pacini-Ketchaba, Kind & Kocher, 2016). This is the way I communicated with the paper.

In the early childhood setting, this concept could be designed for sensory play shown below children sit or stand in an outdoor area on a sunny day with some clouds. On the ground, there is a mat with different types of paper and several small bowls with water, similar to the picture below. The children are invited to explore, engage, and play. Children can experience the movements and shadows created by natural light. Water can be a tool to assist children in understanding movement better. The teacher can encourage children to play with paper in their preferred ways, sparking their creativity.

I explored finger painting, feeling the colored paint’s smoothness and stickiness. As my fingers moved, the curved lines and dots found their way onto the paper. The wetness of the paint gradually transformed into dryness, capturing the passage of time within my creation. Furthermore, a folk was dabbed and stabbed into the colored paint to see what intriguing encounters would unfold. Discontinuous lines with rich colors were shown on the paper. Painting is not just a tool to develop children’s sensory skills (Pacini-Ketchaba, Kind & Kocher, 2016). Painting provides opportunities to convey meanings and expressions. In the world of non-symbolic language, painting provides a visual medium for communication and boundless creativity (Edwards, Gandini & Forman, 2011). 

Reflecting on these experiences, two painting activities could be shared with children in an early childhood setting, sand painting and finger painting. Each is designed to ignite the senses and encourage young minds to explore. Set up two low tables, ensuring children can see clearly. One table displaces edible watercolor paint and white papers, while the other presents sand, and powdered tempera paints alongside white papers. Young children would be invited to engage their senses, allowing their hands and minds to interact with sensory materials. These sensory-based explorations open doorways into various textures, fluidity, and viscosity (Pelo, 2016).  Children would be encouraged to pay attention to color, texture, and movements. Through painting activities, children can freely express their ideas and emotions without the need for oral language. Educators can still encourage children to share their feelings and experiences after completing their unique masterpieces.  

With charcoal in hand, I drew random lines on the paper without any predetermined thoughts. Instead, I focused on the sounds of charcoal made as it danced across the page. I heard different voices when I drew light lines or heavy lines. And when I turned my hand or created a circle, the sound transformed with each movement. I even heard the silence when I paused. This process enhanced my understanding of listening. Listening is not just with our ears, it engages all our senses - our eyes, our minds, and our hearts. Listening requires a deep awareness and an openness to change, differences, and even uncertainty (Edwards, Gandini & Forman, 2011). Compared to the sound of charcoal on paper and cloth, I noticed the differences and possibilities when different materials were encountered. 

In the context of early childhood education, an excursion to a National Park like Dandenong National Park can be organized. Teacher and young children walking in the forest search for burden wood. The teacher can encourage children to use their imagination to think the story behind the burden wood. This natural setting would be a natural class for children to develop their oral language by sharing their ideas and experiences. The teacher might encourage occasional pauses for during the walk, moments of silence that allow children to listen to the natural sounds of the environment. Nature presents a different form of communication, like the wind whispering to the trees, the river murmuring to itself, and the birds singing. Nature invites children to practice deep listening, which cultivates an awareness of the acoustic environment with all senses (The Center for Deep Listening, 2021). This practice allows children to listen with curiosity and embrace uncertainty.

Clay in the forest drew people’s attention to the land we are living in, which reminds me of the experiences of hiking in different national parks in Victoria. Some of the trails were filled clay soil, where eaves, flowers, or animal poos adhered to its surface. Especially in the rainforest areas, muddy clay greeted our shoes. Clay, it seemed, accepted everything that came into contact with it or passed through it. It was a silent witness to the stories of the forest. 

Inspired by these thoughts and experiences, I suggest an opportunity for children to engage with clay. A piece of clay shown below picture can be placed on each low table for children to reach out. Alongside the clay, an assortment of colored beans, representing various types of natural materials, would be made available for the children to explore. The children would have choices. They could play with the clay, feeling its movements and sculpting it into their own visions. Alternatively, they could choose to embed the beans in the clay, simulating a ground environment, a world of their own creation. The beauty of this activity lies in its open-ended nature, allowing children to play and explore these materials in their own unique ways, nurturing their creativity and connecting them to the wonder of the earth.

The practice of deep listening can teach children how to know how to calm down, how to engage all their senses in the act of listening, and how to embrace meaningful connections. In the early childhood center, I highly recommend the ‘Rainbow Breath Song’, a tune filled with lively rhythms that are easy for children to follow. With each verse, children would take a deep breath, a simple yet powerful way to encourage a sense of calm. Focusing on their breath not only serves as a method of soothing but also enhances their concentration. Although children under the age of 5 usually hard to stay still for a moment, practicing deep breathing can lead to improved focus and self-regulation. 

The video example I presented below was part of the ‘Rainbow Breath Song’. The whole song offers seven opportunities to take deep breaths. The teacher could divide children into different groups, each group responding to one sentence of the song. This interactive approach would encourage children to practice patience while developing their deep listening skills. They would learn the art of waiting and breathing simultaneously.  

When our tutor, Kelly, took us on a journey through reading several children’s books in class, which is much more interesting than I read by myself. She combined her oral language with expressive body postures, facial expressions, and eye contact to communicate with students. The stories she shared were not mere words on paper but living, breathing narratives that leaped off the pages. Each of us, I believed, had our own unique interpretation when listening to the story, just as Shakespeare wrote “There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people’s eyes.” I felt curious about the storyline when listening to the story. 

A visit to the State of Library Victoria brought to my attention to a delightful revelation about children’s literature. I noticed some picture books were designed for children from all over the world. These books transcended language barriers, allowing children to understand and connect with the stories simply by gazing at the pictures. Some children’s books even embraced magnifiers, offering an opportunity for those who cannot read.

One book, “Where is the green sheep?” (Fox, 2004) can be utilized during group reading time in the early childhood setting. The book has a simple storyline about different coloured sheep doing different things. This book has the potential to inspire children to learn different colors and activities. The teacher can first read the story to children, inviting them to immerse themselves in its world. Following the reading, the children can participate in a role-play activity. Each child chooses a sheep character and an activity he or she wishes to enact. This interactive approach would empower children to bring the story to life in their unique way, fostering creativity and imagination. 

To extend this exploration, educators can invite children to share their experiences in the end. For instance, educators can ask some open-ended questions, ‘How do you feel when you hold different materials in your hands?’ or ‘Would you like to share your work?’ These questions encourage children to communicate with oral language.

To make this experience more accessible and enticing, we set up the materials -  edible watercolor paint palettes, beans, leaves, and various natural materials – on a low table, ensuring they are visible and within reach. Around each table, four or five children gather to share materials. Moreover, children are welcome to explore beyond our provided materials, going outdoors to collect their own natural materials, further expanding their creativity. Each child is offered a piece of white paper, and they have the flexibility to choose their workspace, such as on the floor or on the table, providing them the freedom to move around comfortably. This artful journey offers an opportunity for self-expression.