As I am standing there in between the trees, it felt like I was in a movie, where the trees have invited me to dance and move along with the motions of the swaying trees, I felt a special connection with the nature around me, I learnt the importance of how we should be grateful to have this beautiful world we share alongside with everyone in the world, where there is music or sounds "we want to move, no matter the way we wiggle, dance, or sway, we can't overlook the ways that music supports the development of fine and gross motor skills" (5 Reasons Why Music Is Important for Child Development, 2022)

As I am surrounded by nature, I felt a sense of happiness and peace, it reminded me of my childhood, where I spent hours and hours at the park, playing with my siblings and cousins, which is why "outdoors was "the place" to play" (Wilson, R. A, 2018, p. 2). It is a place where children can really be themselves, and fulfil their imaginations, outdoors have no limitations. Children can dance and sing along to these nature sounds however they desire and no one will ever judge them. I personally think it's good to be a child again, you are stress free and have fun with what you are doing.

As children are playing outside, they are also enabling themselves to connect with nature, they will be able to engage their five sense when playing outside, they will be able to build a sense of acquaintance with their experiences outdoors, such as the trees, children will be able to see how trees moves and sounds like.

I can smell the humid ground, from the night before it had rained. I saw many ducks wandering around and a large breeding swan, which seemed very angry I was invading their space. The sounds of the birds chirping reminded me that they are trying to create a song or are guiding other birds to safety as there may be danger amongst them.

The sounds of the birds chirping makes me feel at peace and safe. I love hearing the birds chirp, it reminds me of when I was a child, where I went to school early and I would play on the playground while I waited for class to start, this was a chance for me to play with my friends. We had a bridge on the playground and we would pretend that one person was a crocodile and the rest of us would have to try and escape the crocodile, whilst playing I would hear the birds chirping and I loved it.

Any type of sounds and music brings memories for us all, and for children they are able to "establish a meaningful and emotional relation the the subject matter - the content of the project" (Edwards et al., 2019, p. 7). No matter what they are doing, the sounds and music will always create a memory for them.

By doing this I was able to feel active and creative, the movements of swishing my feet back and forth made me feel joyful, as I am doing this I am along the lake to which I can smell the lake water and see the ducks looking at me. It is an opportunity for children to do what I did, create anything they desire with the resources nature has given us. I believe children are capable, they have their own minds and they know what they are doing.

There are physical benefits of dance-play for children, they are able to "develop upper body strength to aid in control for writing" (Creative Dance-Play for Early childhood, 2020). As a future educator, I would like implement dance-play as the "act of stillness when making shapes helps children to understand their impulse to move" (Dance, Teaching Ideas, 2020). This type of activity will help children learn to be calm within themselves and they will be able to explore and be confident in what they are doing.

In the moment of walking, as I search for a stick to use as a wand, I see that sticks come in different lengths and widths. There are thin, thick, long and short sticks everywhere on the ground and they have rough feeling to them. As I am role playing, it reminded me of my childhood. I loved to role play with my cousin outside, we would pretend we were in a maze and had to find a way to escape.

Each child has a different way of learning and therefore as an educator we need to be flexible and accomodate to children. We have to teach children to be confident in what they are doing. Which brings me to a point from Tania, where she talks about how we remain quiet out of fear of criticism (Tedx Talks, 2014). As a child, I feel as I have always been judged for having a "deeper voice", I was always afraid of public speaking, as I feared of what everyone would think about my voice. However, overtime I have learnt that it is okay. Everyone has their own opinions, but it doesn't matter what they think of you. As long as you are happy with what you are doing then you are doing an excellent job. Therefore, as a future educator, I want children to be able to be confident and have pride in themselves of who they are, which is drama comes into a huge role where children are inclined to act and the statement for Tania is something I would like to keep through my teaching practices.

The sound of water makes me feel at peace, I also enjoy the sounds of rain at night as it is like a white noise for me, it assists me with my sleeping. As I'm sitting here, I see ducks swimming by, doing whatever they desire and I can also smell the damp soil that adheres to the water.

Sounds and music "impacts our ability to connect with one another" (Dr. Ibrahim, 2019). This statement aligns with my belief, I think music and sounds are great way to create a special bond with one another. I personally as a child have connected a lot with people through music, I'd like to talk about the latest music that has been released or if we have the same taste in the music.

As a future educator, I am inspired to build a Reggio Environment. My role of an educator is to "follow student interest and inquiry and to prepare an environment that matches the zone of proximal development" (Vygotsky, 1978). As I am aware that every child learns differently and that some prefer hands-on learning or use of physical things, as an educator, I'd like to make an effort to meet the needs of each individual student.

Edwards, C. P., Gandini, L., & Forman, G. E. (2011). The hundred languages of children : the Reggio Emilia experience in transformation. Praeger, Cop.

How music affects your baby’s brain: Mini Parenting Master Class. (2019). Www.unicef.org. https://www.unicef.org/parenting/child-development/how-music-affects-your-babys-brain-class#:~:text=Music%20at%20early%20ages%20helps

Tedx Talks. (2018) Movement, Sound, Play | Artifact Dance Project | TEDxTucson. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrgpeuPbp-I

Wilson, R. (2018). Nature and Young Children Encouraging Creative Play and Learning in Natural Environments https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315148533/nature-young-children-ruth-wilson

5 Reasons Why Music is Important for Child Development. (2022, November 14). https://kidscareclub.com/why-music-is-important-for-child-development/