Title: Nature’s Dance and Songs: Birds Fly, Trees Rustle, Sunlight Dances:

I often noticed, there are some bird feathers in the kinder yard. Today I am going to tell them “did anyone notice these(pointing to the feathers) Oh, where do they come from and who left it out? Children going to see and lift up and talk about it.

Children will be encouraged to listen attentively to the chirping and cooing of birds and pigeons in the trees. To encourage deeper listening and exploration, I will ask open-ended questions like, 'How do birds make these sounds?' children will experience the sound of wings flapping, particularly during departure times. This sensory experience will encourage children to imitate birds singing vocally. For example, children will try to make birds sound softer to louder, and louder to softer. 

Beyond birds, children will listen to the sounds of the trees.  We will explore the whooshing and rustling of leaves, the howling of the wind, and the gentle sounds of a breeze.  Children will be encouraged to differentiate between these sounds and consider what causes them.

Children will experience sunlight dancing across their faces, how sunlight peeking through the trees and clouds passing over the sun, creating cloudy or shadowy skies. children will see the bird's movement such as birds are hopping, searching for food using their beaks, and looking at each other when they are in next to each other. I would inspire children to spread their arms wide and flap them like wings, imagining themselves soaring through the sky while makes chirping or cooing sounds like pigeons do. I would encourage children to hop on one leg, then the other, mimicking the way a bird hops. Children can pretend to be birds searching for food by pecking at the ground with their fingers or using sticks to poke around. Children could stand tall with their arms outstretched imitating the shape of a tree and sway gently from side to side. Children can close their eyes and sway gently back and forth, imagining themselves as blades of grass rustling in the breeze.

Title: The Freedom of Play: Exploring Nature Through Song, Dance, and Drama

AT2 connection:

The activities I organised with children at my workplace and my observation of nature for assignment 2 are intrinsically connected. Both activities demonstrate the value of engaging with nature and foster an appreciation for our environment. Through both activities, I experienced the vibrant world of birds—watching them hop, busy with their daily routines, listening to their songs and the flapping of their wings. I also explored their movements through dramatic play. I also witnessed the beautiful dance of sunlight and clouds, and the amazing movements of trees and grasses, accompanied by rustling, whooshing, and shooting sounds. In both activities, I used dramatic play to explore the movements and sounds of birds. For example, in one activity, children discovered a feather and, realizing it came from a bird, began acting like birds, trees, and observing the interplay of sunlight and clouds. Similarly, for my AT2 assignment, I imagined birds having conversations and sharing their thoughts, creating another dramatic and comparable experiences.

Unit resource connections: 

This children's experience aligns with a theory of “daddiri”. It teaches us, to enjoy the present moment and make connections with nature are important for our lives. This activity with children gives us a break from our busy lives, sometimes we need to slow down and connect ourselves with the world around us. ( MiriamRoseFoundation, 2017). 

 The children's activities beautifully illustrate Dr. Kilby's "Parallaxes" theory, which highlights the importance of movement, storytelling, and role-play. As they explored the yard, the children noticed details like bird feathers, which encouraged them to storytelling through motion and movement. They then engaged in role-play, pretending to be birds and trees, moving accordingly. 

This outdoor activity resonated with the video "The Atelier - The School Without Walls," particularly its emphasis on the authentic and diverse relationships that children form with nature. This activity was truly joyful. ( The Atelier, 2018). 

Title: How Singing and Dancing Can Create Dramatic Moments

Children discovered feathers in the yard, identified them as belonging to birds, observed the birds, and theorized about how the feathers were lost. Children pretended to be birds, trees and long grasses, hop in one foot and then another, made birds sound, poking with sticks, pretending to be birds searching for worms, talked about sunlight engaged in imaginative play throughout the yard, even noticed the sky and clouds.

Their imagination and pretended around like birds went a little longer than I expected. 

The transition from spotting the birds to pretending to be a bird is not smooth enough. Some of the children still watchthe birds instead of hopping like a bird. 

The ‘tree’ role play was initiated by 2 children. Other children were just watching them. 

Next time I will organize some magnifying glasses to help them to search for birds, feathers or seeds (bird foods) andinclude songs to inspire them to fly like birds, stand like trees, and observe the sky.

For the role-play activity, I would set up some scarves and ribbons to represent the swaying and flying movements. 

I might consider requesting an additional staff member to ensure a smoother and more engaging activity.

I can apply this learning in my future practice by asking open ended questions, this technique will help children to think critically, express their ideas etc. Using natural resources like feathers, read birds related books, incorporating dramatic play and knowing about children's interest will enhance the exploration and curiosity. 

Engaging with the unit content and tasks significantly makes me move, as Victor Wooten said, music is a powerful learning resource. Learning isn’t restricted by time and space. (The Atelier, 2018).

From this unit I learned Connect with nature is important to enjoy our daily life. Nature has a power to make us feel happy, emphatic and creative. I understand the importance of pretend play, imaginative friend, role play, make relationship for learning and power of nature. More complex, collaborative and pretend play are better able to regulate their emotions and implement creative problem-solving (Hoffman & Russ, 2012). Thinking outside the box is important. Singing allows us to express ourselves freely, and it can contribute to improved mood, reduced stress, and increased creativity. ( Ted, 2013). 

Through movement and drama children learn about their bodies and around their world. Children build holistic development such as physical, emotional, cognitive, social and communication skills through an active and engaging education.