Paper, oh paper, what can you do?

You can scrunch, crunch, and rip in two.

You fold and mould, creating new shapes,

And when folded right, you can take flight and soar.

With a little imagination, you can be a hat,

A paper crown for a little brother and lots more.

You can hold notes, lists, and memories,

And keep them safe for all to see.

And let's not forget the recycled stuff,

That gives you a new life when times life becomes duff.

Oh paper, you're more than just a sheet,

You're a nifty material that can't keep still.

From the written words to art and more,

I’ll remember that your more, that's for sure.

 

The exhibition brochure, Material encounters (Kind 14). Highlights the movement and potential of different materials, including paper, and how paying attention to their properties and movements can enhance our understanding and relationship with them. This made me curious about the various ways in which paper can be used.

 

Recently, I gave each child a piece of paper and allowed them to freely express themselves. I observed how the paper was torn, scrunched into balls, and folded into paper planes. Some children asked for scissors and textas. This experience made me realize the importance of allowing children to express and explore in their own unique ways, as it promotes their learning and development. By providing children with different materials and opportunities to experiment and manipulate them, we can foster their creativity through hands-on exploration and discovery. It also helps them understand the properties and movements of the materials we provide.

 

As I move forward, I recognize the need to let go of preconceived expectations and allow more natural creativity and curiosity of children to guide their own learning experiences. By providing open-ended materials and opportunities for exploration, children can develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for the world around them. It's crucial for me to value and encourage their individual expressions, as children have unique perspectives and ways of interacting with materials. By doing so, we can support their holistic development.

Personally, when playing with the clay it gave me a sense of calmness, I rolled it, squashed, and squeezed it. I created without the pressure of having to produce a perfect final product. It wasn’t until I wanted to do my stop motion, I felt discouraged by the fact that I couldn’t get the outcome of the clay perfect.

So, this made me think about when I am working with children, it's important to encourage them to experiment and explore with clay without placing too much focus on the final product. Like me, this can help children feel more relaxed and creative, and can also lead to unexpected and exciting results. Looking forward from now on I will embrace the imperfections and more free play that focuses on the process, rather than giving them instructions to follow, let them come up with their own ideas and follow where their imagination and see where curiosity takes them. Providing a variety of tools and materials from natural, recycled and purposely made. The setting may change from indoor to outdoor depending on the weather.

I can also use clay to capture and document a child's interactions with clay. By observing a child's engagement with the clay, taking notes, and documenting their journey through photos or videos, I can gain a deeper understanding of their learning, development, and interests. This information then can then be used to support me in creating an environment that is responsive to each child. While I display their finished product, children can gain a sense of pride and accomplishment. It provides a visual representation of their learning and creativity. With their work out on show it can encourage children to revisit the project, children can then see that learning is an ongoing, evolving process, rather than a fixed ending. After the clay activity, I can encourage a child or children to reflect on their experience. Asking them questions about what they enjoyed, what they found challenging, and what they learned and what will we do differently next time.

 

“Pedagogical narration is a useful tool for critically reflecting on, and creating curriculum that builds on, the multiple and emergent influences of children’s relationships with social and material worlds’ (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2015) This statement from Journeys: Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Practices through Pedagogical Narration  Tells the value for reflecting critically on children's learning and development in the context of their relationships with the social and material worlds. It recognizes Children's learning and development are shaped by a range of factors, including their relationships, environment, and the materials they interact with, including clay.

 

The philosophy of the 100 Languages of Reggio Emilia is highly relevant in early childhood education as it recognises that children have multiple ways of expressing themselves beyond verbal language (Carolyn Pope Edwards, Lella Gandini, and Forman, 2012). By offering a wide variety of sensory play, such as painting with hands or other body parts, we can provide opportunities for children to engage their senses, develop fine and gross motor skills, and express themselves in non-verbal ways. It can even bring children together who may share the same interests but don’t usually engage.

In conclusion when children are given the chance to freely explore and play with materials like paper, paint, clay, and light, it can really boost their engagement, curiosity, and overall development. It's super important to create an environment where they feel supported and encouraged to express themselves in their own unique ways. Keeping track of their interests and learning through pedagogical narration can help me improve my teaching practice and make sure I'm providing the best experiences for them. Remembering that the process is more important than the end result, and embracing imperfections, can help kids take risks, experiment, and express themselves freely. I'm pumped to use this newfound knowledge to create a fun and imaginative environment for all!

Light play is a magnificent way for children to see things from a different perspective, light allows children to explore and experience materials and their environment in a unique and captivating way. Not only does it capitalize on children’s curiosity to build scientific ideas as they engaged in predicting, investigating, observing, comparing, and contrasting but also prioritizes children's active engagement, curiosity, and sense of discovery, allowing them to construct their own understanding of the world through hands-on experiences (Brown, 2022). 

 With the school holidays I was unable to involve the children, but I thought about what I offer already within my service. I thought again is my environment setup to reach the potential for all children?  With all the options we have, such as light table and resources, overhead projector, and a disco ball. I feel there is a lot more I can discover with light play and the way to interact with children. Through class discussions and sharing of ideas I feel more confident in challenging myself in implementing light play into my practice. Getting creative with a recycled box and fairy lights or moving the coloured see through blocks from the light table and placing them on the windowsill?  I feel by rearranging the environment and offering new ways for children to engage with materials, I can promote an active engagement, curiosity, and sense of discovery.