Age group: 3-4

Resources: maraca, rattle/tambourine (metallic sound), printed visual of train

Key vocabulary: train, station, all aboard, conductor, go, hear, sound

Learning: Learning Outcome 5 (Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF*)) focuses on the importance of communication in building social resilience through opportunities to engage in interactions with peers, sharing of ideas and expressing thoughts and feelings through various tools and media including music/sound. Longevity in literacy learning is underpinned by language and oral skills acquired in these experiences.

Key skills: literacy, audio recognition, reproduction of sounds, confidence, metacognition

Instructions:

Find a quiet and focused area to sit down with the children. While they gather and settle, practice some sound patterns more quietly to check for curiosity and any natural inclinations toward the sound. Once everyone is settled, ask children to close their eyes and listen carefully to the rhythmic sound. Then ask questions about the sound like: what does this sound like, can you hear the beat, what could it be, is it a train? Hand the shakers and tambourines to the children and practice taking turns with the instruments. Guide rhythm with hand over hand if needed and visually support with hand clap gestures or keeping time with own instrument or tapping stick.

Adaptations: If our children with hearing impairment(s) show interest in joining, hold their hand in yours, palm up and tap the shaker into gently their hand. Use body percussion to tap the rhythm the other children are exploring and use visuals to reinforce understandings about the train, where we are going or introduce toy animals.

*(AGDE, 2022).

Although electric train sounds (from my on-Country visit) differ so much from train sounds, I wanted to explore and build on children’s prior knowledge of what they perceived to be train sounds and what they could connect this to in their own life.

Pedagogical, theoretical and experiential elements

Embedding multisensory approaches into learning enriches experiences for children. Victor Zupanc’s enthusiastic video on making Foley art (Children's Theatre Company, 2020) reminded me of how we can create sounds from the simplest of household objects, these Foley sounds deepen film experiences in the cinema and can similarly impact how children feel and engage with learning in the classroom and make experiences more fun and inspiring. Schafer (New, 2009) perceives sound as a unique collection of elements (soundscape) that both enrich life and are “miraculous”. To find this magic he believes you need to move into quieter spaces and “listen carefully and marvel”. The skill of listening closely to sounds near and far can help children tap into the present and slow down (Gano & Krull, 2020) which fosters skills of self-regulation, resilience and extends opportunities for sensory acquisition and meaning making. Using our imaginations to invent where we were  are going and what we would see gave us an opportunity to connect with place and picture where on Country we could be and what animals and nature we could potentially see there. These organic conversations also give interesting clues into children’s interests for exploring in other experiences.

Tom: “My brother went on one…normal one - (not a steam train) doors closed, Dad stuck on the outside, Luke was screaming.”

Cadence: “Daddy going on train in airport… India …. Was sleeping and … red train”, she recounts excitedly and repeats the ideas a few times.

Isa: “To the shop”.

Jaimi: So, from my story, remember there were trees, who can stretch their arms up up up and scrape the sky with their fingers?

Children copy my actions, I drag out the instructions, repeating the ones we need to fully stretch and to ensure everyone has a go

Jaimi: What if… you are a leaf that drops off the tree and floats alllll the way down to the ground, can everyone lay on the floor, I am the wind… I am blowing you around (wind sounds with my breath and hand gestures), be a leaf and blow in the wind

The children wriggle and float around on their bodies across the mat

Jaimi: Can you hear it, choo choo!, the train is coming, who wants to come with me?

I stand up and say: I am the engine, who wants to be the driver, Tom hops up, and I guide him to stand behind me, Layla and Isa move right into place, and children leave activity table to join us as we move around the room, stop, fetch things, make jokes and then reform. Eventually the train heads back to the station (the mat) and we all become leaves again and finish with a stretch, children autonomously started directing one another into shapes like a triangle.

Age group: 3-4

Resources: Quiet space, utilise mindful/meditative storytelling, sensory fidgets for focus, wobble cushions for focus, printed visual of silhouetted tree, leaf from the garden

Key vocabulary: listen, stretch, imagine, lean, train, can you?

Learning: The Being element in Learning Outcome 1 – (EYLF*) reminds us to help children focus on the here and now and helps children develop their identity through positive interactions, autonomy and time to exercise their choices and ideas.

Key skills: Numeracy (symbols, shapes), Literacy (vocabulary, communication), Gross motor (rolling, walking, animating).

Instructions:

Begin with a story or retelling. Introduce, model and guide 2-3 yoga poses connecting with a shape from nature/the story. Invite children to move their bodies. Delegate roles on the train if need be. Scaffold negotiations and help children navigate conflicts.

Adaptations:

Emotional needs: use sensory toys for children who require extra focus, ensure mobility equipment is nearby for around the room movement (Chad’s walker) and that furniture is reset for easy movement, utilise gentle physical guidance with verbal prompts for our children with physical disabilities if they do not response to prompts to reach up, sway or roll.

*(AGDE, 2022).

The connection here is fairly concrete, the idea of the train and the journey that can occur became central to the experience. My initial experience on country inspired the idea of what the actual journey could entail and the children became the architects.

Pedagogical, theoretical and experiential elements

I intentionally placed the activity outdoors right from the reading of the story on the veranda right through to the ‘train journey’. Children are less inhibited outdoors and it’s an ideal opportunity to be with place. There is unmatched unpredictability and opportunity for self-expression and children are said to be more assertive and playful outdoors. In saying this, natural environments tend to promote better difference resolution and less frequent aggressive behaviours occur (Wilson, 2007). Because “the quality of play also tends to be richer in natural environments” (Wilson, 2007, p.8) I wanted to initiate the idea of the train but allow the children to govern the direction of the journey, the stops along the way and the introduction of elements from the yard (from the land), like the ‘food’ which utilised sand, gumnuts and branches. I loved that Isa simply decided we absolutely had to have food while the others were engaged in collecting dinosaurs. The autonomy and then engagement with natural elements to symbolise her idea showed me that anything can be anything during play outside and how complex and rich the play becomes when staged outdoors instead of inside (Wallin, 2019).

Another child Isa outside of our experience yells out “Chugga chugga, choo choo!”

I ask: What can you see from the train? (I keep the rattle going and Jay copies me with his maraca)

Jay: “Animals… a cow!”

Layla: “Daddy… see animals… lion.”

I shake the rattle louder, Jay says: “It sounds like wheels.”

I say loudly, the conductor says… “All aboard” – Jay says again, clearly enjoying these ideas.

Jaimi: Where do we want to go on the train?

Jay: “I want to go on a holiday.”

Miller: “To the zoo.”

Otis: “Choo choo.”

Jay: “On a holiday.”

Jaimi: Where are we going Layla?

Layla: “Home.”

Isa: “All aboard, choom choom, chugga chugga.”

The passengers seemed to be getting distracted and so I said: What can we see from the train, should we stop and jump off?

Layla: “Dinosaurs!” (runs over to the dinosaur basket)

Isa: “I want to…”

Jay insisting: “All aboard!”

Isa (continuing): “We got dinosaurs… hang on I need to get food” – returns with a toy bucket filled with sand, gumnuts, rocks and gumnuts from the sandpit and yard.

Arno (is sitting on the ‘train’ when we return): “All aboard”

I wanted to share the sights and sounds of my experience of waiting for the train and transport the children to where I was in a shared experience of place.

Pedagogical, theoretical and experiential elements

Inspired by the river-like quiet still awareness of Dadirri (Ungunmerr, 1988) I began by using a low and curious tone of voice to really slow things down during the retelling of my waiting for the train and what I felt and saw, I would pause and ask children if they had felt that before and listen to their responses. When I felt the concentration drifting, I would ask them to close their eyes and imagine what I was saying, could they feel it, is the train coming? The intention behind this activity was to use mindfulness to set the scene and then use our bodies to settle into the themes and ideas before more active play occurred. The seated reaching (like a tree) shapes helped children shed excess energy and ‘becoming’ a leaf rolling around on the floor helped children settle into the joy and silliness of the experience. I loved that it was an opportunity for us to connect to nature and to place as well as helping them feel and understand their bodies in stillness, movement and space (Dance Teaching Ideas, n.d.). After sometime I asked if we should make a train with our bodies and collect passengers, this exploded into a flurry of movement, sounds, imagination and creativity as we collaborated and experimented with ideas as a train, an engine, stopping, starting and figuring out our journey and destination.

Age group: 3-4

Resources: Book: “The Moonlight Train Ride” (Shirley Barber), maraca, rattle/tambourine, play equipment

Key vocabulary: train, station, passengers, everyone, go, where, see

Learning: Learning Outcome 4 (EYLF*) promotes collaboration through connecting children with opportunities to collaborate with peers, scenarios, objects and places to foster exploration, experimentation, questioning that builds a growth mindset and social reflexivity.

Key skills: collaboration, reciprocal rights and responsibilities, ideas are valued

Instructions:

Begin by reading a focus story about trains and an adventure to stimulate imagination and curiosity. Then invite children to choose which play equipment we use as the train. Delegate roles if they do not happen naturally. Help children navigate the roles, their value and responsibilities to the group. Guide the interactions during play if necessary, help learners resolve conflict or introduce constructive strategies for inviting others to play, making space on the equipment and encourage inclusivity and role sharing.

Adaptations: If any of our children with mobility issues would like to join in and being on the equipment is not possible, create a ‘trailer’ or ‘sidecar’ and delegate a buddy to join them in this area of the train, ensure they have a role of choice and feel included. Keep the reading resource close by to have visuals to prompt engagement for hard of hearing individuals and to round out the idea of roles, travel/destination, adventure and spark imagination.

*(AGDE, 2022).

I left the experience feeling it had been overly simple, I had not yet engaged with the Sensorium Theatre webinar but once I did, I realized that simplicity is often the best and that experiences can be built on and extended over multiple sessions, which will be my aim going forward.

I did not expect the introduction of ideas of a holiday and animals that linked to place which was surprising, children have an interesting way of directing experiences in new trajectories and reflexivity as an educator gave me the opportunity to pause and allow for conversations to unfold about place and ideas that connect the children to place.

I would like to incorporate more sensory elements to this type of experience in the future that connect to weather (water, wind). But also, I would like to connect these train journeys to visuals and potential inquiry projects about actual on Country places like Uluru (NT) or Ochre Pits (SA) through texts, visuals and artefacts.

Extension: We are going to draw what we “saw” in our minds eye from the train (holiday/animals etc).

The children struggled to delegate roles, stick to their roles and moderate their volume so as not to yell in one another’s ears. The group is also one that usually don’t play together, they had joined into a game centred around an adult (me) who had prompted activity. Next time I may identify a child keen on leading and withdraw myself from the experience sooner to allow more freedom of play and less adulteration/agenda from me.

Extension: Play ended spontaneously and children engaged in other activities. Interestingly the theme of trains surfaced multiple times during the week, children initiated and collaborated on various play experiences of their own where I noticed trains centred concepts, sounds and dramas were prolific.

What ended up occurring was more authentic and organic. As I told the story I responded to the emotions and reactions (facial, gestures, conversations) that bubbled up in the children and adapted the direction of the experience and what happened next based on the children’s needs. I noticed how engaged and calm Tom became as I drew him into the story with eye contact and vocal tone, his usual disruptive behaviour shifted into hyper focus and he was ‘in the retelling with me’.

Cadence struggles with language a little and babbles, but she was so excited to share her train musings and memories with me when I posed questions, this level of engagement surprised me and initially I felt it to be a distraction or disruption, but allowing her agency and voice connected her with ideas of place and fostered connection with the group promoting belonging.

Extension: Provide more yoga focused activities that contain storytelling (mindfulness and imagination) and then combine movement and fun.