My Own Country visit by Sangita Deb Roy

1. Dancing Gum Trees

sangitadebroy1 — 2025-04-06 12:44:37 UTC

My own country visit is a place where I walk past almost every day. I generally walk there with my furry boy Archie. I feel I am a living alien amongst the flora and fauna. During my own country visit in the wetland I became deeply aware of the richness of the nature, because each time I walk I do not stop but this time it was purposeful. I felt the wind brush against my skin and was able to even hear the gum leaves rustling and I was intently listening to the chirping of the birds which were very different. As it was nearly evening I could hear the croaking of the frogs too. I saw the gum trees swinging in response to the breeze and soaking in the moist air. The little drizzle of water on the soil were awakening my sense of smell as I stood. This reminded me of my country and my childhood where the first shower of rain after some parched summer days evoked such memories.

This experience also evoked a calmness within me and made me connect to nature so closely. At times I did feel that the leaves and the cloudy sky were playing hide and seek as I admired the movement of the winds on the leaves. Not only nature’s playfulness entices me, I was able to hear the sound of the wind along with the birds, leaves, frogs and the community road. When the wind was stronger, it felt more powerful as it brushed not only on my phone but it reminded me of some drum beats and the sounds of from a hollow bamboo in the space.

2.Interpretive Dance with poem

sangitadebroy1 — 2025-04-06 13:20:57 UTC

I was so impressed by the movement of the dancing gum trees that this experience transported me to childhood memories running through field lying beneath the trees when we visited our grandmas countryside orchard during our summer holidays.

Inspired by the sounds of nature, I created a small poem that personified the existence of the gum tree in the wetland. It reinforced my belief of staying connected in the moment and to listen deeply to what nature has to offer to you. I was highly inspired by Dadirri's video where it teaches us to live in the moment to stay connected to our roots. The different sounds in the nature was therapeutic to my ears and calmed my senses. My poem with different voice annotations will justify that the elements of wind, the rustling of leaves, the singing of the birds along with the strong gust of winds inspired from my Country walk has created a symphony of soundscapes. I realised how deeply children experience the world through sensory processing that nature provides a living responsive environment for creativity. This align with Wilson’s 2012 who emphasise that natural species foster curiosity creativity and sensory rich learning.

As I kept watching the movement of the gum leaves and the clattering of gum nuts, in my video artefact, I captured my emotion in the natural beauty of wetland, the footage showcases moving leaves and branches. I noticed the subtle interplay movement of little creatures too and all the movements were well coordinated with the movement of the wind. The sound reinforcing the idea that movement and music all are in symphony and artistic expression. I deeply connect this to children's moods and behaviours that are impacted by the Educators mode of expression. A very expressive teacher who could understand deeply the intent of a child will connect with the them in various ways to make the moment enjoyable just like the wind and leaves playing a game of hide and seek in nature. These non human elements play an important role in shaping our thought processes and become our third teacher. I was mesmerised by the speaker Tania de Jong in her ted talk where she emphasizes the importance of being recognised and being inclusive. She talks about how each one of us could be an inspiration to many others and that singing together helps our brains to function better. My dance movements synchronised with my poetry is a small expression of the movement of the gum tree and the joy it is spreading in unison with the other elements of nature.

3.Wind and it's Play

sangitadebroy1 — 2025-04-06 13:26:32 UTC

My interpretations of breathing with the wind mirror the winds dynamic changes translating gusts into fast terms and still listen to pauses. A rhythm in the body became a medium of expression guided by sensory box.
As I started fantasizing in the moment I myself became the child sometime who would be oblivious of the surroundings they are in. Children do not have the inhibitions and judgements of each others ideas and expressions. They enjoy in the play pretending to be a character that emerges from their own ideas. As I personified myself as the wind in the video here, I was able to be in it's character to meddle around with the trees, the leaves the sky and the clouds. I was oblivious at that moment as an adult too as no one was watching me. I would have felt somewhat uncomfortable to present a dance or a play if I had viewers who could observe my actions. This drama opportunity with children could be immersed into outdoor learning when nature becomes their classroom according to John Dewey and nature encouraging imaginative uncensored play. My experience affirm that children learn holistically when engaged in multisensory interactions with nature true imagery and poetry with the wind animated the trees much like creative Play breeds life into learning. The soft flute notes and rhythmic percussions the winds song music. This Diana and Sharon‘s argument that natural sensory learning enhances children’s emotional and cognitive engagement. Many early childhood settings prioritise structured activities over open ended outdoor play and I would like to promote more nature based creative experience for artistic development, natural sensory learning and create opportunities that emphasises the importance of natural environments that stimulate Deep sensory engagement helping children develop a strong sense of place and belonging.

I have not only deepened my understanding of sounds and the intermingling of natural elements that play a drama in the nature. The shape of artistic expression to these experiences reaffirm that children thrive in environments when nature creativity and Play intersect ensuring that the deeply feel connected when given the opportunity to be free of adult instigation.

4. Reference List

sangitadebroy1 — 2025-04-06 14:00:06 UTC

Gano, D., & Krull, S. (2020, July). Natural Sensory Learning. Www.communityplaythings.com. https://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/natural-sensory-learning

How singing together changes the brain: Tania de Jong AM at TEDxMelbourne. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. https://youtu.be/I_HOBr8H9EM

MiriamRoseFoundation. (2017). DADIRRI (Official Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Video) :: 3 minute promo. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tow2tR_ezL8

Wilson, R. A. (2012). Nature and young children : encouraging creative play and learning in natural environments. Routledge.

Langley, S. (n.d.). Memories of the past.