On the day I went for my visit, the wind was very strong, and the tides were a bit higher than usual. The beach looked full of life.

When filming the video from the shoreline, I could hear the wind roaring in my ears, tides swaying, rustling of leaves on the trees, along with vehicles driving, and people talking to each other in the distance.

This made me aware of the impact the place had on my body and made me feel connected to the country/place as it reminded me that the area I was standing on was still active, alive, and moving.

There was a little bit of drama, too, as my body was trying to balance itself as the wind was pushing me towards the water, while the continuous change in the tides was trying to catch me. In that moment, all three components, music, movement, and drama, existed simultaneously to create a beautiful response.

This experience provided me a strong sense of freedom . I felt as if I had no responsibilities in the world, and I was as free as the wind and waves. At some points, I was unbalanced from spinning too much and was afraid that the cold water would catch me, but I was successful in avoiding getting wet. Overall, this experience made me release the stress I didn't know I was carrying, and it felt like the beach was urging me to join instead of just observing.

This event also reminded me of when I was a child and would go to a river near my house in my own country. I used to spend a lot of my time there, throwing stones in the river, watching the river flow, and walking along the riverbank. It was a different experience compared to the beach, but the feelings/emotions were very similar. As a child, I liked splashing water and jump in the river; reviving this memory helped me understand how children comprehend sound, movement, and drama in nature and how such unstructured moments invite creativity, joy, and happiness.

Similarly, it also reminded me that children don't need planned activities or a lot of materials for the play to be meaningful. As per Wilson(2018), living things and other natural elements give children varied opportunities to feel, smell, see, hear, and taste. My movement at the beach surely demonstrated how such sensations translate into dramatic movement and sound. Moreover, Wilson(2007) states, "play engages all the senses as powerful modes of learning"(p.3), highlighting that play itself is a part of learning.

This idea is further reflected in Dadirri practice, which encourages deep listening practices as a way to connect to the environment, explaining how attentiveness and presence create a creative expression (Miriam Rose Foundation, 2017). This idea guided the way I paid attention to the wind and water. Ultimately, this is also related to the Reggio Emilia philosophy that the environment acts as a "third teacher " in children's learning.

In most early childhood practices, learning is still bound to specific outcomes, and creative play is undervalued and often not given much priority compared to academic tasks. However, I truly believe that when children are allowed to interact with nature, express themselves through arts of movement, storytelling, dance, and music, they engage in the deepest form of learning,

My reflection also suggests a shift towards valuing improvisation, deep listening, and unplanned play. While music, drama, and dance are often practised beforehand for a polished product, I strongly believe shifting our view towards not planning plays/ arts and especially letting children interact with nature for their arts will help them remain connected to the place and encourage artistic exploration. My goal in the future is to promote a learning environment that nurtures curiosity and imagination, where nature becomes the central part of their learning journey!

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

Oliveros, P. (2015). The Difference between Hearing and Listening | Pauline Oliveros | TEDxIndianapolis [YouTube Video]. On YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QHfOuRrJB8

Wilson, R. A. (2007). Children, creative play, and the natural environment. In Nature and young children: Encouraging creative play and learning in natural environments (pp. 1–18). Routledge. https://vucollaborate.vu.edu.au/content/enforced/1816406-ECE2008-1-2023-HWB-151670/Nature_and_Young_Children_Encouraging_Creative_Pla..._----_(Chpater_1_Children_creative_play_and_the_natural_environment)2.pdf?ou=2253526

Wilson, R. A. (2018). Nature and young children: Encouraging creative play and learning in natural environments (3rd ed.). Routledge.https://go.openathens.net/redirector/vu.edu.au?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.taylorfrancis.com%2Fbooks%2Fmono%2F10.4324%2F9781315148533%2Fnature-young-children-ruth-wilson