Week 9 Reflection

This week was full of exciting and engaging activities. We made sock puppets, learned an Israeli dance, learnt a song about lycra and played more music on the marimbas.

McArdle discussed about the concept that students are cultural citizens and are very much consumers and creators in a culturally diverse society. It is so important that places of education and teachers recognize the importance of engaging children in culturally stimulating activities. This can be done in early childhood settings by playing music from another culture and allowing children to dance to it, like we did in class with the Israeli dance. This can include some guided movement, with a bit of free movement as well, or allow for completely unguided dance! Furthermore, children can learn to play music on percussion and non percussion instruments from different cultures, for example Latino or African music. Or even simply play instruments while a singing a song from a different culture.

This week’s reading was also about how children have the right to a school or educational environment that fosters a “culture of creativity and innovation” (MCEETYA, 2005), according to the MCEETYA National Framework for Australia.  The text talked about the need for children to learn traditional art practices, and also invent new ideas to express themselves through song, dance, music, and visual arts. The idea of asking children to create little sock puppets, which is what we did in class this week, can be a great idea to allow children to innovate and create. It also creates a platform for further involvement with the arts, as not only children are creating sock puppets, but they can exercise their drama and play abilities by putting on different shows or experimenting with their sock puppet characters!

 
It is important that we remember that teachers have the responsibility to expose children to culturally stimulating activities, and the creative arts is a perfect platform to do this through. There are many opportunities for children to expand their cultural horizons within the classroom!

Activity:

Children aged 3-5

Let children listen to this mix of traditional Spanish folk songs:

(instrumental only)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mqr8ZIWv8s

Give children percussion instruments such as maracas, castanets and tambourines, and ask them to play those instruments along to the music.

We could also ask children to do different dance movements, and ask children to make up movements to the song, and take turns copying different people.