Meet Anna, our REA of The Arts and Messy Marvels facilitator
Name:
Anna Ruby
About me:
I come from a family of Creatives. My Father taught pottery and now loves the art of Bread-making and Wood-working, my Mother is a skilled Macrame Artist, that makes jewellery and restores furniture, my Uncle was a Silversmith and Glass Artist, and my Grandmother was an avid Gardener.
I recognise the art process in everything, from cooking a fine pasta to trimming a hedge. Art is all around us, I am inspired by it and aim to share this inspiration with others. I gravitated to The Arts in High School, choosing Film and TV, Drama and Visual Arts as my Senior elective subjects.
My interest in The Arts lead me to take a ‘Gap Year’ and Study a Bachelor of Visual Arts for 1 year at QUT, where my Uncle was the university Technician, supporting me through a wonderful year of Art exploration and personal growth. This year was Studio-Based, and proved extremely influential to me as a young creative person and gave me the confidence to move into studying to be an Early Childhood Teacher.
I have always considered Early Childhood Education to be closely related to other careers in the Arts, as although it requires nurturing and an understanding of child development, much of what we do is Arts based; singing songs, dancing and moving our bodies, role-play, and theatre inspired performance, interior design, painting, sculpting, creating and imagining. When Early Childhood Teachers do our jobs well, we have beautiful and meaningful relationships while fostering a world of imagination, creativity, delight and discovery.
I have been an Early Childhood Teacher now for 20 years. I have 3 of my own children and am fortunate to live in the beautiful Currumbin Valley.
I have always been an avid traveller, inspired by different cultures, architecture and cuisine.
I have renovated over 20 Vintage Caravans and find this hobby to be both rewarding and a creative outlet.
Professional philosophy:
My educational philosophy is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach. It emphasises the integral role of The Arts in children’s development and well-being. I believe children are born with an innate ability to connect with The Arts, as creativity and expression are fundamental aspects of human nature. From an early age, children engage with the world through various artistic mediums, whether it’s through drawing, music, dance, or storytelling. This connection transcends cultures and eras, reflecting a universal desire to express feelings, ideas, and experiences.
I am so excited to facilitate The Messy Marvels Program as I strongly believe integrating an arts-based program into an early childhood centre enriches the learning environment. The Arts and messy/explorative/investigative play foster emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and social skills. The Arts provide children with diverse ways to communicate and explore their identity, promoting a sense of belonging and community. They encourage curiosity and imagination, which are essential for cognitive growth.
I believe Arts education nurtures resilience, as children learn to experiment, take risks, and embrace failure as part of the creative process. I endeavour to use our beautiful Art Room (Atelier) as ‘The Third Teacher’. An arts-based program not only supports holistic development but also cultivates a lifelong appreciation for creativity and self-expression.
My role:
As a Reciprocal Educational Advocate of The Arts, my role centres around modelling the planning and implementing of high quality Art inspired experiences. I passionately program intentional and purposeful experiences that are flexible and engaging in a vibrant and responsive space. I aim to empower educators to be brave and creative with their intentional art-inspired experiences. I model ways to use the environment and creative mediums in ways that are open-ended, and support educators in how to foster inquiry-based, high-interest, intentional opportunity for learning and development. I aim to share my love and enthusiasm for The Arts with educators, and hope to positively inspire and influence their own art practises.
About The Messy Marvels Program
Ashton’s Place Immersive Learners is dedicated to providing a nurturing environment “where every child flourishes”. In line with our commitment to holistic development, Anna brought about the introduction of a new program called ‘Messy Marvels’ to our centre. This program aims to foster exploration, imagination, and creative expression through messy play activities that are carefully designed to align with educational frameworks and enhance early literacy.
Encapsulating the slogan of “Exploration, imagination, nature, art, and play”, the Messy Marvels Program is broken down into five threads of intention:
- Musical Mayhem
- Fabulous Food
- Amazing Art
- Loose Parts, Small World
- Fine-Motor Mess
Musical Mayhem
Nursery rhymes and number songs play a crucial role in early childhood education by promoting language development, social interaction, and cognitive skills such as memory and sequencing. According to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines (QKLG), these activities support the holistic development of children by fostering creativity, cultural awareness, and foundational numeracy skills. They also encourage physical movement and coordination, aligning with EYLF’s emphasis on active learning through play-based experiences. Overall, nursery rhymes and number songs enrich early learning environments by engaging children in enjoyable, educational experiences that support their overall development.
Fabulous Food
Cooking and food exploration offer numerous benefits for early childhood education by providing sensory experiences, promoting fine motor skills, and fostering an understanding of healthy eating habits. According to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines (QKLG), these activities support children’s development across multiple domains, including cognitive, social, and emotional domains. They encourage language development through vocabulary expansion and communication during collaborative cooking tasks. Additionally, food exploration encourages children to explore different tastes and textures while being exposed to early numeracy concepts of counting and measuring.
Amazing Art
Exploring visual arts and crafting activities offer essential benefits for early childhood education by promoting creativity, self-expression, and fine motor skills development. According to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines (QKLG), these activities encourage children to experiment with various materials, colours, and techniques, fostering their imagination and problem-solving abilities. Engaging in art and crafting also supports social and emotional development by providing opportunities for collaboration, communication, and self-reflection. Additionally, these experiences contribute to a sense of identity and belonging as children explore their own ideas and express themselves through their creations, aligning closely with EYLF’s principles of holistic development and play-based learning.
Loose Parts, Small World
‘Loose parts’ play and ‘small world’ play provide numerous developmental benefits for early childhood children. These activities promote fine motor skills as children manipulate small objects and figures, enhancing their hand-eye coordination and dexterity. They also stimulate creativity and imagination by allowing children to create imaginary worlds, develop narratives, and explore different roles and scenarios. Furthermore, ‘Loose parts’ and ‘small world’ play encourage cognitive skills such as problem-solving, spatial awareness, and understanding of cause and effect as children build and interact within their miniature environments. These types of play experiences are essential for social development as well, fostering communication, collaboration, and empathy as children engage in shared play scenarios and negotiate roles and storylines together.
Fine-Motor Mess
‘Messy play’ and ‘fine-motor’ focused activities offer significant developmental benefits for early childhood children. According to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines (QKLG), messy play stimulates sensory exploration and enhances children’s tactile awareness and coordination. It encourages creativity and problem-solving skills as children experiment with different textures, materials, and tools. Fine-motor activities, such as threading beads or using tweezers, support the development of hand and finger muscles, which are essential for writing and other intricate tasks. These activities also promote perseverance and concentration, laying the foundation for future academic and life skills, aligning closely with EYLF’s emphasis on holistic development through play-based learning experiences.
Running every Tuesday and Wednesday during the school term, the Messy Marvels Program offers a joyful exploration of sensory play, imaginative worlds, and creative arts, all inspired by delightful children’s picture books. Under the guidance of Anna, children enjoy hands-on activities in the yard, classroom, and art studio, and aims to spark joy, learning, curiosity and creativity.
