The best thing is when children have extended time to explore in their own way, following their own interests and developing their own ideas.
Here a group of two year olds can’t wait to get their hands on the instruments after getting out of the minibus in the forest.
This young group is in a contained woodland area within a school setting, where we were able to have lots of instruments available. They are in the ‘basecamp’ – hence the tarp on the ground
Children inhabit their own story worlds, and this group of children were fascinated by the huge tracks left by the ‘monster trucks’ that had been working the woodland the previous winter, so as we walked and played instruments a song formed in my mind which I sang to support their playing and their story: