20/08/2026
Learning Story: Intentional Teaching – Art, Mechanics and Cause & Effect
Learning Focus: Art, STEM, Mechanics, Cause and Effect.
This week, our art class was intentionally planned in response to the Elephant Room Inquiry Project, “Cause and Effect.” Educators created an opportunity for children to explore how movement, force and motion can create unexpected artistic effects.
Children were invited to place a marble into a tub containing paint and paper, and then experiment with moving and tilting the tub in different directions. As the children moved the tub, the marble rolled through the paint, leaving trails, patterns and marks across the paper.
The experience naturally incorporated STEM learning through the concept of mechanics. Children explored how their actions affected the movement of the marble, noticing that moving the tub faster, slower, higher or in different directions changed the pathway of the marble and the marks it created.
Educators intentionally supported the children’s thinking by asking questions such as, “What do you think will happen if you tilt the tub this way?”, “What made the marble change direction?” and “How can you make the marble roll further?” These interactions encouraged children to make predictions, test their ideas and observe the results.
Learning and Development
Through this experience, children demonstrated curiosity, persistence and problem-solving as they experimented with movement and cause and effect. They developed an emerging understanding of force, motion, direction and control, while also using creative expression to represent their discoveries.
The children were encouraged to collaborate, share ideas and observe one another’s approaches. They began to recognise that different movements produced different outcomes, making connections between their physical actions and the marks appearing on the paper.
This experience supported EYLF Outcome 2, as children participated in a shared learning experience, collaborated with peers and contributed their ideas and discoveries to the group. They developed an understanding that their actions can have an effect on the environment around them and experienced the value of working together to investigate an idea.
The experience strongly supported EYLF Outcome 4, as children became confident and involved learners. They investigated, experimented, predicted, tested and reflected on the results of their actions. The open-ended nature of the experience encouraged children to take risks, persist with challenges and develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, creativity, problem-solving and resourcefulness.
Intentional Teaching
Our intentional teaching approach was to provide an open-ended environment where children could explore STEM concepts through creativity and play. Rather than focusing on producing a particular artwork, educators encouraged children to investigate how and why the marble moved and how its movement created different marks and patterns.
By combining art with mechanics, children experienced how STEM concepts can be explored in meaningful and creative ways. Educators followed the children’s ideas, extended their vocabulary and encouraged them to think deeply about their discoveries.
