Educator Resources

Curious about Play

Nurturing and Building Relationships with Natural Playspaces

Learning about relationships can be simplified by focusing on the ever-changing cycles of the natural world. These can provide a metaphor for the importance of this within our human relationships.

Curious about Play

Three R’s of Sustainability: Reduce, reuse, and recycle

Teaching children about the environment and understanding how it works is an opportunity to also teach them about sustainability.

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Sustainability in Early Years Education

When thinking about sustainability in early childhood education, thought must be given to the kind of world our children will inherit in the long term as they will become the caretakers of the future.

How Educators can Guide and Nurture Children in Developing Positive Relationships

Educators, through their daily care act as role models. With strategies and supports in place, children can seek, build, and secure respectful and equitable relationships with others.

Curious about Play

Strengthening Relationships through Play

Strengthening relationships by combining resources can encourage conversation and learning that feels natural and responsive.

Curious about Play

Tweezers - The Item You Might Never Have Expected to See in Water Play

Reimagining water play experiences with different, or lesser-known resources can provide a shift in learning intentions that emphasise creativity and function.

Three Ideas for Inclusive Sensory Play

Not every learner likes to get messy when learning; offering some alternatives can make more children feel included.

Curious about Play

Round v Rectangular Water Trays - Which is Best?

Both round and rectangular water trays have their benefits for learning and development, but the decision can be made easier by asking a few questions first.

The Six Principles of Play

The Statement of Play identifies six principles, with each one emphasising the value, balance, and capacity to develop children’s relationships with people and places.

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5 Tips to Create Responsive Play spaces

Creating a regular program of thought-provoking play spaces can seem overwhelming, but with some creative thinking, magic can happen!

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Three Ways to Create Intentional Play Spaces

Creating responsive play spaces can be quick and easy to set up for both children and educators. Imagination and simplistic styling, make them easy to replicate and modify as necessary using children’s valuable input.

Curious about Play

How Water Play Teaches Children the Importance of Conservation

Whilst recognising that water is a precious resource, when using it to explore and explain its importance to life, children can learn valuable information about how and why it sustains life.

Curious about Play

Exploring Change through Scientific Processes

With just a few ingredients, simple experiments can be conducted with young children that assist in exploring the learning of abstract processes that create temporary and permanent changes.

Why Change is a Process and not an Event

Watching the process of change is fascinating but what is felt during the activity holds the most potential for further learning.

Curious about Play

Six Questions that Promote Children's STEM Thinking

Children notice the minutiae of life, making them excellent scientists who intuitively question and research the world around them.

Curious about Play

The Wonder of Science Through Play

Children are naturally drawn to the concepts of STEM as they use their senses to understand the world around them.

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Make A Discovery Bag

A Discovery Bag can extend outdoor play and invite deeper exploration of the natural world.

How Children's Interests Impact STEM Engagement

Reframing STEM as part of a quality program encapsulates early childhood educators as play advocates.

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Paper Guide

A simple guide showing the different kinds of paper available at Bellbird.

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Brush Guide

A simple guide showing the different kinds of brushes available at Bellbird.

Curious about Play

The Importance of having a Dedicated Art Area

Choosing the art and resources you need to furnish and identify art spaces creates the kind of art experiences that can be offered.

Nurturing The Future World with Nature Play

Spending time in nature is essential for children’s health, development and support the intuitive disposition to becoming future conservationists. Children who feel connected to the natural world are more likely to preserve and care for it.

Why Risk Benefit Play is Worth the Risk

Ironically, intuition serves an innate biological function to warn us of danger that, if ignored, we often regret afterwards.

Curious about Play

Modelling Care and Respect for the Natural world with Young Learners

Understanding what children are asking is key to consider what information will be passed on and is equally important to why they want to know. This data can guide educators about children’s interests and how this might be included in future play.

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More Reasons To Love Nature Play

There are even more reasons to love spending time in nature with our children - here are some practical suggestions for advocating outdoor play and learning into high quality programming, with an emphasis on creating time and space.

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Caring for Your Felt Resources

Felt products are soft to touch and handle, but are often at risk of being stained through everyday play. With just a little care they can be kept looking bright and vibrant following a few simple steps.

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Reggio Emilia Inspired Education

Loris Malaguzzi believed children were in need of a more holistic kind of education after World War II. He described the environment as: 'There are three teachers of children: adults, other children, and their physical environment..'

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Montessori Education

Maria Montessori was an Italian physician, educator, and innovator, acclaimed for her educational method that builds on the way children learn naturally.

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Creating Contemporary Inspired Learning Playspaces

Some of the key elements in creating child-centred environments are based on what excites children. Reflecting the age and stage of children’s development , experiences within the learning environment are intentionally placed with care for greatest impact

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How to Move from Being 'Inspired By' to 'Being Inspiring'

Contemporary approaches to learning are often quoted by early childhood educators as being inspirational; the real 'magic' is often in their simplicity.

Understanding the role of the Environment as Third Teacher within your Program

One contemporary approach to early childhood education is the influence of Reggio Emilia, in which the physical environment is integral to learning. Beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, play spaces act as provocations for play and learning.

Listening for the Child's Voice

Throughout each day, thousands of sounds and noises create opportunities for learning and engagement through listening experiences where children can be exposed to the magic of sound and the immeasurable joy it can bring.

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Exploring Emotional Development through Sound

Learning how sound and noise can affect our moods during interactions with others is integral to self-regulation and how children can contribute to their emotional growth.

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Creating Sound Play spaces for Early Learners

Sharing a range of music from different cultures can enhance learning for children, which can lead to stimulating questions and discussions as they explore their identity and communities they live in.

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Integrating Indigenous Resources within Daily Learning

There is a movement for true reconciliation for First Nations cultures. Although there is progress to celebrate - it is essential to understand the many changes and steps being taken that can be embedded into everyday practices.

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Creating a Sense of Place with Cultural Resources

Creating gathering places is made simpler by using floor rugs and cushions that offer colour, texture, and inspiration. The artwork and designs on many of them have been personally created by First Nations artists that reflect aspects of the local areas.

Why Learning about First Nations’ History is Important in Early Childhood Education and Care

We each have a connection to nature as a common starting point to begin essential conversations looking toward our future citizens, and perhaps, most importantly, reflecting on the vast amount of wisdom we can draw upon from our nation's tremendous past.

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Measuring developmental milestones through role play

A key part of education is to teach children through our lived experiences different ways to understand that each person has a specific set of needs that can be met in very different ways.

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Supporting Children in community learning spaces

Coming together as a large group has many benefits for young children, including time for activities like mindfulness and relaxation.

The Role of Co-Regulation and the Connection to Emotional Health for Children

Educators are in a constant state of decision-making when caring for children. The goal of keeping children physically protected from harm crucially lies in planning and prevention. It can also be applied to their emotional health too.

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Building and Shaping a Confident Community of Learners

Whichever stage of development children are currently in, the only certainty is that they will continue to change as they experience life, along with the people they share their lives with at each stage.

A Vision for Children's Learning

The three key strands associated with the EYLF comprise the elements of Belonging, Being, and Becoming. This blog is a deeper dive into an understanding of what it means to 'be' a child within the scope of who they are becoming.

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Creating a Curiosity Playspace by thinking like a child

To create the spark that incites curiosity, it is essential to remain open-minded and ready to capture the special moments when ideas take flight.

Curious about Play

Resources that ignite curiosity

Inspiring curiosity within children’s play spaces can be as simple as it sounds, as most young children are driven to explore, invent and create using simple things around them.

Why fantasy play stimulates curiosity

For young children, learning self-expression can involve a process of trial and error. Educators need to shape their natural curiosity about how the world works and how they may interact with the people around them.

Curious about Play

Creating gardening playspaces in Early Learning environments

Vegepod kits provide the perfect introduction to gardening and come complete with lesson plans that align with the EYLF.

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Resources that help discover the life cycle of plants

When considering using your resources to explore the life cycle of plants, you may be surprised to learn that there are just as many indoor opportunities as those found outside.

The long term benefits of learning about plant life cycles

A frequent learning experience included in early years programming is planting tiny seeds into fully-fledged plants. Exploring the concept of plant lifecycles through growing a garden, is a wonderful way to bring this to life.

Curious about Play

Creating Playspaces that evoke a sense of belonging

A learning environment that is warm and welcoming with age-appropriate activities and resources makes it easier for children to observe the cues of how to play and become engaged within their community of learners.

Curious about Play

Using animal classification resources to encourage belonging in Early Learning

Children are naturally drawn to most animals and have an affinity for them. When considering how important they can be and what they may represent to children, there is an opportunity to incorporate some of their unique characteristics into many areas of

How Learning environments contribute to a child’s sense of belonging

Supporting children in developing a positive self-identity can help to foster a sense of belonging. This can be achieved through positive reinforcement, building on strengths and interests, and allowing children to express themselves freely.

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Resources to support celebrations, change and transition

Within our diverse community, we can never hope to replicate every type of celebration children will experience in their own homes. Instead, we should look to create new traditions that are special to the Early learning experience as ways to celebrate.

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Playspaces and Activities for Gift Giving

Not everyone has enough space to create a permanent art and craft space. A designated area that offers space to paint, draw, stick and wrap can be as simple as pushing two large tables together that provide plenty of space for children to create.

The Positive Effects of Celebrations and Change

Change is a constant throughout our lives. It can also be the driving force behind some of our happiest moments and memories.

Curious about Play

The benefits of adding more Discovery Play to your Program

When we hear the word discovery, we often think of outdoor play. However, the magic of discovery is that it can happen anywhere!

Resources that support Discovery based learning

All elements of discovery involve learners being open to something new or the ability to see things differently.

Exploring the stages of Discovery

Discovery is a disposition that seems to flow freely for most young children as they learn through experience in every moment of their lives. Capturing and shaping that magical attribute to extend and develop it is another process altogether.

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Providing Creative Spaces for Babies and Toddlers

It’s a common misconception that creative play is limited to children under three years. With some key materials, it is possible to engage very young children in activities that encourage their creativity.

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Exploring Creative Play in Early Learning

Many people immediately associate creative play with art experiences, but this is only one of many areas that can be easily developed to encourage imagination and self-expression.

Encouraging Creativity with Process or Product Learning

When creating, for some the 'process' is the best part, but for others, achieving the 'product' gives them the greatest satisfaction. So what should Educators focus on?

5 Play Experiences that Promote a Positive Transition to School

Children’s play and interactions could differ as they process their feelings about managing times of transition.

Supporting Early Learners Transition to School

The optimal experience in preparing children for a life transition is to give them plenty of time to explore, ask questions and get familiar with the resources available to them.

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Play spaces that Encourage Considered Risk-Taking

Although we feel the instinctive urge to 'protect or correct' ,it is over-protection that could contribute to creating a sense of anxiety.

Rethinking Your Outdoor Spaces to Encourage Risk Benefit Play

What makes children unique is that the smallest change to the well-known can provide a host of new ideas for play and learning.

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Playspaces to explore the concept of Light

The real joy of Light Play is that it is a joyful experience and it’s usually spontaneous. This can make incidental teaching easy, with the addition of a few simple props.

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Exploring the Concepts of Light through Play

When children’s curiosity is encouraged, they voice their observations (and reflections) almost instantaneously. Whether commenting on the light playing on leaf flickering in the treetops, watching the wind pick up and blow leaves along the ground, or exp

The Wonder of Light and Shadow

Provided by nature or made by man, children explore light in many ways, interacting with excitement and joy.

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Introducing Yarning Circles to Your Preschool Mat Time

A Yarning Circle is an ancient practice used by Indigenous Australian cultures to teach and learn, preserving and passing on knowledge through collaboration.

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Incorporating Indigenous Resources in Early Learning Services

When planning a rich curriculum that embeds indigenous practices, there are a few things to consider to ensure they become meaningful.

Embedding Indigenous Perspectives in Early Learning Environments

Weaving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives enhances Early Learning by giving children additional perspectives of Australia's earliest history and culture.

We Are Family

Although each family is different, the basic tenets of each are universal.

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Role Play & the Importance of the Home-Corner

Often in the home corner and dramatic play areas of the early childhood settings are easiest to set up play spaces that lend themselves to the exploration of families.

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Resources to Inspire Connection and Belonging

Embedding the Being, Belonging and Becoming within your curriculum and making an annual event that encourages closer inspection and focus upon the family and communities that are integral to early childhood development.

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Curating Play Spaces that Ignite Curiosity

Looking for ideas on how to combine resources to become play spaces that feed natural curiosity? Read on...

Curious about Play

Rethinking Resources to Inspire Curious Minds

Looking for ideas and reasons to incorporate more loose parts items into your resources? Our Educational Advisory explores the topic of loose parts and their role in fostering children's natural curiosity.

Exploring Curiosity in Early Learning

Looking for inspiration on how to fuel children's natural curiosity? Jo Harris discusses what it means to be curious, to ask questions, seek answers and explore the amazing world around us from the eyes of a child.

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Setting Up Life Cycle Play Spaces

With just a few resources it is possible to replicate those found in nature all around us. When setting up Cycles Of Life play spaces it is important to choose materials that are authentic to create the provocation for authentic learning.

Curious about Play

Resources To Discover Life Cycles

Choosing to focus on the cycles of life over longer periods of time is an important part of learning who we are and why we are here, co existing with animals and plants that sustain our lives.

Teaching The Circle Of Life

Many children are naturally enticed by the allure of creatures great and small, so it is an opportunity to teach them about the delicate balance of life within the cycles of nature.

Ideas For Integrating Inclusive Practices In Early Learning

Inclusion means different things to all of us. At its core, is the concept that everyone has the right to feel included and represented in any setting, and the Early Learning sector plays a vital role in bringing this to the fore

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Setting Up An Inclusive Play Space - The Reading Corner

Building a diverse library of books can lead to information within them translating into practical experiences in which children have the chance to live what they learn.

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Fostering Inclusion with Existing Resources

Carefully chosen resources can help to create an inclusive setting for all children. The best materials are those that reflect open ended and divergent thinking and are often simple and understated.

5 Reasons Why Summer Is An Important Time in Children’s Lives

During the summer holiday season there is a subtle shift on early learning, with the focus on ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’. This can become an opportunity to experience a greater depth within relationships with all living things in the world around us.

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Setting Up Your Portable Sensory Space

Many play spaces are not purpose built which can make planning a learning environment a challenge, in order to include enriching activities which include sensory play spaces. The Fun2 Activity System is here to help!

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Extending Play Options In Summer Weather

There are often unusual and unique ways that support a child’s eye view in which they set things up that most educators would not have considered -but this is a golden opportunity to be inspired!

The Benefits of Heuristic Play for Infants and Toddlers

Heuristic play is when babies and toddlers use real world objects, such as wooden spoons, containers, pots and pegs in their play to explore the properties of the objects. Is the object heavy or light? Does it make a sound? What is the texture?

Why Friendship, Connection and Safety are Vital To Children's Development

Children have the right to choose their own friends and safely connect with others.

Playing Games Is Serious Business

More than just a chance to have fun, playing games is serious business when it comes to a child's health and development.

Curious about Play

Literacy - More Than Reading and Writing

Literacy is more than learning to read and write. Becoming literate also incorporates the development of essential language, cognitive, social and emotional skills as children interact and explore the world around them.

The Joy of Mud Play

While playing with mud, children are learning and testing theories, as well as developing foundational understanding of maths and literacy.

A Guide to Choosing the Right Table and Chairs for Your Child's Needs

Good ergonomics needs to start at an early age for health & wellbeing for life!

Outdoor Play For All Seasons

Outdoor play has many physical benefits - but it is also essential for social and emotional development too.

Learning Life Skills Through Pretend Play

Role play may appear to be a very simple activity, yet within it, young children learn practical life skills such as dressing themselves and learning how to care for and interact with others.

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Self Expression Through Art & Craft

Making art and fostering creativity is important for the development of fundamental social and cognitive skills, including self expression.

Keeping Kids Connected Whilst Apart

Friendships nurture the soul. They provide us a listening ear, understanding, compassion, connection and joy. Regardless of our age, we all need a friend.

Challenging Young Minds With Puzzles

From early childhood right through to adulthood we love to play with puzzles, and the way they exercise our minds.

The Wonders of Discovery & Science with Children

Science education activities provide children with opportunities to develop and practice many different skills and attributes.

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Easter Inspiration

Looking for simple, but fun activities to plan for Easter Craft? Here are a few fun projects that may help to inspire your next craft activity, using simple resources that you may already have or are easy to find.

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Easter Craft

Paper plates are a great template to make the perfect Easter craft that children will enjoy because they’re so easy and the design options are endless!

3 Ways Sensory & Tactile Play Supports Children's Emotional Development

We all know that sensory activities can be fun, but there are many benefits and learning experiences that support social and emotional development too.

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Yarn Easter Eggs

These yarn Easter Eggs are a fun, messy and beautiful decoration children will love making. Mix up your colours to create a stunning effect.

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Decorated Photo Frame

Photo frames make the perfect gift. Now mum’s favourite photo can be placed in a handmade frame! These plain, paper mache photo frames are easy for children to decorate and are made with a strong material allowing the frame to stand upright.

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Hand Decorated Pots

Flowers are the most popular gift to give Mum on Mother’s Day - even more popular than on Valentine’s Day! These handmade flower pots will steal mums heart as she grows her favourite flowers and herbs.

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Painted Calico Bag

These cute and personalised calico bags are the perfect (and functional!) Mother’s Day gift. Environmentally friendly, reusable and durable, these calico bags are perfect for groceries and every day use.

Centre Fitouts

Centre Fit out: McKenzie Street Children's Centre Wonthaggi

McKenzie Street Children's Centre provides the Wonthaggi community quality education and care, from birth to 6 years of age.

Elements of the Perfect Block Play Areas for Children

Block Play is a favourite area for children's play, both indoors and outdoor. Read all about how adding a few key elements to these spaces can extend imagination, creativity and engagement between children and their peers.

Centre Fitouts

Centre Fitout: Alphabet Preschool

Bellbird completed a full fitout for this boutique early education centre in the heart of Geelong, welcoming children from six weeks to six years.

Centre Fitouts

Centre Fitout: Whiz Kids

Bellbird completed a full fitout for this purpose built centre children's centre in Craigieburn that incorporates all aspects of child development.

Centre Fitouts

Centre Fit Out: Paisley Park Malvern East

This full centre fit out was for a modern 2 storey centre is nestled in busy inner city Melbourne, providing care for children aged 6 weeks to 6 years

Centre Fitouts

Centre Fitout: Galada Kindergarten

Profile: 3 Room Kindergarten Hub 33 place

Centre Fitouts

Centre Fitout: Jindi Kindergarten

Profile: Kindergarten and Extended Long Day Care Centre

Centre Fitouts

Centre Fitout: Kids on Clyde

Profile: 7 Room, 118 Place Childcare Centre

Centre Fitouts

Centre Fitout: Lilydale Lakeside CC

Profile: 51 Place 4 Room

Centre Fitouts

Centre Fitout: Phoenix Kindergarten

Profile: 2 Room 66 Place Kindergarten

Centre Fitouts

Centre Fitout: Whittlesea Childcare

Profile: Brand New Purpose Built 111 Place Childcare Centre, 5 Rooms

Centre Fitouts

Centre Fitout: Wodonga West

Profile: New Kindergarten Room 33 Place

Empowering Educators

Recipes for Creativity

Goop Recipe

Goop is a creative mess that appears to be a liquid and a solid at the same time. Children can have fun and benefit from a playful science lesson while learning.

Recipes for Creativity

Playdough Recipe

There is something very therapeutic about playing with play-dough. Whilst improving fine motor skills, building imagination, fostering co-operative play, even helping with maths skills.

Recipes for Creativity

Rainbow Rice

Easy peasey Rainbow Rice - ideal for setting up in a tray for exploration and a wonderful sensory experience. Add cups, funnels or spoons to mix and measure - or cars and small figurines for sensory play with a twist!

Recipes for Creativity

Salt Dough Recipe

With just 3 ingredients salt dough is very easy to make and is ideal for creating air dried ornaments with shape cutters. They can be sealed and painted with your own unique designs to share as gifts or as a keepsake.

Recipes for Creativity

Salt Glitter Recipe

Salt Glitter is an eco friendly alternative that is less sparkly, but much kinder to the planet. Any unused glitter can easily be stored in a salt shaker.

Recipes for Creativity

Slime Recipe

Combining Lux Flakes with food dye and warm water, create oozy goozy fun that can last for hours. An ideal activity for both relaxation that also promotes mindfulness.

Recipes for Creativity

Soap Crayons

Non toxic and easy to clean these Soap Crayons are a fun way to create art on wet surfaces.