Linköping University | Master’s thesis, 15 credits Master’s programme in Child Studies
Autumn 2019
“If there is no nature, there is no
happiness”:
Primary schoolchildren’s perspectives of
nature and environmental issues.
Anna Grabowski
Supervisor: Anette Wickström
Examiner: Asta Cekaite
Linköping University SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden +46 013 28 10 00, www.liu.se
ABSTRACT:
Children’s relationship to nature has had a place within research on society and culture and continues to garner attention. With a growing environmental crisis, understanding humans’ relationships to nature is imperative. Hence, research on children’s relationship to nature is of interest not only in order to better understand childhoods, but how this relationship to nature is expressed by children in relation to the growing environmental crisis. Since children are members and potential leaders of the future, as well as caretakers of the earth, it is essential that their voices are heard and understood on this topic. This research asks how nature plays an important role in their lives, how children perceive this relationship with nature, how they understand environmental issues and their role in sustainability. Findings contribute on how children view and relate to nature from their own perspectives and can contribute to
understanding how society and adults can better facilitate this relationship through experiences and engagement in environmental conservation.
To add to the knowledge base of how children relate to nature, I conducted thirteen interviews with children at an international school in Stockholm, Sweden, with children between the ages of eight and nine. Methodologically, I used semi-structured interviews as I engaged the children outside in the school playground. The themes that emerged from the data were nature as being animated, nature as a resource (for playing, for well-being, for social connection, and for learning), and nature as threatened. Results indicate that previous research showing the beneficial relationship children have with nature was correlated with what the children had to say in this study. The children expressed concern with the
environmental crisis and conveyed the importance nature has in their childhoods and their lives.
Keywords: children’s perspectives on nature, child-focused research, children’s voices on nature, environmental crisis, childhood and nature, children and nature, children and climate crisis, children’s relationship to nature, and qualitative research.
PREFACE:
I would like to express my gratitude to my partner, Måns Welander, for enthusiastically listening about my thesis and offering support as well as to my inspiring supervisor, Anette Wickström, who guided and supported me throughout the process and taught me a great deal along the way. As a child who grew up close to nature, I was inspired to learn more about how children perceive both nature and their relationship with it. I believe children are the experts of subjects around childhood and am so grateful that I was able to listen and try to capture what some of these children shared with me about what they like about nature, what they enjoy about it, how it makes them feel, and how they explore the idea of conservation of nature. Their ideas inspired me greatly and I hope I have done them justice in trying to convey their relationship to nature and all of the discourses that they gave life to in our conversations. Thank you to the children who consented to speaking with me, to sharing their ideas so open heartedly, and for inspiring this writing process. In the words of scientist, Rachel Carson, who has inspired me as an environmental advocate;
“If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow. The years of early childhood are the time to prepare the soil. Once the emotions have been aroused—a sense of the beautiful, the excitement of the new and the unknown, a feeling of sympathy, pity, admiration or love—then we wish for knowledge about the subject of our emotional response. Once found, it has lasting meaning.” (in The Sense of Wonder, 2011).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 1
Research problems and Questions 3
Previous Research 3
i. Childhoods and nature 3
ii. Nature linked to pedagogy and play 5
iii. Importance of nature for health and well-being 7
iv. Environmental Crisis and sustainability 8
v. Children’s perspectives and child participation 9
Method 10
i. Figure 1: Thematic map 13
Analysis 13
i. Nature as animated 13
ii. Nature as a resource 17
iii. Nature as threatened 25
Concluding Discussion 29
References 33
Appendixes 37
i. Consent form Templates 37
Introduction
According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), there may be no greater threat facing the world’s children, and future generations, than the current crisis of climate change (UNICEF, 2015:6). As the challenges and threats of climate change and the environmental crisis worsen, how we deal with this will influence what consequences this will have for children now and in the future (UNICEF, 2015:9). Children themselves have an incremental role to play in how these issues are addressed. The importance of involving children in issues that impact them, recognizes children as social actors and also helps to promote the best interests of the child (James and James, 2008: 29-30). Understanding children’s perceptions of nature, and what nature means to them, can lead to the facilitation of meaningful
interactions with nature, that has benefits during childhood as well as societal environmental impacts into adulthood. Research shows that child involvement with nature can enhance an ethos of environmentalism as adults that involves concern and action related to ecology (Wells and Lekies, 2006: 2). Whether children should have to worry about the future and be a part of societal problems during their earlier years is also important to consider. Nature embodies various and significant roles in childhoods “intellectually, emotionally, socially, spiritually, and physically” (Louv and Charles, 2009:2). As society continues to move to a more urbanized model and as the global environmental crisis continues to worsen, this
relationship will need to be further considered. In the past several decades, as we moved away from an agrarian way of society, there has been a growing case suggesting that there have been changes in childhood that have decreased the quality and time of children’s experiences in nature (Charles and Louv, 2009:1)
As elsewhere, in the UNCRC, it is deeply enshrined the importance of children’s participation on matters that impact their own lives (Mayall, 1995:37). The state of the climate crisis and environmental issues is indeed one such area. The inclusion of children’s voices in research is imperative to recognizing children as social actors with perspectives that create a deeper understanding of their role in society (James and James, 2008:28). By listening to and understanding what children have to say about nature, their experiences and their concerns, there can be more done to support and improve how parents, schools, and institutions influence and structure the relationship children have with nature. It is important to contemplate that children are commonly treated as a homogeneous category without consideration of age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Another aspect to consider is that
children can often be treated “as sources of data, rather than as active agents who have a relatively deep understanding of how to navigate a complex, dynamic environment” (Denov and Akesson, 2017: 163). This research therefore includes children as active agents, able to affect their own circumstances, rather than as being simply sources of data and offers a glimpse into the perspectives of a small group of children in Sweden.
According to the Oxford dictionary, nature is defined as “the phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations” (Lexico, 2019). This is a widely accepted meaning of nature, in the sense that it opposes humans from nature. Posthumanist theories have been emerging in recent decades “as a reaction to the anthropocentric view of humans as the only agents in the world” (Änggård, 2016: 78). One of these theories is Barad’s, which uses Butlers (1993) idea of performativity that emphasizes that meaning and change are created through action (ibid). Barad (2003,2007) builds on the concept of
performativity “to include nonhuman organisms (such as nature) and matter as per- formative agents” (ibid).This perspective will support the exploration of children’s voices on their complex ideas about their relationship to nature in conjunction with the sociocultural aspects that facilitate this relationship.
According to Taylor, “the discourse of nature itself remains relatively under-theorized within the childhood studies field” (2011:421). In other words, research on nature is largely
unaccounted for in the study of childhood. Within human geography and childhood studies, researchers have explored children’s relationship to nature (Änggård 2016, Linzmayer and Halpenny 2013, Cutter-Mackenzie and Rousell 2019, Malone 2015, and Murris 2018). Therefore, an interdisciplinary approach will be used in this paper to glean an understanding of the theories around the relationship between children and nature. Childhood is a social construction and aims to adhere to the principle that different childhoods are produced within various discursive practices and co-exist as different truths (Prout and James, 2005:25). This paper contributes to the childhood studies field by adding perspectives of how children relate to nature and what they perceive about the natural environment, to strengthen the notion that children’s voices are important in creating social change, in particular around environmental crisis concerns. What the children have to say should be incorporated into the institutions and policy that influences their lives.
Research problems and questions
This study explores the connection between childhoods and nature from the children’s own point of view. The aim of this research is to include the voice of children around how they relate to nature and what ideas shape their understanding of nature and how they consider its impacts on their lives and well-being. The data explores the various notions that children are drawing on and how this relates to theory at large. The paper focuses on children between the ages of 8 and 9. The research questions are as follows:
1.What are children’s perspectives on their relationship to nature?
2. What is the connection between childhood and nature from their point of view?
3. What do they perceive to be happening to nature and how do they feel this affect them as children?
Previous research will focus on the notions of the importance of children’s relationship to nature and will be explored in the context of childhoods and nature, nature linked to pedagogy and play, the importance of nature for health and well-being of children, and in relation to the environmental crisis and sustainability.
Previous Research
i. Childhoods and nature
The discourses in research around children’s relationship to nature focus on ideas around children belonging to nature, children being important to protecting nature as stewards as children and later as adults, as children needing nature for their well-being, as a place where children learn and embody knowledge easier, and a relationship that is rooted in appreciation and interconnectedness. One of the earliest influencers to consider the importance of nature and childhood was Jean-Jacques Rousseau. His influence on shaping pedagogical methods that focus on creating experiences within natural environments was founded on the idea that nature was a significant educator, alongside material things and human beings as facilitating education (Becker, 2015:81). Rousseau expressed that children should be protected from the damaging influences of society by having a close connection to nature (Ängårrd, 2010:5). This thinking has influenced Swedish school models (Ängårrd, 2010:5) that tend to focus
more on play and time outdoors. The philosophies of Rousseau from the 18th century until now have greatly impacted “the western adult imaginary of childhood” (Taylor, 2011:423). Rousseau was drawing on a dualistic way of thinking that emboldened nature and at the same time degraded culture/society (Taylor, 2011:422). This influence can be found in the cultural narratives of nature and humans found in western media, which depicts these dualistic notions.
Western cultural ideas that epitomize the romantic notions of childhood that Rousseau expressed can be seen in Disney movies such as The Jungle Book, or the famous child/nature photography of Anne Geddes, that are removed from social contexts to show this Rousseauian notion of children belonging and being nurtured by “pure nature” (Taylor, 2011:423).
American Journalist and child advocacy expert Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in the
Woods, is one of the most influential works on the children and nature field. Louv emphasizes
a romantic view of returning children to nature. With an increasingly urbanized model of society, Louv outlines the critical impact this has on the notion of a healthy childhood and asserts that over the past decades there has been an effort from environmental educators and conservationists to increasingly bring children closer to nature, most commonly without policy-maker support (Louv, 2008). He terms children’s disconnection from nature as ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’, which has become a popular notion and at the same time has been criticized as problematic as “cultural assumptions can obscure core issues and inadvertently promote messages of weak sustainability” (Dickinson, 2013:316). By exploring sustainability through the romantic lens of children being disconnected from nature it can shy away from the actual issues, such as the governments strategies for managing resources or urban planning taking away from natural spaces. The language can shape the issues and shift the focus on
greenwashing and romanticizing how children have lost their relationship to nature, instead of accounting for what is the actual problem, which are societal influences. Particularly, the impact on children experienced in majority world countries where climate change and
environmental issues are the most threatening to the lives of children (UNICEF, 2015: 6). The discourses used to understand problems can perpetuate them or reflect the varying
perspectives of those impacted to show how complex both the issues and the solutions are. Criticisms of Louv’s view of reconnecting children to nature as a romantic restorative approach argue that research shows that not all children’s experiences in nature “are as restorative, healthy or spiritually uplifting as the new nature movement seems to suggest”
(Malone 2016:2). As an alternative, Malone argues that a posthumanist approach moves beyond cultural universalisms about the “natured child” as well as to deconstruct human-nature binaries would reflect a more inclusive way to understanding the human-human-nature discourse (2016:2). This way of looking at associations to nature is said to require an
emphasis on “emotional and embodied engagement” between children and nature to account for a more interconnected way of understanding this relationship (von Benzon, 2019:79). Looking through the lens of more embodied learning, as relating with nature, to glean
knowledge as well as looking at relationships to place and how place shapes learning needs to be explored from different approaches. Ortiz (2007) conveys how Indigenous philosophy also recognizes that ‘‘being and place are conceptually linked”, which is a principle that is linked with the idea of performativity and being connected to our environment in a two-way
relationship (in Johnson, 2012: 829).
Änggård also draws on Barad (2003, 2007) to look at agency as part of a process of “the on-going (re)configuration of the world” (2016:78) in her analysis of children’s play activities in outdoor environments in Sweden. This research acknowledges the role that children have in shaping their environments as well as being shaped by their environments and in this way creating a process of ongoing change. This change is reflective of the agency as well as the ability to influence and be influenced that is dependent on varying circumstances that children are faced with. The connection between nature and children becomes one that is understood more in how the children experience themselves in nature and nature through themselves, which shapes their understanding and how they comprehend discourses and depart to create their own.
Therefore, the opportunity to add to this body of knowledge is vast. The majority of previous research belongs to studying learning outdoors and the impacts this has for children and within pedagogy.
ii. Nature linked to pedagogy and play
Rousseau’s Emile, argued for education methods that safeguard children from negative societal influences and allow children to develop in natural environments since children were considered symbolic of what was threatened by the influences of the industrial revolution (Brockliss and Montgomery, 2013: 84-85). Rousseau’s philosophy has influenced pedagogy in Sweden and Gullestad (1997) shows this in how nature has a strong cultural significance in
Scandinavia, and it is understood “that children and nature belong together” (Ängårrd, 2010:5-6). This influence can be found in Swedish culture within the concepts of Forest Schools and Outdoor Preschools as alternative learning environments (Melhuus, 2012:457). The research carried out here was conducted in a Swedish International School, and therefore the previous literature around this topic will mostly focus on Western notions of pedagogy but will also include Indigenous ways of learning for contrast. In the minority world, outdoor learning and concepts such as place-based learning or nature-based learning are commonly embedded in educational opportunities.
Nature-based learning is defined as a learning method that happens in the context of nature related activities, or with elements from nature, or through access to nature that facilitates learning “any subject, skill or interest while in natural surroundings” (Jordan and Chawla, 2019:2). Similarly, the Indigenous idea of place-based learning is closely linked with the importance of learning in nature. Davis (2008) indicates that, “Experiences during this phase extensively influence physical and neurological developments, which drive biological, psychological and social responses throughout the human lifespan” (in Lloyd and Gray, 2014:2). This summarizes well the argument for the importance of how early experiences during childhood have an impact in influencing later experiences. Gruenewald and Smith (2008) explain that one of the central aspects of place-based education is to nurture deep relationships to place, “because of human-caused carbon emissions and other dangers to climate and planetary stability, this work is necessary in part to cultivate the humility needed to ensure the future of places” (in Tuck, Mccoy, McKenzie, 2014: 14). The need to educate children in relation to the places they belong to is expressed as essential to fostering both meaningful education and deeper care for these places.
Herbert for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (2008) summarizes the benefits of learning in nature and developing “eco-literacy”, an
awareness of sustainability and the environment. He outlines the development of early childhood eco literacy and place-based learning as offering benefits that include varied learning experiences spanning and integrating multiple areas, unstructured time, developing practical skills, physical challenges and testing one’s limits, developing collaborative and critical thinking skills, and encouraging a sense of wonder (in Lloyd and Gray, 2014:9-10). Hart who was one of the pioneers of studying children’s relationship to nature, using
spending time in nature (Chawla, 2015: 437). Researchers suggest that along with learning about themselves and the world, curriculum in schools can be more engaging when explored in a natural environment. Pedagogical styles in most of the minority world focus around “cognitive goals and readiness for school”, whereas in Nordic countries and Central Europe there is a greater emphasis on play and children developing socially that includes the notion of children’s agency (Dahlberg, 2011: 229). In Nordic countries concepts of the competent child and children’s agency have been key in shaping curriculum to go beyond simply focusing on goals of progress-based learning (Dahlberg, 2011: 229). This framework allows for learning in nature to have a greater role than in strict classroom pedagogy focused on attaining grades. In ethnographic studies carried out by William Corsaro (2003,2005) he found that children have more agency in their lives through play as well as through peer cultures that facilitate “ a sense of collective community and a desire to share and participate in routines, activities and artefacts, with a potential for exceeding and transgressing the limits of knowledge transmitted to them by adults” (in Dahlberg, 2011:230). Again, the emphasis is placed on the interaction that is relational and not just a one-way process of learning as facilitated in most classrooms through the teacher.
Murris argues through a posthumanist lens that “the way the concept childhood is used in teaching, research, policy-making and curriculum design presupposes the Nature/Culture dichotomy, with child associated with Nature and adult with Culture” and how children are consumers of knowledge rather than producers “because it is assumed that they are (still) developing, (still) innocent, (still) fragile, (still) immature, (still) irrational, and so forth” (Murris, 2018: 2). By exploring the binary of nature and culture and assumptions about children and adults, children can be acknowledged as knowledge producers and empowered in their learning and their interactions with the world. By listening to what they experience and feel in nature we can find out more about what they perceive as important for aspects of their lives such as their health and well-being.
iii. Importance of nature for health and well-being of children
Health and well-being of children is a critical aspect of childhoods and exploring how nature impacts children has been gaining research attention. Louv points to various studies that have found nature helps children with stress, with mental health diagnoses such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, having higher self-worth, and increased social interaction (2005: 50-51). Louv and Charles describe the changes in childhood related to nature to include less unstructured
play due to the encouragement of more scheduled activities, an increase of fear that leads to less freedom to explore and be independent as well as more distrust of letting children be in nature alone, with worries including a fear of strangers and potential accidents (2009:1). Along with less time and connection in nature, there has been a rapid increase in health problems such as obesity and a deficiency in vitamin D that is linked to less time being spent outdoors (Louv and Charles, 2009:1).
In Swedish culture in particular, the importance of children’s relationship to nature is highly acknowledged and includes a widespread understanding that children belong outside year-round, regardless of the weather (Sweden, 2019). The Scandinavian concept of “friluftsliv”, basically translating into “free air life”, is a notion that is a cultural influence rooted in the 18th century movement of “back to nature” in response to urbanization and the growth of industrialization (Gelter, 1999: 78-79). Stockholm for example, has dedicated 40% of public greenspaces (World Cities Culture Forum, 2015). This exemplifies the importance of
sociocultural aspects that can impact children’s relationship to nature. Other societal developments such as technology that influence experiences of childhood need to be considered. Technology and television are increasingly getting attention on how they are impacting children’s well-being. Mayall argues that the more children explore new
technologies “the less time they can and will give to interactions with the natural world, with consequent loss of knowledge and identity” (2013: 31). Along with an increase in technology use being an obstacle to connecting with nature, the threat of the current environmental crisis has an impact on air quality, food quality, and other elements that factor into the well-being of children now and in to the future.
iv. Environmental crisis and sustainability
Though there is an increase of children’s voices in research around the topic of nature, it is not ample and as the environmental crisis continues to worsen it will be imperative to explore this area further. According to the United Nations (UN), “Youth participation [in the climate change intergovernmental process] has brought moral, intergenerational and equity-based values as well as constructive technical and policy inputs to the negotiations” (Youth and Climate Change, no date). Children are increasingly becoming involved in the climate justice movement, with famous youth such as Greta Thunberg in Sweden leading the way. Greta at fifteen began protesting outside the Swedish parliament about climate change and has become the face of the Fridays for Future youth movement around the world and was recently
awarded with Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award for 2019 (Amnesty International, 2019).
Another example of young environmental activists enacting change is Adeline Suwana in Indonesia who became concerned about flooding due to climate change and diminishing mangrove swamps that helped alleviate flooding effects (Brooks, 2018:8). Adeline created the Friends of Nature organization to engage youth in preservation of the natural world (Brooks, 2018:8). These examples of youth climate activists suggest that there is desire for them to be heard and involved in finding solutions to the environmental degradation happening around the world. As young people start getting involved in and leading the climate justice
movement, there is a shortage of child and youth care researchers and practitioners working with them (Gharabaghi and Anderson-Nathe 2018:209). The agency of children to get involved in issues, such as the environmental crisis, is dependent on the structures and adults that have influence over their lives. There is a generational injustice of children having to live in a world that is facing ecological issues that they are and will continue to be impacted by, which for many children creates considerable worry (Cutter-Mackenzie and Rousell, 2019: 90). A study by Karen Malone where she involved children as researchers in designing a child-friendly neighbourhood as “environmental agents’, shows that the children she studied “have an embedded sense of efficacy and agency that provided a strong foundation for their role as environmental stewards and change agents as a consequence of having a childhood rich in environmental experiences and an opportunity to share those experience with interested adults” (2013: 376). This highlights the importance of listening to children and including them as active agents to gain their perspectives and engage them in being a part of constructing their experiences and childhoods.
v. Children’s perspectives and child participation
Children’s lives and experiences are impacted by factors such as generational position, class, gender, ethnicity as well as their own role as social actors/agents that impacts how their daily lives and childhoods are experienced (James and James, 2008: 134). According to the UNCRC (1989) in what children’s “participation rights” are, Article 12 states:
“ States parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the
views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child” (UNICEF, 2019).
There are currently climate change projects such as Climate Change + Me project, that
include child participation and acknowledge “youth’s political agency in schools, universities, and the public domain” (Cutter-Mackenzie and Rousell, 2019: 91). Children’s perspectives as well as participation is becoming increasingly considered in environmental issues. According to studies, including children as participants in environmental issues is highlighting a new foray in development of policy and it is essential to achieving long-term goals towards sustainability (Chawla, 2002:12-13). This creates a new opportunity in the research area of children and environmentalism and a chance to include children’s voices into creating solutions. Childhood as a social institution is based on “an actively negotiated set of social relationships” within the early years of a human’s life, which “is both constructed and reconstructed both for children and by children” (James and Prout, 1997:7). By giving voice to children’s perspectives they actively are involved in this process of ongoing creating and re-creating various sociocultural aspects of their lives.
Method
As an environmentalist who had a childhood that included a deep-seated and meaningful connection to nature, I was interested in interviewing primary school children to gain more insight into children’s perspectives on this topic. Gaining access to children as participants for this research was difficult as many schools were not open to having a researcher speak to their students. Additionally, as a non-native to the country of undertaken research, not speaking the language significantly limited the amount of schools (particularly access to Outdoor and Forest schools) that could be included in the process. Through a personal network, access to a school was gained through a parent contacting the administrator at the school their children go to, The British International School in Stockholm, Sweden. The research summary as well as the consent forms (Appendix i) were sent to the school and were organized and collected by the school administrators. It was made clear that children could withdraw at any time during or after the interview process. To be mindful of unintentional harm, the questions (Appendix ii) were created in a way to not probe too personally into the children’s lives.
This research was conducted over a three-day period during recess in the school playgrounds, where several classes take turns going out in a rotating schedule. It is important to account for the sample of children being from a privileged background as British International School is one of the best international private schools in Stockholm, with students from all over the world providing for a diverse cultural group. Children were approached in groups, as they were playing to ask who remembered filling out the consent form and wanted to speak about their relationship to nature. It is interesting to note that the children were surprised that there was interest in their perspectives, and they were eager to share their views. Recess was twenty minutes and children were asked to choose a spot in the playground that they liked. A voice recorder was used that was provided by Linköping University for each interview and a set of questions was prepared and presented to each participant. During the interviews, following the questions in the interview guide, while remaining flexible and non-judgmental, were critical to getting access to the world view of research participants (Bryman, 2012: 473). This idea from Bryman was employed by largely sticking to the scripted questions, but also
following up on the children’s answers for clarity or where there was more interesting information to dig into. There were 37 children who consented to participate in the research, out of which I was only able to interview 13 because of only having access to three recess breaks to conduct the research. The children were between 8 and 9 years old; 8 girls participated and 5 boys.
The design of this research process was carried out in accordance with Linköping University policies and went through an ethical vetting board to ensure that the data was collected ethically and also adhered to privacy laws. Data was stored as informed by the policies and the children’s names were replaced with pseudonyms to ensure privacy.
According to Braun and Clarke, thematic analysis is a valuable method in qualitative research used for identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns that emerge out of the data, and then become grouped as themes and subthemes (2006:79). The themes found in the patterns seek to organize and reflect the relationship between the data and the research question (Braun and Clarke, 2006: 82). In this paper, examples from the interviews will be provided to help illustrate how meaning was created. As Taylor and Ussher (2001) argue, there must be an acknowledgment of the researcher’s role, as active rather than passive, during thematic analysis. The researcher’s role must make aware the process and detail of finding the themes and to recognize the themes as decisions being made by the researcher based on what they
want to know (Braun and Clarke, 2006: 80). The data and the themes were observed in relation to the research question, which was to find out how children relate to nature and anything that helped explore this relationship further.
The data from the interviews was transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis was used to describe the data and to gain an understanding of what the children expressed. Re-reading the script several times was essential to finding the repeating notions and themes. The codes were used to explore the data, then themes were created to capture the emerging related thematic areas that were then grouped into categories that were deemed relevant. Focus was placed on themes that were expressed repeatedly in the children’s answers and on ideas that stood out as unique and interesting in relation to the research question. Ensuring emphasis to be placed on what was important to the children and not assumptions of what should be important was a key part of the process. It was clear that the children had confidence in their own ideas about what nature was and that this did not always relate to what they were taught in school or from their parents. In relation to the research question, the themes and subthemes will be described to help give life to what the children had to say.
Name Gender Age
Sara Female 8 Megan Female 8 Leona Female 9 Selma Female 8 Frida Female 9 Zoe Female 9 Tasha Female 9 Lola Male 9 Vishnar Male 9 Leo Male 8 Adrian Male 8 Ahmed Male 9 Shawn Male 9
Figure 1. Thematic map
Analysis
i. Nature as Animated
In analyzing how the child participants define nature, the first theme is nature as animated. The children talked about how nature is a living entity, a life-giving entity, as well as the interconnectedness of the relationship they have to it. The notion of nature as animated is a departure from conventional ways that nature is defined in most literature, which says that human beings are separate from their environment and nature. The children defined nature as being alive, omnipresent, and at times presented as a companion. Megan (8) explains how she views nature as animated by stating;
“It’s like I feel sometimes that nature is a part of me, and I think that everyone is, and that we should keep it and not throw it away. And I think that also when the people throw trash and other stuff like plastic in oceans I feel sad for it and also for the animals and it hurts my feelings because I feel like nature is who I am and I don’t know why I just feel like it and I feel happy that we have it”.
Not only is nature suggested as animated, she explains nature in relation to herself and who she is and who she thinks we all are, suggesting a deeply intertwined relationship. This
NATURE AS ANIMATED
Living entity Life giving entity Interconnectedness
NATURE AS A RESOURCE
For playing For Learning For well-being
NATURE AS THREATENED
definition of nature being who we are might suggest a sense of sacredness, a greater meaning of relating to our environment that reflects and encompasses the child’s place in the world through her eyes. The way she communicates feeling sad for nature also conveys that nature is a living entity that is sentient and in turn this affects the way she feels, when nature is being mistreated. This mistreatment she mentions could be understood similarly to how one treats their friends and shows empathy to how they are handled. There also seems to be a sense of gratitude conveyed for nature existing and for the relationship it entails for her. This also shows how our representations of ideas, as presented by theorist Barad, mediate our relationship to the material world that challenges if what we are presented with is actually what it is, or if it is produced through social activities such as culture that make it seem ordinary (2003:806). Showing that how we come to relate to our environment is influenced by the ideas we have come to understand through our social influences that can construct a certain image of it being perhaps common or unexceptional. Though there is sociocultural influence, it is also suggested by the children that their own experiences in nature seem to have allowed them their own ideas and realizations about what nature is and how to relate to it.
Other child participants echo this idea, such as Tasha (8) who reflected that; “It just feels right for me to be in nature and I feel I am safe and I’m not going to be harmed in any way and I don’t really feel alone because nature is a living thing”. Followed by responding to who she is usually in nature with, she stated; “I am usually with no one but nature”. Again, reiterating the idea that nature is alive and suggesting that this relationship is one of safety and
nurturance, one that has a felt presence and that allows children to feel like they are with another entity. This strengthens the discourse that the children discussed about nature as alive and it being interacted with as a vibrant relationship.
Living Entity
The idea of nature as a living entity was common throughout the interviews. Leona (9) stated; “Nature is a living thing and you should treat it like humans are treated and not differently”. Here the idea of respect is conveyed along with the idea that humans should view their affinity with nature as one of reciprocity, rather than perhaps a relationship of dominance. This reflects the idea of performativity, suggesting that our relationship to our environment and our world is rooted in an ongoing process that is influenced by and also impacts our
understanding of the ongoing relating that is entailed. Another participant, Megan (8), described how she feels in nature; “I feel really really confident with it, I feel like there’s no other place you can be instead of being there at nature”. She conveys the idea of the ever-present aspect of nature and also the feeling of safety that is nurtured.
Byrd (2011) voices how Indigenous culture also recognizes land as agentic, as alive, as a teacher and keeper of memory as it “both remembers life and its loss and serves itself as a mnemonic device that triggers the ethics of relationality with the sacred geographies that constitute Indigenous peoples’ histories” (in (in Tuck, Mccoy, McKenzie, 2014: 9). This reflects the notion of relationality that the children express in their ideas around nature being agentic and animated. Sara (8) mentioned how nature is something that makes you feel better. She says; “I spent time in a park and then I fell but it actually didn’t hurt, I feel that nature is a thing that helps you if you fall and it helps you feel better”. Again, contributing to the idea that nature is animated and that it is a relationship that provides nurturance and a sense of safety, even when dangers such as falling are endured. Expressing the idea that nature can make one feel better also points to the quality of aliveness and sentience that Sara has suggested can affect others, such as herself. Tasha (8), showed her own understanding about what nature is, by describing how she cares for it; “I take care of nature in a special way, as in I treat the plants indoors as if they are outdoors. I make it feel like it’s home because
sometimes they take it away from their natural habitat and I make them feel at home that they’re in their natural habitat. I have this plant from the rain forest, and I give it a lot of water every week and also talk to it so it can have some air”. Taking care of nature by making it feel like it is in its natural habitat and interacting with it in this way can also suggest more about how nature is understood, that it too requires a particular kind of care that is designed to meet its unique needs. This example and the ones before also point to the idea that the relationship with nature is one of interconnectedness.
Interconnectedness
Dickinson too affirms the notion that nature is everywhere in his statement “nature is constant and does not exist in particular outdoor places” (2013:330). The children draw on this idea that nature is not simply a place, and did not differentiate between nature as something outside but rather suggesting ideas such as; “I feel like it’s not really a place, it’s all around you that’s the thing you are always in nature, you are never out of it”, Leona (9). This statement can be viewed as expressing an understanding of human’s place within the
ecosystem of nature and the continuous co-existence that the relationship is perceived as entailing. Taylor (2011) points to the attempt of using geography’s hybrid nature/culture discourse to look at the interconnectedness of the human and “more-than-human world” as a way of understanding children and nature (Malone, 2015:3). In this study the children
understood their relationship to nature as beyond a dual notion of nature and human as well as one that is rooted in interconnectedness.
Many of the children spoke about nature taking care of them and them taking care of nature, saying things such as; “People do some kind of stuff that nature does not do to us”, Sara (8). She seems to suggest that the relationship humans have towards nature is not one of equality and perhaps one of dominance, where humans can do things to nature that is perhaps not justified or retaliated. Vishnar (9) conveys how interconnectedness is a part of relating to nature; “I do take care of nature and the thing that I do to take care of nature is I try not to use anything that is made out of trees or things out of the forest because all the trees give us oxygen”. This shows how his idea of nature is a two-way relationship, where the trees help to sustain us with oxygen and we in turn have the choice of not using items made out of wood to perhaps preserve and respect the life-giving elements it provides. Interconnectedness was expressed by the children to show that nature is a living entity and one that we as humans are mutually dependent on.
Life-giving entity
Nature as a life-giving entity was talked about by the children with ideas such as; “Nature is
strong because it helps us to be healthy and survive with oxygen”, Vishnar (9). Again, showing commonly held beliefs children suggest about nature keeping us alive and thriving, conveying that they realize just how important nature is to their everyday lives. Tasha (8), reiterated this by defining nature as “It’s something really nice because it gives us everything we need”. Here the appreciation for and recognition that nature provides humans with much more than just a place to enjoy activities is reflected on. The idea that nature produces and shares with us everything that is needed as a life-giving entity is mirrored in how children conveyed their understanding of the interconnectedness and the need to protect it for its own sake as well as ours.
When asked if nature impacts humans or humans impact nature, Zoe (9) reflects that; “I think it’s both, because humans sometimes don’t take care of nature, and nature makes humans
happy”. This suggests a relationship that is perhaps not balanced in giving and taking. Lola (9), also shared that the relationship between nature and humans is one in which, “nature changes humans” as she described it to be “a really peaceful place”. This ability for nature to affect humans as suggested by Lola can denote the animated quality nature has as well as to express how it impacts well-being, which falls under the next theme that is nature as a
resource.
ii. Nature as a resource
Nature was described by the children as a resource for various things. Not as an economic resource to be used but as a beneficial resource to their lives, such as for well-being, for
playing, and for learning. When asked if nature is important to children , Selma (8)
responded; “Nature is important to children because they have to move around but they could do it inside, but I don’t think many people do that, so they go outside because they need sun, they need vitamins from the sun”. This reflection illustrates how nature is viewed in relation to health, suggesting the importance of activity as well as the health-giving aspects of nature, such as the benefits of being in the sun. Along with physical health there was a recurring articulation from the children that psychological well-being is also important in their
relationship with nature. Studies have shown that being in nature fosters better mental health and emotional regulation (Chawla, 2015:444). This was echoed by the children who
expressed that they found it easier to concentrate in nature and found a greater sense of well-being when connected to nature.
Resource for well-being
The notion of well-being can be viewed in statements such as by Zoe (9), about being in nature; “Well it’s like fresh and it just refreshes the mind…if you are down it makes you happy and the wind makes you bright and happy”. The elements such as air are suggested to interact in a way that impacts well-being and can lift spirits. Zoe (9) also confidently stated that for her; “If there is no nature, there is no happiness”. She conveys just how much this relationship means to her and how she associates it with happiness. Louv’s research conveys that “in nature, a child finds freedom, fantasy, privacy: a place distant from the adult world, a separate place (2005:7) This sense of having a place to themselves, where they can explore was also voiced by the children. Selma (8), reflects about how she feels in nature; “I feel happy and safe and not closed, it makes me feel more like I can do whatever I want”. The
sense of joy as well as safety is suggested along with a sense of freedom that comes with being in nature.
Freedom as an aspect of well-being was communicated by the children and was also indicated in one of the first anthropological studies on children’s relationships to nature by Hart (1979). He found that “children spent a lot of time alone quietly resting, watching, or dabbling in sand or water” and he shares that some children revealed that they retreated to these outdoor places in difficult times (in Chawla, 2015: 436). Megan (8) expressed that; “I see that if there’s nobody around, I just feel that its good because we’re not supposed to all be everywhere. We can all have space and see”. The ability to enjoy nurturing solitude in nature is expressed as something that brings enjoyment and is perceived as a positive experience. Sara (8) defined nature as “a really calm place that makes you feel happy and it makes you feel kind of grateful for the things it does, like it can help you breathe and then it just feels wonderful”. This feeling of calm was explicitly cited by six of the children and implied by most of them. Chawla, an international expert on urban children and nature, reviewed the benefits of nature for children, and also highlighted that great thinkers such as Aristotle pointed to happiness as “the ultimate goal of human life” and essential to “human flourishing” in relation to well-being (2015:434). Happiness was among the most recounted associations that the children had about being in nature and expressed as being linked to their freedom, space to just be and explore, and to connecting with others. It also contributed to their well-being as a place to experience positive social connection. As Leona (9) explains about being in nature; “I feel safe and happy. Any time I am sad it makes me feel better because it’s like part of my family. We usually go with my aunt because they live next to a really big forest and we go running, we go play and we camp and its really fun”. The role that family traditions and spending quality time together in nature suggest an important element in how children relate to nature. The importance of social connection, and the relationship children have to nature being facilitated by their families was commonly expressed by the children. When asked if parents liked nature and how they could tell, Zoe (9) stated; “Well I can tell that they are stopping us if we do the wrong thing in nature and they love going outside. My parents played badminton when they were little, it’s something that runs in the family and to play outdoors and stuff”. The relationship children understood to nature seems to be mediated by their parent’s ideas and influences that may have come from their own childhood experiences.
Previous studies indicated the significant influence that environmental perspectives of adults had on the relationship with children’s participation in nature as well as later environmental action as adults (Wells and Lekies, 2006: 13). The happiness the children expressed was correlated to spending time with friends; “When I was in the forest and I played with my friends who were there, we had a play date and we had some fun and I liked it”, said Adrian (8). Nussbaum (2011) argues that affiliation created through social connection aids well-being through the development of empathy and learning about healthy relating and building
relationships (in Chawla, 2015:444). The importance of social connection was reflected in how the children enjoyed nature as well as how their relationship to nature was shaped. Interestingly, Shawn (9) who explained his parents dislike of nature still had an affinity with nature; “I don’t think my dad or mom like being in nature and I can tell they don’t like being in nature because they don’t go outdoors much”. Even though he expressed his parents did not like being in nature, he did say that; “Nature makes me feel happy and relaxed”, and; “When I’m indoors its mostly working and in humid air that doesn’t get that much fresh air”. He shows how he isn’t necessarily influenced by his parent’s perceptions and relationship with nature and also that he recognizes and appreciates the benefits of being in nature. This connection of children’s relationship to nature, being one that fosters well-being, can potentially help understand the best interests of the child and where they feel healthiest as well as where they feel they learn best.
Resource for playing
The most recounted resource of nature along with fostering social interactions, was that nature is a resource for playing. “I like looking and playing sports and running around”, expressed Sara (8). Play is regarded as a significant aspect of childhood and as having an important function for learning (James and James, 2008:98). The idea of play is expressed by Frida (8), as a fun and social activity;
“Nature is a fun place because I play a lot over there, I play a lot with my friends there. Yesterday, I took my bicycle to the playground near my house and I played there with my brother and then we went into the woods with our bicycles and then came back and my mom asked us about it”.
The play suggests for her that nature is a resource for being active, being socially connected with friends, as well as then connecting with family to recount her experience. Most of the
children mentioned play in one form or another; “Outside I usually run around and do gymnastics but inside if I run around my mom and dad will tell me to stop because I can knock things over if I do gymnastics because I have to do it in one place which is very small”, explained Selma (8). This highlights the agency that nature provides as a resource in
comparison to being indoors, as children expressed more freedom to choose how they move their bodies and play outdoors, which they highlight as a sense of freedom. Agency is important in understanding children’s relationship to nature. Warden show how Gibson’s theory of affordances was intended to explain the understanding of environment. The concept of ‘affordances’ refers to what the environment offers; what it provides for the child.
Affordances are opportunities that arise from the interaction between the physical properties of the environment and the interests, ideas, and intent of the individual child” (2010: 6). Affordances include the idea that there is a two-way relationship between the child and nature that is also influenced by socio-cultural notions. The children talked about how interacting with nature provides an important resource for playing in childhood and agency to explore themselves through these experiences.
The outdoors was suggested to provide a greater freedom to play and have experiences that children enjoy engaging in, whereas being indoors was associated with more sedentary situations. This freedom can be associated with the agency that is found at recess and
outdoors for children, as Evaldsoon (2003) states that this is one of the few if not only places that children have the freedom to choose who they play with and what they do in the various spaces they are in (in Fingerson, 2011:224). The children articulated that this freedom was key to why they enjoyed being in nature, that they could use their bodies to do whatever they pleased by choosing the activities and having the ability to be loud and take up space. Zoe (9) expresses that the difference between playing indoors and outdoors is significant; “It does make a difference, quite a lot of difference, I play outdoors, and I run free and indoors I usually just sit and read a book or something”. Showing how she experiences playing indoors with more sedentary and quiet activities and being outdoors as bringing more freedom and space to enjoy.
Along with being a resource for play, many of the children expressed how much nature was a resource for inspiring the admiration of beauty.“I mean it’s like really beautiful and it brings joy and happiness. It’s like just beautiful to sit around and to look at” expressed Zoe (9), which was said by many of the children proposing that nature is for them is an important
resource to admire beauty and to enjoy taking in with the senses. The visual sense of wonder being an important element for the children was voiced many times in how they relate to nature. When asked if he thinks children like being in nature, Leo (8) stated; “I think most children do like being in nature cause nature is nice to look at and it helps us, nature, and it’s really pretty nature”. Along with suggesting that nature is a helpful force for children, he conveys just how much the beauty has made an impact on him. Ahmed (9) also reflects this by saying; “Nature to me is special because it’s really beautiful and helps us”, again
reiterating a similar message that nature is both helpful to children as well as beautiful, which is part of what he suggests creates a special bond with it. Shawn (9) also reflects on the beauty by stating;
“Nature to me is a world of beautiful flowers and plants that reproduce to make a land that looks nice and nature somehow looks beautiful even if it’s kind of cut down so that even if nature is cut down it can still reproduce by other insects such as bees and animals, therefore nature is a wonderful thing”.
Implying that the resilience of the environment creates beauty whether it is thriving or not and that the visual splendor creates a special connection to it. This sense of wonder that is fostered by nature can be construed from the children’s acknowledgement of nature’s beauty and the impact it has on their senses and enjoyment of nature. Children commonly said how they enjoyed playing and at the same time were bothered by environmental issues they noticed such as pollution, an example of this is what Selma (8) explained; “I like being outside cause I can run around, I can jump, I can do whatever and the only thing I dislike is that there is a lot of rubbish and sometimes when I’m walking without shoes or I’m going swimming then I see this rubbish and I don’t like it”. Suggesting that children are impacted by the degradation of nature that they are noticing around them. Along with play, the idea that nature was a resource for learning was voiced.
Resource for learning
Studies of human–environment relationships show that learning takes place through
interacting with environments (Malone, 2013:375). The children reflected this idea that they learned better outside and enjoy the ability to explore on their own, through their senses, along with facilitated learning through adults. A significant notion related to this multifaceted learning is the idea of intra-action, rather than interaction, that is commonly described in the
context of learning and experiences (Barad, 2003:815). This shift in thinking expands the idea of relational exchanges to go beyond cause and effect, and instead explore what is
experienced to account for the “ebb and flow of agency” (Barad, 2003:817). This discourse is reproduced in the children’s ideas of how they relate to nature as they create their own
meaning of defining nature, and both in how they learn in nature and from the process of interacting with it.
Leo (8) recounts the last time he was in nature; “I’m exploring in the woods and finding out about nature and plants… I was discovering it on my own, I was looking at things and trying to find out what they are and what they do to help you”, and continues to reflect; “Sometimes I’m on my own and usually exploring [in nature] and I’m with somebody when I’m exploring away from the house and more like in the forest”. This suggests that children’s relationship to nature is indeed mediated by their parents, especially when engaging with nature that is further from home and requires supervision. There is also the idea of learning through the senses and discovering on one’s own, which seemed to be an important aspect of relating to nature. Many of the children expressed that nature was a place that offered them the
opportunity to learn on their own through independent exploration.
Ethnographic studies such Hart’s (1979) affirm that this is one of the best aspects of being in nature for children, the ability to be alone and explore as well as it being a place of refuge (in Chawla, 2015:436). The freedom to be alone, to rest or explore, to learn or to play, or to observe with the senses were something the children conveyed as important to their relationship with nature. Louv offers the idea that along with being a place to discover on one’s own for children, “nature gives itself to children—for its own sake, not as a reflection of culture” and suggests that it elicits humbleness (2005:8). The children expressed that nature offers a different kind of learning, about themselves and the environment that is one of self-led exploration in many ways and that they enjoy becoming a part of the process of learning through their senses interacting in and with nature. “I feel how the pattern is on the trees or how big or thick they are”, shares Leo (8), showing how he is able to choose how he interacts with nature and experiences through his senses what he is curious about.
Professor Robin Moore heads a research and design program that promotes the natural environment and children’s lives and highlights the importance of considering that children live through their senses (in Louv, 2005: 66). Moore explains that since nature is a core source of sensory stimulation, allowing children the independence to be with their own senses
is integral to development of an “interior life” as it allows children to learn through testing themselves as well as reconstructing culture (in Louv, 2005:66). This necessity for
autonomous play and learning independently through one’s senses was something the
children also spoke about. The liberty to choose what the children were taking in through their senses also highlighted their ability of interacting with nature in a different way when they were alone rather than when they were with teachers or parents.
From what the children expressed, it is clear that what they learn through school is mostly about faraway environmental issues, and the degradation of the rainforest in particular. Many children spoke of what they learned during the rainforest theme in class; “In class I learned about the rainforest and how they cut down trees and like maybe in a hundred years there will not be any more rainforest”, explained Frida (8). Showing here what stood out the most from environmental education in the classroom around nature and that topics to nature seem to be taught in schools as external “things” or “issues” not necessarily issues impacting them locally or personally. Tasha (8) showed how important ideas about nature are received from both school and parents;
“Last year we had to learn about the rain forest and they said that every second the rain forest is being cut down the size of a football field, I think it’s really serious for nature and I don’t really think we need that much stuff because nature also gives us food and my dad told me the fruit want to be eaten cause they want the seed to go out and be planted again but I think when we eat them we throw the seed in the bin so I really don’t think that’s fair and I think there should be a trash can for the seeds so they can be planted again.”
Tasha clearly demonstrated what is being learned about nature through school curriculum and through what parents conveyed to her, she also expressed her own ideas about how she thinks nature should be treated, for example by having a separate bin for seeds to be replanted. She also expresses the idea that people are overconsuming and that this is having a serious impact on the environment. This exemplifies the nuanced relationship children have to nature and that it is influenced by various sociocultural factors that may include media reports and activism.
Louv has researched the connection between ADHD and learning in nature, showing that nature aids in children’s attention span (Louv, 2005:105). Child participants echoed this idea
from the research by saying things like; “When they’re [teachers] outdoors they have a bit more information and that its easier for us to learn if we are outside to focus’, affirmed Megan (8). This suggests that some of the children felt calmer and that nature provides an
environment that perhaps they could learn better in. This could help create potential understanding around better ways to facilitate children’s learning. Studies in Sweden that compare nature-based pre-schools to regular ones, concluded that children in nature-based schools had greater capacity for concentration and had increased motor coordination (Louv, 2005:105). Children expressed that they learned on their own in nature, through play, from others such as family and friends, and in the classroom. It is argued that to effectively facilitate environmental education it is imperative that adults leave their own negative
reactions out while inspiring wonder and joy about nature (Johnson, 2014:131). Allowing the children to come to their own ideas through their own experiences in nature is deemed to be more beneficial.
Selma (8) pointed to the ways she learns about taking care of nature, which was from:
“school and in the morning my dad, brothers, and my mom watch TV then I see things that are happening. It’s like facts about what’s happening and sometimes it comes up like this much plastic was found in the ocean today. And school, cause we have a topic which was save the whales or the earth, I don’t know, and we did an art project thing about plastic”.
Again, we see the various sociocultural factors that influence the ideas children are constructing about the world they live in. The social construction of childhood can be understood by looking at the various discourses “made up of ideas, attitudes, courses of action, beliefs and practices” to see how our sociocultural worlds are created as expressed by Foucault (Gallacher and Kehily, 2013:229). In terms of the sociocultural aspects of learning, the children expressed a diverse and multifaceted process of how they learn in nature both independently and through others and about nature through social interactions as well as institutions such as school, the media, and extracurricular activities. This makes for a more holistic approach in understanding how children learn within their relationship to nature and how it is facilitated by various sociocultural factors in their wide-ranging childhoods. By engaging children through their senses and facilitating experiences in nature, children have the ability to draw from their own ways of knowing and becoming involved in the process of learning. Johnson argues that until both formal mainstream education and culture embed the
importance of nature into daily practice, it is essential that both formal and non-formal educators help to keep children connected to nature and inspired by having a sense of wonder in nature (2014:137).
Learning through social interactions within the family was commonly stated; “I am usually with my family like my mom and dad, sometimes I am with a club kind of thing, like in the forest walking there and we learn a lot about nature, which I feel happy for”, said Megan (8). Megan suggests an appreciation for both the social connection that being in nature entails as well as for learning about nature through these interactions. Research shows that learning about nature in an independent and significant way “occurs when they learn about things that are intellectually, social-emotionally and social-culturally supported by the human
environment” (Hyun, 2012:212). This is why the role of the mentor, adult, or teacher becomes important as a facilitator who empowers children to be involved in their own experience of learning. One child expressed about whether they thought nature was changing or not that; “Well no, but I know that there is a problem but luckily, we don’t have a lot of problems in Sweden like in other countries”, explained Megan (8). This suggests that children are perhaps not being told about what is going on globally in the context of the environmental crisis as well as the western worlds impact on creating these issues. Previous research (Hart,1979, and Froebel, 1887) express that “ children need to understand the extent, diversity, and
connections among things in the world as an important part of their developing sense of their own existence and place in the universe” (in Chawla, 2015:437). Children’s ability to explore themselves in nature as a part of the larger world is an important aspect of why nature is significant to childhoods. The current environmental crisis therefore could have a big impact on children and how they experience childhoods.
iii. Nature as threatened
Within the theme nature as threatened, all of the children expressed a concern for nature and how it is being treated by humans as well as the need for conservation. When asked if humans are impacting nature or nature is impacting humans, Vishnar (8) responded; “they’re changing it by taking care of it, while some people are cutting all the trees down so they make stuff that you can use that is made out of it and then there’s people who are caring for it”. The
complexity of the situation is implied here as he highlights that it is some and not all people who are doing things such as destroying forests for consumption but also that there are others who are perhaps preserving trees and other elements of nature. Leo (8) stated; “Well I think
most students are trying to change this [how nature is being impacted] but I don’t think they are having a choice, I think they are having to cut down more wood, I still think they are trying to stop but they are being forced to do it”. The ideas articulated here suggest the interesting notion that perhaps there is no choice in cutting down trees and using resources as that is how our current system operates. He also highlights the intricacy of the agency of students or people who don’t necessarily want to be part of threatening nature but due to sociocultural and economic factors this sort of behavior is imposed on them and influences them. Agency as articulated by Barad, is “not an attribute but the ongoing reconfiguring’s of the world” (2003:818). This ongoing process of change too can be linked with the
environmental crisis, perceptions of it, and the opportunities for actions to mitigate the issue.
Humans destroying nature
The children talked frequently about humans destroying nature. This can be seen in
statements such as Leo’s (8); “I think that maybe people should stop like destroying nature and like let life be as it is now and like instead of making life more easy for us and harder for the plants then they should let the plants have a chance to actually grow more life”. Leo is suggesting that perhaps we should think less about how to increase our satisfaction through consumption and commodification of nature as humans, which is threatening to the
environment, and instead offer nature a chance to regenerate and thrive further. The children expressed that agency was in choosing how to care for nature and choosing not to pollute or to produce harm, for instance; “I think people should know that they should not ruin nature, like people are cutting down nature and trees so I think they should stop that and find some other way”, Zoe (9) explained. This suggests that children do think we have a choice and a responsibility in how we are consuming and exploiting nature. Vishnar (9) also explained that;
“It’s about caring about the world and not using stuff that’s from the forest or the rain forest and just make sure you don’t use something that is made out of wood. If there’s way too many trees in your garden but you don’t like it because you want a field to play, don’t cut them down as you can just wait until they get too old and they die”.
The idea that is conveyed here is that people are destroying nature for unnecessary reasons and perhaps there should be a more mindful approach to how and why we threaten nature and remove trees prematurely. The children seemed to mentioned wood, the rainforest, and trees
