Young children's encounters with nature, aesthetics and technology in kindergarten
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/lom.v20i34.166695Abstract
The article examines how relations and in‑between spaces among children, nature, aesthetics, and technology emerge within young children’s play and learning practices in the kindergarten, viewed through an object‑oriented ontology (Morton, 2013). With a postdigital point of departure, we designed a two‑day practice experiment in which various technologies were incorporated into open, sensuous activities. Methodologically, we worked as participating researchers in a single‑case study, using situation‑proximal observations, photos, and artefacts.
The analysis shows that technologies not only function as tools but also appear as more‑than‑human actors whose aesthetic presence creates shifts in children’s tempo, attention, and forms of play. In in‑between spaces, opportunities arise for tuning in, while something simultaneously remains withdrawn, thereby driving experimentation. We discuss implications for ECCD in a political context marked by restrictive technology discourses and point out that a broad understanding of technology can open the world for children by supporting exploratory and non‑instrumental encounters.
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