The aim of the project is to explore how children´s opportunities to develop capacities to live a sustainable life can be strengthened. We study how enhancing the sustainability work within day care and pre-primary units can contribute to this. A special interest is directed towards supporting a relational worldview, based on the understanding of humans as entangled with the entire web of Life.

We explore practices and pedagogies that can contribute to a more sustainable lifestyle and to resilience among children and adults within ECEC. Nature contact, as well as holistic and arts-based approaches are studied as paths towards a “pedagogy of hope and action”. Our ambition is to promote truly transformative and transgressive learning processes among both children and adults in the learning community.

The project collaborates with staff at the ECEC teaching practice units of Åbo Akademi University. We also involve students from the bachelor and master programs in ECEC teacher education in our research. You can follow the activities in the project via our blog: https://blogs2.abo.fi/live-play-learn/