Presentation

I hold a PhD in Science Education and my research explores child-nature relations in Swedish preschool practice in the time of the Anthropocene.

We live in a time marked by climate change, biodiversity loss and other complex sustainability challenges. Preschool is an important arena where children encounter and become with the world around them. Nature has long held a central place in Swedish preschool education, but nature is not simply something that exists "out there" waiting to be discovered. Rather, nature and child-nature relations are continuously enacted through cultural, social and educational practices.

In my research, I explore what child-nature relations are made possible through preschool practice and how different ways of doing and teaching science enact possibilities for children and educators to engage with nature. Drawing on actor-network theory (ANT), I am particularly interested in how relations emerge through everyday encounters between children, educators, materials, places and other more-than-human actors, and how these relations matter in the Anthropocene.

Before entering academia, I worked in preschool education as an outdoor educator, educational development specialist and preschool principal. These experiences continue to shape my interest in preschool practice and its ongoing development. Today, I combine research, professional development and science communication, with the aim of contributing to sustainable and research-informed preschool practices.

Publications

My research environments

Imagining and Co-Creating Futures

In a world that seems caught in a crisis-ridden present, there is a need to reawaken our capacity to collectively imagine, make...