Children engage in their surrounding world in numerous ways. They explore and experiment with materials, they pose questions with their bodies, create ink by mixing coal from firewood with water, they keep pinecones and small stones in their pockets, they formulate hypothesis of the world when they converse with one another, they care about insects and animals, or they don’t care and kill them while being busy with other things. They are occupied with solving problems, and they share their knowledge with friends and adults (fieldnotes, NAVADA 2023-2025).

Research within early childhood science education stresses how children are researchers (Østergaard, 2008). The aim of this paper is to contribute to the field of knowledge about young children’s (0-6 years) engagements in the world and to explore how early childhood educators could support development of early childhood science, nature, and sustainability education through a focus on children’s perspectives and participation. The paper addresses the following research question: How do educators include children’s perspectives and participation in their approaches to nature, science and sustainability learning?

This question is explored and discussed through empirical material from a research- and development project conducted in collaboration with 10 daycare centers in urban and rural areas in Denmark (NAVADA, 2023-2027). NAVADA is a large research-and development project aiming at exploring and developing the ways in which children's engagements in their surrounding world are responded to through science, mathematics, nature and sustainability education approaches in Danish early childhood education. The research project is founded on the claim that experiences with nature, science and sustainability are integral to a general Bildung, contributing to the development of democratic and sustainable citizenship (Ulriksen, 2023). The ongoing climate and biodiversity crises demand that we reconsider our ways of living and relating to the world (IPCC 2023). In a bildung perspective, this points to pedagogical work that includes children and adults as not only part of a societal system but also part of an ecosystem (Paulsen & Ziethen, 2023).

Internationally, the World Organization for Early Childhood (OMEP) has emphasized the importance of sustainability in early childhood education through its declarations and initiatives. In 2018 science and sustainability became part of Danish early childhood curriculum. However, unlike other Nordic countries (Norðdahl et al, 2024) sustainability is not embedded in the overall framework of early childhood education in Denmark. Instead, it is addressed under the curriculum theme: Nature, outdoor and science pedagogy.

Theoretically, the paper draws upon perspectives from Nature of Science studies (Hansson et al, 2021), wild pedagogies (Jørgensen-Vittersøe et al, 2022; Paulsen & Ziethen, 2023) and studies of children’s participation in early childhood sustainability education (Grindheim et al, 2019). This theoretical framework highlights democracy, social justice and children’s agency as relevant parts of pedagogical work. It also emphasizes lifefriendly ways of exploring the world—approaches that do not seek to master or exploit but instead foster meaningful engagement (Paulsen & Ziethen, 2023).

The research- and development project spans a 5-year period, it includes 5 interconnected work packages utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods. A total of 60 early childhood educators from10 daycare institutions, along with 14 researchers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds- biology, geology, anthropology, psychology, outdoor education, work life studies and pedagogy – are involved in the project. The methodological framework is rooted in design-based research (Amiel & Reeves, 2008) which prioritizes iterative, collaborative and participatory processes. A core element of the research project is the co-creation of science-based play-and-learning environments which are designed and carried out by early childhood educators in experimental and iterative processes. The development of these designs was facilitated and followed by researchers. Activities include science camps, labs, observations, collective video analysis and interviews, allowing researchers and educators to work together, which fosters a shared inquiry into how children engage with science, nature and sustainability. The empirical material was analyzed collectively (Eggebø, 2020). This involved identifying recurring themes, challenges, dilemmas and perspectives across the 10 institutions. Examples of two specific play-and-learning designs are highlighted in this paper to illustrate some of the challenges, dilemmas and perspectives that have appeared when early childhood educators develop science, nature and sustainability play-and-learning environments based on children’s perspectives. Ethically, pseudonyms are used to ensure anonymity and information letters have been distributed to participants and parents. Importantly, during the research process children could withdraw from observations or conversations with researchers at any time according to their verbal and nonverbal expressions.

The two play-and-learning designs discussed in this paper, Children as sound researchers in nature and Children are packing the trolley, show that tools, materials and local surroundings form important parts of children’s engagement in nature, science and sustainability. Inspired by nature of science, theories of wild pedagogies and slow pedagogy (Clark, 2023) educators experimented with a focus on process-oriented approaches, deep time and children’s voices. The experiments seem to contribute to strengthening children’s world engagements and their emerging understanding of democracy and sustainability. The findings indicate that even minor shifts in pedagogical perspectives and practices may generate new kinds of participation and engagement for children and adults. Exploring the world together through science and sustainability perspectives challenge early childhood educators to ‘let go of control’, hereby creating generative openings for listening to the voices of children as well as non-human others. Furthermore, the study reveals a critique of cultures of perfectionism and result-driven practices in early childhood education.

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