An Ecology of Practices – The Hydrosocial Cycle as a Matter of Concern In Preschool Children’s Explorations

The study explores how kindergarten children, water specialists, and a researcher collaborated on the hydrosocial cycle in an urban coastal city in Sweden. The aim is to promote new relational practices that connect society, the environment and technology, based on posthumanist perspectives and methodological approaches from thinkers such as Stengers and Haraway. The study investigates children’s exploration of the importance of water in daily life and how collaboration with water specialists provides new insights into water and wastewater systems.

The results show that through practical experiences, kindergarten children can contribute important insights and that their perspectives add value to discussions about society and the environment. The collaboration between children, researchers and water specialists highlights how local practices can shape new ways of thinking about water in an urban environment, and strengthens children’s participation as active actors in environmental issues. The study also illustrates how children’s questions, such as “Where does the water go when we flush the toilet?”, contribute to the understanding of complex societal processes related to water treatment and sustainability.

The data were collected through participatory observation, where the researcher, together with the children and the water specialists, documented the interactions through the use of digital tools (images and video), notes and drawings. The explorations took place in the children’s local communities and included activities such as opening manhole covers, experiments with water, and observation of water purification processes.

Postila, T. E. (2023). An Ecology of Practices – The Hydrosocial Cycle as a Matter of Concern In Preschool Children’s Explorations. Nordic Journal of Early Childhood Education Research, 20(4), 25–42.