Can ecological relationships be grown indoors? A re-storying of plant-child relations

Abstract

This multispecies ethnography case study uses poststructural and posthuman frameworks to question developmenta standards, classification, and anthropocentric thinking in early childhood education. This research re-stories the relationships between plants and eleven preschool children as they share an indoor play area. Situated in what is now known as settler colonial Toronto, this research suggests small scale ways to re-narrate nature-child relationships in an era of climate change. Using writing style and findings, the research uses feminist methods to question what is included as valuable knowledge within the field of early childhood education.