Lifeful Research in Early childhood Education - Method of Intuition by Masa Avramovic

How to research ongoing life-living events in preschool, emerging open curriculum and children’s participation in pedagogical practice of early childhood education? How to do a research that acknowledges and works with creative capacities of life and education? In this exposition, I explore method of intuition developed by French philosopher Henri Bergson (1859-1941) and potentials that it opens up for and within collaborative action research in early childhood education. I invite readers to follow an example from pedagogical practice in one preschool in Serbia, to join teachers and researcher in their effort to coincide with ongoing children's participation in addressing questions that emerge in their encounters with the world, through art-making.

Edition of the book in Serbian (2001) read in the preschool.

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The Story of the Blue Planet

This Story of the Blue Planet written at the beginning of the new millennium unfolds as a modern fairy tale, portraying human beings’ relation to the Planet and its ecosystem. It metaphorically speaks about global problems of our contemporary society - prevailing instrumental approach to the nature, exploitation of natural resources, perpetuating disbalances and inequalities among people, along with possibilities and technologies that enable prolonging of the human life. At the same time, the story connects global ecosystem and children's inner ecology - their ability to be in relation with the world, deeply connected with the nature, and their urge to pose ethical questions and commit themselves for a common good. It gives power to the children “to wreck or save the world" and celebrates their potentials to be sensitive, just and fearless. The Story of the Blue Planet calls us to search for compassion with life and courage to act in that manner. (This text is inspired by varous recension of the book).

The Story of the Blue Planet is a book for children and adults written by Islandic author Andri Snear Magnason in 2000.

Being taken by The Story of the Blue Planet

How and why this book came to the preschool?

"It was at the time when we were thinking how to share the world of stories with the children, which books to read, how to read and work with stories... I found this book at the bookstore by accident. I thought that the story about our Planet is very important, even urgent today. At the same time, it struck me how little we speak about ecology at the preschool. Yes, we recycle, we make things from recycled materials - but nothing more than that. I though this book could open up ecological questions for the children. This is why I brought it to the preschool."

" Our children live in a highly urban area. They spend little time in nature. At the same time, our city is highly polluted. The balance between nature and urgabanization is severly disturbed. We are using so much resources... When I read this book - I coudn't stop thinking about that."

(From interviews with preschool teachers)

Reading the book with children

One of the teachers suggested to the 5-years old children in her group to read the The Story of the Blue Planet together. A group of about 10 of them was interested to start reading.

Every day, in the next two weeks children and teacher would gather and read about adventures of the children on the Blue Planet. While reading they would draw notes and comments on a big piece of paper following carefully how the story goes, Children were sharing between themselves story lines, their insights and impression.

This is the planet where only children live... I don't know how, but that's it.

And the nature is very beautiful. There are watterfalls, butterflies that fly out from the cave and big trees... It is very beautiful. And children are happy. They play all day.

Then Danko cames. He is a grown up. First, he wants to help children. He says that he can fix so that there is always day and never night and children can play all day. He nails down the sun. And because he did that, children have to give him a little bit of their youth powder. And he also made them fly, but then he took flying powder from butterflies, and they couldn’t fly anymore, but children didn’t know that.

When Danko nailed the sun, on the other side of the planet it was always dark. And children who were living there were very scared and pale in their face. And animals and trees became scary. So, Hulda and Brimir needed to go there to save children and then with other children to convince Danko to take out the nail and let the Sun go around. They were smart and they convinced him at the end.

(From research conversations with children, when children are telling the story to the researcher)

So, what the story is about?

Children's collective drawing of The Story of the Blue Planet

The group of children was so taken by the story that they decided to make it with plasteline in a seashell...

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