“We Want to March Too!” Critical Advocacies in Early Childhood

• In Event: Honoring Childhood: Centering Young Children's Perspectives, Questions, and Concerns

Abstract

What does it mean to position young children as advocates? How might we generatively engage children with the issue of climate change? How might children see themselves as agents of change in the face of the climate crisis? Young children are impacted by the realities of climate change every day. They sweat in the heat, breathe smokey air, wonder at the lack of snow, and watch as catastrophic storms flood their communities. This case study examines the critical work of one PreKindergarten class as they make collaborative meaning about climate change through children’s literature and the critical cycle of culture circles. Through narratives, we explore the collaborative pedagogies and resources positioning the community as informed advocates in the larger world.

Authors

• Dana Frantz Bentley, Buckingham Browne and Nichols School

• Erika Thulin Dawes, Lesley University