Unwalling Childhoods: nature, educational spaces, and children’s cultures in the Quintal do Brincar project

Abstract

This article analyzes how the Quintal do Brincar project contributes to processes of unwalling childhoods in Early Childhood Education, considering the relationships between nature, educational space, and children’s cultures. This is a qualitative research study with an interpretative approach, configured as a case study conducted in a public Early Childhood Education institution in Parnamirim, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Data production involved semi-structured interviews, photographic records, children’s drawings, and pedagogical documents. The study is grounded in perspectives that understand unwalling childhoods, nature as a constitutive dimension of children’s experiences, educational space as a territory for learning, and play as a process of producing children’s cultures. The results show that the reorganization of outdoor spaces and the presence of natural elements expand possibilities for playing, exploring, and participating, fostering transformations in pedagogical practices and in relationships among children, adults, and the educational environment.