A theatrical performance could be an effective tool for addressing sustainability issues in early childhood

Addressing serious environmental concerns is generally considered inappropriate at the early childhood level. The extent of ecosystem damage caused by human activity, however, calls for immediate action, including attention to sustainability at every level of education. This study explored the possibility of using a theatrical performance about dying bees with preschool children to promote an understanding of human’s relationship with bees.

Sixteen pre-school children (age 4–6) and their teachers participated in an educational excursion to an in-store theatre hosted by one of the biggest grocery companies in Sweden. Here they participated in a theatrical performance designed to promote an appreciation of the significance of bees in food production. The theatrical assemblage included actors in bee suits as well as a bee set and bee props. The performance was a 40-minute play with three phases: prologue, the disaster phase, and happy ending. The play included an ecological narrative about bee pollination and provided participatory opportunities for the children to become bee-like, to try out bee behavior, and to enact bee concerns. This “becoming-with the bees” triggered an emotional affective response to the death of bees and promoted a sense of “response-ability” in the children. “Response-ability” refers to “one’s ethical sensitivity and the ability to respond accordingly”.

Impacts of the theatre experience on the children were evident over time. The children’s conversations, drawings, and behaviors indicated that they “continued to come into an alliance with the bees.” Some children offered suggestions as to how they could help take care of bees. One child, for example, suggested planting flowers in the schoolyard. This led to planting flowers at the preschool with the entire class participating.

This study indicates that a theatrical performance designed around the idea of “becoming-with-nature” might be an effective way to help young children develop a sustainability mindset. This approach offers an alternative possibility to the more common practice in early childhood education which tends to focus on “moralizing children to sympathize and care for animal subjects.” The “becoming-with-nature” approach reflects a shift from viewing nature as something to be cared for outside of ourselves towards a perspective which views humans as a part of and entangled with nature.