Art and animation of the more-than-human: An investigation into the experiences of children, aged 7-11 years old, taking part in artistic activities outdoors in natural environments

This study examines children’s experiences of an artist-in-residence project that deliberately addressed the human-nature relationship. The aim was to enable children to address their existential understandings of their relationship with the more-than-human through artistic pedagogies that resonated with the philosophy of Indigenous peoples. In particular, the investigation focussed on the children’s experiences of various animation activities that took place outdoors in local natural environments. Therefore, the main research question asked, what did the children experience when engaging with the animation activities outdoors in the local natural environments? Randomised sample groups of children took part in semi-structured interviews to gather data about their experiences. In addition, the researcher drew on poetry written by the children that portrayed their experiences and data from interviews with the class teachers. A reflexive thematic analysis of the data shows the children experienced an expanded sense of interrelationship with the more-than-human world. These results are of significance in terms of artistic and outdoor pedagogy because of their potential for affording children enhanced existential understandings. It is suggested such experiences could potentially provide children with healthier future understandings and enactment of the human-more-than-human relationship