WHEN CHILDHOOD MEETS THE EARTH: PATHS TO FREEDOM IN THE RELATIONSHIPS OF ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN CHILDREN AND NATURE AT FIOCRUZ DAYCARE
Keywords: Early Childhood Education; Agroecology; Freedom; FioCruz Daycare; Nature.
This research aimed to monitor and analyze the way the Political-Pedagogical Project (PPP) of Creche Fiocruz, located in an urban area with natural spaces, along with the observation of children's experiences and interviews, establishes and encourages connections between children and nature. The work is based on the idea of freedom as an essential force for establishing the bond between the daycare, the child, and nature, integrating theoretical 6 references of contracolonial, dialogical, and ecological education, with thinkers such as Acosta, Freire, Bispo dos Santos, Rufino, and hooks. The investigation focuses primarily on the institution's Political-Pedagogical Project as the main object of document analysis, seeking to identify practices, environments, and ideas that promote children's sensitive, free, and meaningful contact with the environment, along with the use of semi-structured interviews and participant observation with children to compose the research field. The qualitative methodology is based on content analysis and the critical interpretation of the principles, norms, and descriptions contained in the document, from the perspective of the categories of biophilia, care, agroecology, and child protagonism. The objective is to understand how the Fiocruz Nursery organizes ways to strengthen affective, cognitive, and ethical bonds between children and nature, helping to develop educational practices focused on sustainability, social justice, and freedom.