ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses the research, rooted in environmental justice, conducted at the coastal site. The pedagogical documentation shares “Out and About” – an early childhood research project which takes place in a coastal town in Victoria, Australia and an urban area in Melbourne. Out and About uses pedagogical documentation as a way to make visible the place and the relationships with more-than-human. Pedagogical documentation as practiced in the municipal infant-toddler centers and preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy, makes children’s ideas and theories visible to the children, educators, and community, contributing to curriculum development. The process of noticing, connecting with, respecting place through the Out and About project manifests as a recognition of the nexus of public and hope. The action of gifting, in and of itself, becomes an expression of hope in the public sphere.