Emplacing an Intergenerationally Sustainable, Mutually Caring Communication with Children in a Danish Suburban Forest Patch

This chapter presents empirical and theoretical insights based on the author’s participatory research in an early childhood institution with a focus on a forest project in Denmark. It introduces a psychologically grounded research approach that proposes mutual learning and collaboration between the researcher, professionals, parents, children, and the forest’s vital forces. The aim is to propel place-relevant, situated theoretical and practical knowledge development that can benefit all participants irrespective of their age, societal position, and subjectivity. To better include children’s experiences and knowledges in such development, the chapter draws on subject-scientific psychology in combination with a feminist ethics of care to argue for the importance of creating place-specific pedagogical practices that invite mutually caring communication among all contributors. The chapter highlights the importance of a specific suburban forest patch to intergenerational, sustainable development for a democratic society’s well-being.