Ecomedia Research project

How can environmental literacy be meaningfully integrated into Forest School education? This question lies at the heart of Ecomedia Kids, our ongoing research project exploring how environmental literacy and media literacy can be embedded within the framework of Forest Schools.

Ecomedia Kids is designed for children aged 5 to 10 and seeks to expand environmental literacy within the unique context of outdoor, nature-based learning. The project builds on the established pedagogical principles of Forest School education while extending its scope to address the growing need for children to engage critically with both environmental issues and the information that shapes their understanding of them.

By combining hands-on experiences in nature with age-appropriate media activities, the project encourages children not only to explore and care for their local environments but also to reflect on how environmental stories, images, and messages are created, shared, and interpreted. In this way, Ecomedia Kids aims to foster both ecological awareness and critical media understanding as complementary forms of literacy for young learners.

The Ecomedia Kids project is grounded in a Participatory Action Research (PAR) framework, which positions children and educators and researchers as active contributors. Children are encouraged to express their perspectives, document their observations, and contribute to discussions.