Artikkelen presenterer en mikro-etnografisk undersøkelse av barns forhold til tingene i to småbarnsavdelinger i norske barnehager. Hensikten er å forstå hvordan barns relasjoner til ting virker inn på deres mulighet til deltagelse og sosial posisjonering i gruppen. Undersøkelsen er basert på Aktør-Nettverk-Teori som vektlegger tingenes betydning som agens i sosiale nettverk og tingenes funksjon som forlengelse av barnas kropper. Undersøkelsen viser at tingene har betydning som legitim inngangsbillett til deltagelse i lekegrupper og at tingenes innbyrdes hierarkiske orden bidrar i å uttrykke den sosiale orden mellom barna som inngår i relasjon med dem. The article presents a micro-ethnographic study on toddlers’ relationship to the material artefacts in two Norwegian kindergarten groups. The purpose of the study is to understand how their relationship with objects influences their possibilities for participation in peer groups. The study is based on Actor-Network-Theory. A main point is that material artefacts have agency in social networks surrounding us and function as extensions of our bodies. The study indicates that material artefacts serve as entrance tickets for participation in group activities and that the hierarchic order between the objects in the room, influences the social order among the children using them.

No abstract

Through micro-ethnographic analysis of video observations in two Norwegian kindergartens for children below the age of three, this study explores some of the complexity of the social lives of young children in institutions. Drawing on the theory of communicative musicality, the analysis adds to existing knowledge on early childhood education (ECE) by showing some aspects of young children’s social capacities. Before or alongside the use of speech and conventional words, they can develop and use a large repertoire of sounds, rhythms, expressive bodily movements, and melodic elements in order to interact with their peers. Through communicative musicality, they can balance between the need for togetherness and being singled out, gathering in crowds and making space for themselves. Although this is more audible among toddlers, since their verbal capacity is limited, the study underlines the role of non-verbal musical elements in human interaction in general.

No abstract

No abstract