With Wardong and Others

Boorloo📍

This research project explores young children’s evolving relationships with ecological beings, focusing on how fear is generated, negotiated, and transformed through play. Emerging from children’s sustained interest in Wardong (raven), initially perceived as “scary” and unpredictable, the inquiry traces how fear becomes collectively constructed through shared narratives that position Wardong as a “baddie.” Through dramatic and embodied play, the children engage in protective and confrontational storylines that sustain, rather than avoid, their encounters with the source of fear, revealing fear as a productive force for ongoing relational engagement.

As the project unfolds, the “baddie” narrative begins to shift as the children revisit, question, and rework their ideas. Wardong remains a powerful presence, while their feelings of fear extend to other ecological beings, including the redback spider and aphids. Through repeated encounters, the children move between fear, curiosity, and care – observing details, asking questions, and developing empathy.

This project highlights fear as a pedagogical entry point that supports children’s ethical and ecological understandings through collective play and inquiry.