More Than Human: From Classroom Inquiry to Global Conversation

“Why do worms live under the leaves? Aren’t they cold?” This was one of the wonderfully unexpected questions that emerged during More Than Human, a ten-day practitioner inquiry inspired by the Design Museum's exhibition. Across Rocket Productions' four London Pre-Preps: Chelsea Pre-Prep, Kingsland Pre-Prep, Grand West Pre-Prep and Archmore Gardens Pre-Prep, 281 children aged two to four and 57 educators explored how humans, other living things and materials connect. 

Classrooms became immersive environments filled with roots, feathers, nests, plastics, soil and reclaimed objects. Rather than approaching sustainability as a topic to be taught, teachers curated encounters that invited children to investigate the natural world through play, making and their own questions.

The most interesting findings emerged in the smallest moments. Children handled delicate materials with surprising care, wondered whether fish could feel sad in polluted water, questioned why a tree was made from fabric rather than wood and began finding new possibilities for objects that might otherwise be discarded. Some families reported children asking to save materials at home for reuse. Educators observed extended experimentation, emerging ecological questions and moments of perspective-taking that challenged their own assumptions about what young children might notice and understand. These observations became part of a continuing inquiry into how thoughtfully curated spaces, materials and relationships can nurture children's agency, curiosity and care for the living world.

In November 2026, Winsy Flores and Yria Polydoropoulou will share the case study at the Bright Start International Conference, taking Rocket's practitioner research into a wider professional conversation. The work offers educators an approach they can explore in their own settings: begin with a meaningful question, curate opportunities for discovery, listen closely to children's thinking and adapt the environment in response. It is an invitation to reconsider ecological education in the early years, where even the smallest encounters with materials and living things can open remarkably big questions.