hidden spaces and places in the preschool

Abstract

The article discusses how children make use of their preschool context in order to withdraw. Ethnographic observations were made of two-to five-year-old children's interactions during free play and teacher-led activities in the preschool, and documentation was carried out through field notes and video recordings. The empirical material was analysed using Corsaro's theory on children's peer cultures. Results show that children, in their peer cultures, construct withdrawal strategies — `making oneself inaccessible' and `creating and protecting shared hidden spaces' — by making use of the preschool's organization of time and space.