Signs, seeds, and sidewalks: environmental scaffolds in urban childhood experience

This study investigated how urban environmental scaffolding supports children's environmental awareness. The research question addressed how embodied interactions with urban settings (e.g. schoolyards, playgrounds, and green zones) function as cognitive offloading supports to foster environmental awareness in children. An exploratory single-case study was conducted in a metropolitan Turkish city, where access to untouched nature is limited and natural-human-made boundaries are often uncertain. Child answers to photos of urban places such as schoolyards, playgrounds, sidewalks, and green spaces were collected via photo-elicited focus group interviews with 5–6-year-olds (n = 15). Findings reveal three forms of environmental scaffolding: memory, problem-solving, and experiential scaffoldings. These scaffolds support environmental awareness and a sense of place in children. The study emphasizes integrating local urban features into early childhood education to support environmental learning, especially in contexts with limited natural environments. Practical recommendations include utilizing school gardens, public signage, and neighborhood features to promote sustainability awareness and agency in young children.