Children from Kindergarten No. 16 in Pruszków and Paulina Andrzejewska

 

Kacper: I think that when the pandemic is over, I’ll be an adult and I’ll be in school.
Researcher: Yhym.
K: And when the pandemic is over, I’ll be able to go to the playground. And still when the pandemic is over, I’ll be able to go to my grandparents, even overnight to my grandparents. And still in the summer I’ll go on holidays […] And if it’s summer, then maybe I’ll play in the backyard.
R: So how will the change… That change will be for the better?
K: Uhm.
R: It will be better than it is now, I understand, right?
K: Uhm.
R: And you’re looking forward to that change Kacper?
K: Yes, I’m looking forward to it.
R: What else are you going to tell me… What else are you going to tell me?
K: I need to think a little bit.
R: Yhym.

Patrycja:We’ll be able to hang out when there’s no coronavirus. We’ll be able to cuddle and come to stay overnight in each other’s homes and we’ll be able to share food and now you can’t. And yet… And we won’t have to wear masks yet. And we will be able to meet up with our friends in the yards. And it will be nicer, and the leaves will grow nicer and there won’t be that coronavirus. Yes?

Patrycja: I will be able to go to work in peace. How do I… If something happens to the child… I don’t know, if something happened, if someone didn’t have something, she could give it. Or, like, if I was still… if I was still an adult, I could go to the shops without a mask. And still meet up with friends. Well, it’s over, no.

Gabrysia: Shops and different playgrounds will be open, so I would like to play with my mum, dad and brother in the playgrounds and go to the cinemas when they open the cinemas and different playgrounds. And then I’d do things without masks and the other with my dad, and my mum and brother would go to the shops without masks.
Researcher: And how will you feel then, how do you think?
G: Good.
R: And when does it end?
G: I don’t know.
R: You don’t know. And how do you think? You don’t have to know, but you can guess.
G: For example, in two or one week the coronavirus will end.
R: You think. So it will run out quickly?
G: Uhm.
R: Do you want it to end quickly?
G: Yes.
R: And why do you want it to end quickly?
G: So that I will be allowed to play in the squares and go to the cinema quickly.
R: Is there anything else you want to add?
G: No.

Jasio: …just now, we’re going to grow up, maybe it will be over.
Researcher: And that, I mean in how many years?
J: I don’t know.
R: Well rather now, when you’re a child or later, when you will be older?
J: When I’m already so big and what a big one, as if to call me Jan.
R: So grown up?
J: Uhm.
R: And then when we call you “Mr. John” do you think that’s when it will end.
J: Uhm.
R: It won’t be long now.
J: Uhm.
R: Yeah?
J: Uhm. When I am so big and I’m already… I’ll be going to work.
R: Yeah? And where will you work?
J: I wish I just didn’t know… I don’t know yet.
R: You don’t know yet, but you can imagine where you work. Where?
J: I’d like to work to do interviews.
R: Interviews?
J: But interviews like that of different plants, animals, something with wildlife it is…
R: So research, not interviews more?
J: Uhm. More research and that kind of thing, that shows on the screen which ones are bad, which ones are good.
R: You’re going to be a researcher.
J: Uhm.
R: And you’re going to observe these animals and these plants, right?
J: Uhm.
R: And check which ones are useful, which ones are safe, which ones are dangerous. Is that what this is about?
J: Uhm. But also always, if there’s nettles, I’ll always pretend that they’ll be good, because nettles are very good.
R: Yeah, healthy.
J: Uhm.
R: And tell me some more, and do you think there could still be a virus like that?
J: Maybe.
R: Because a scientist, well… well what do you think, could a scientist discover a virus? A good one or a bad one? In general?
J: Maybe some good or bad will be discovered.
R: You don’t know.
J: I don’t know.
R: Okay. But you’re going to be doing this in the future. Yeah?
J: I’ll deal with, one day I’ll be this big and I’ll go to work, so I’ll be a scientist.
R: You’re going to be a scientist.
R: Okay. We’ve got everything. Yeah? Anything else you want to add?
J: Nothing.
R: Okay. Thank you.

Wojtek: Then people can approach others and they don’t have to…. they won’t for example in Awaku* there are lines that since you can stand. And for example you don’t have to… you won’t have to wear masks and you won’t have to… And then you also won’t have to come to school and something… and you won’t have to be online and to make food, we’ll just be… there will be something mum or dad will be doing to someone…. make food. And they’ll take it and they’ll go to school and they’ll study and when there’s a break to eat, then they’ll eat.
R: Yeah.

*„Awaku” is name of shop.

Wojtek: I like how… I like how there’s no coronavirus because then they can come to their friends and colleagues and I don’t have to wear a mask or anything at all. And you can go to shops with other people, you don’t have to have masks for shops and you don’t have to be in schools and remote and nurseries.
Researcher: How else is it going to be?
W: And yet that’s also why it’s nice, because for example, we have to, we have to wash our hands, because the coronavirus… the coronavirus won’t be there then.
R: And when will it be, Wojtek?
W: Still… hm…
R: When will it happen that… When will this change happen?
W: I don’t know.
R: Yhym, and how do you feel?
W: That it will still be there for a while, but then it will be gone.
R: So roughly when?
W: On Tuesday.
R: Already, like in a week?
W: Yes.
R: Would you like it to be soon?
W: Yes.
R: And what would you do on Tuesday straight away?
W: And I would go to my mates or my friends, or to the shop with my mum or my dad.
R: Which one?
W: To Awaka.
R: And what would you do in that shop there? What kind of shopping?
W: Because there’s these “Ekipa ice creams”* there, well Karol and I want them, they’re like that.

* “Ekipa ice cream” is very popular edition of ice cream from the Polish company Koral.

Lena: I imagine that we are in a world where … in a world of magic. But unfortunately that is not the case. The world is without magic, although we have different weathers here. Autumn, winter, spring, summer. That’s how the springs go.
Researcher: And what will the world be like without the virus?
L: And when… And what will the world be like without a virus in the era of… Without the virus, you wouldn’t have to wear a mask, it would be closed when it wasn’t open yet. And there wouldn’t be closed playrooms and there wouldn’t be vaccines. And nobody would be sick that they had a coronavirus, they would just be sick. That he smells something… that he smells something…

Kuba: In a different way.
R: And how, tell us?
K: That there will be all kinds of people afraid of the pandemic. And that it will still be such that people will not be able to leave their homes. And they will be in hospitals.
R: Even though there’s no virus… A, because the virus will be, right?
K: No. Yes.
R: And when it’s gone, what will the world look like?
K: Just like it used to be.
R: So?
K: So that people… That when it’s winter, we’ll throw balls, when it’s summer, well, we’ll get in the swimming pool, well, and there’ll be… and we’re going to splash water. And the rest I don’t remember anymore.
R: Autumn?
K: And in the autumn we’ll make balls not out of snow, but out of leaves, and we’ll throw each other.
R: And in the spring?
K: And in the spring we’ll hide, and we’ll do the same thing as on Holy Monday – we’ll douse each other*.
R: Okay. So it will be more fun.
K: Yes.

* In Poland on Easter Monday it is customary for people to douse themselves with water for good luck and for fun.

Kuba: I think that the world will be… the world will be different when the coronavirus disappears. No. And later, when the coronavirus disappears, well because there will be another coronavirus later and another pandemic.
Researcher: And what will the next pandemic look like?
K: The next pandemic will look like the coronavirus will sit on the door and come in. So that, for example, when someone walks into a house, well it walks behind them.
R: And you think it won’t pass?
K: I think it will pass.
R: And when?
K: In a hundred years.
R: Okay, but well what will it be like in that hundred years?
K: It will be different. It will be like it used to be.
R: So?
K: But it will be a bit different, well because there will be other adults already, and the parents will be, well… it’s hard for me to say. Terribly. It’s terribly difficult for me. Well that well…
R: Well, like say now.
K: They will be grandparents. The rest I don’t know, the rest I don’t know anymore.

Jasio: A world without people, it’s that a world without people will be dark. But without coronavirus it can be dark too, because there are still like good cor…. there are still good viruses.
Researcher: Do you think there will be no humans?
J: Because there are still good ones like that.
R: Johnny?
J: There won’t be people because there are still coronavirus like good ones.
R: No, but there won’t be people?
J: There won’t be people without the good ones.
R: I see. There will be people, right?
J: Uhm. And only if there are the good ones.
R: Okay. So what’s going to happen? What’s this world going to look like?
J: It’ll be dark, it’ll be so gray…. so gray.
R: Yeah.
J: The flowers won’t be so pretty…. They won’t be so pretty, they’ll be so gray.
R: But are you talking about when there’s a virus or when there’s no virus?
J: Like there won’t be this particular one, this virus, when there won’t be this good one in the world.
R: Okay. Okay. Now, what is he like?
J: He’s bad and there’s this other bad virus. The virus… The world is nice, beautiful. And the world just pleases people.
R: I know, and I want to know what the world will be like, how do you imagine that kind of change, that there’s no virus?
J: There’s no virus…
R: That bad one isn’t there.
J: That’s not the bad one, that’s what I would want, that there wouldn’t be that bad one, it would be like going to the cinema and setting up a swimming pool and that’s what he would do still take a bus somewhere, but then he would fly by plane to… where it’s more… where the wild animals are.
R: Do you remember what this land is called? Do you want to go to the jungle, to South America, or to Africa, or to India?
J: To South America.
R: Where there are jaguars.
J: Uhm.
R: And what else will the world look like? What are you still going to do?
J: He would still like to plant some sunflowers. I just want the world to be clean. It wasn’t dirty. And I want the Earth to be all clean.
R: Good.
J: You should always like instead of throwing it away somewhere, you should just throw it in the trash.
R: So you want to be environmentally friendly?
J: Uhm.
R: Yeah?
J: And to keep the whole earth clean.
R: And what do you think people will be like after this pandemic?
J: After this pandemic?
R: Because we already know about you, and what kind of people will be like then?
J: I don’t know.
R: How it will all end.
J: I don’t know.
R: You don’t know. No, you may not know, but you can imagine. And how do you imagine?
J: I don’t have an idea yet, but….
R: And how do you feel?
J: I feel that maybe they’ll get used to just throwing trash in the trash cans like that, not somewhere.
R: Just anywhere.
J: Exactly.

Researcher: I turned it on.
Patryk: This is grass.
R: What’s that?
P: This is the grass.
R: Okay. And tell me, what do you think the world will be like if there’s no coronavirus?
P: There will be open pools.
R: The pools will be open?
P: No, as it will be without coronavirus.
R: And what else will be open?
P: Still maybe… hmm.
R: What are you going to do then? Where will you be able to go?
P: To the pool.
R: Oh, you think about that swimming pool all the time, do you?
P: Yes.
R: And what else at this pool? What are you going to do?
P: To play.
R: You’re going to play, right?
P: Yes.
R: What else will you be able to do? Hm?
P: […] sit in the cinema and watch different films.
R: You’ll go to the movies in the cinema, okay. And what else do you think of?
P: I already… I don’t know anything anymore.
R: That’s all you’ve thought of now, right?
P: Yes.
R: Yhym. And if something else comes to your mind, will you come to me again?
P: All right.

Researcher: Go ahead.
Kuba: If there is no pandemic, there will be a normal world.
R: And what does a normal world look like?
K: It will be able to walk without a mask and walk.
R: And what else will we be able to do?
K To shop.
R: What else will we be able to do that we can’t do now?
K: And walk without a mask.
R: Yhym. Anything else?
K: Well, that’s it.
R: And do you want to tell me anything else about the virus?
K: No.

Maria: Well that we will finally be able to take the masks off in the shop.
Researcher: What else? What will you be doing then?
M: There will be a free playground. They’re finally going to open all the playgrounds, and the playrooms. And my Aladdin.
R: And what else will change?
M: Well, that we won’t have to watch the “Facts”* any more.
R: Right. So what will be on TV then?
M: Fairy tales without coronavirus.
R: Anything else? How will you feel then…
M: Good.
R: … how will it change? And why will you feel good?
M: Well, because the coronavirus won’t come again, I think, and … and finally we won’t have to wear masks everywhere. And we’ll be able to go for ice cream without masks, for example.
R: Like this. Do you want something else…
M: And we’ll be to go for fries.
R: Yes. And do you want to tell me anything else? How it’s going to change?
M: That it will finally be all maskless.
R: Okay.
M: We will have to… We’ll be able to, for example, we won’t have to wear masks anymore and go to the shop, for example. And we won’t have to go to the hospital anymore.
R: Anything else you want to add?
M: No.
R: Okay.

* “Facts” is popular TV news programme on Polish TVN channel.

Maria: Well, for example that… For example, that… that, for example, five weeks or in eight weeks.
Researcher: There will be this change, right?
M: Well, and well maybe it’ll turn out the next day that it’ll be free this virus, well it’ll be summer, well it could, it could…. well and and it won’t be watching these “Facts”* and they won’t be telling me about this coronavirus in the “Facts”.
R: And what do they say there that you don’t want to hear?
M: Well they say the names of this place for example.
R: Which one?
I: Well, what’s going on, what place.
R: And what else do they say there?
M: Well that, well for example they say…. they say that coronavirus sometimes… sometimes they say that the coronavirus can run out.
R: Yhym, and what does the future hold for us, Marry? What do you think?
M: That it will be possible to take off masks everywhere. Well in our country too… And the good thing is that they have in China, and there is no coronavirus there. It doesn’t exist in China.
R: There isn’t in China?
M: There is nice.
R: And in our country how will it be?
M: Not long ago… It’s been good before.
R: It will be good soon.
M: No coronavirus.
R: No coronavirus. Yeah?
M: Yes.
R: Okay. Anything else you want to add?
M: No.

*”Facts” is popular in Poland TV news programme on TVN channel.

Ala: That it will be able to bring toys to the kindergarten.
R: What else? What kind of toys?
A: That it will be possible to go to the shop without masks.
R: And how would you… What would you do then?
A: Ym…
R: And do you know when it will pass? R: When? R: And what do you think? Do we still have to wait for a long time or a short time?
A: A long time.
R: Yhym. And once it’s long gone and it’s that time without a pandemic, what are you going to do?
A: I’m going to draw.
R: So what are you going to be?
A: A painter.
R: Yeah, what are you going to paint then?
A: Pretty things.
R: What kind of things?
A: Flowers, for example.
R: What else?
A: Hearts.
R: And what else?
A: Hands.
R: Hands? Why hands?
A: Because it’s cool to draw hands with paint.
R: Yhym. Okay.

Kinga: So I’m going to feel that after the coronavirus I’ll be able to… I’ll be able to take off my summer shoes and run around on the grass.
Researcher: And how else?
K: And still, well happy that a vaccine for coronavirus has been found and no one will get infected anymore.
R: Yhym.
K: And in the future I’ll… I’m going to be, I think, earning money at work.
R: What kind of job?
K: That I’m going to sign up for such a job that I’m going to be a pet sitter.
R: Great.
K: I also saw, well in the News, that there’s a green and blue coronavirus.
R: Do you know what it does?
K: It infects other people. But some people who are already vaccinated, it doesn’t infect them anymore.
R: That’s the good news, right? And when this world changes and the coronavirus passes, what do you think the news will be?
K: My mom is already vaccinated.
R: Great. And how will the world change? What will the… What will the news change to once the virus is gone?
K: That you’ll be able to go to faraway stores and, for example, to the theater, and […]. And also still on holidays.
R: Well that’s exactly right. Anything else you want to add Kina?
K: I mean I’ll… I don’t like winter, but I like spring and summer because they’re… it’s very warm then.
R: Yeah, me too.

Kuba: Because in general, it’s allowed to do that if there’s no coronavirus, and we can finally bring toys to kindergarten. We can still go without masks, we’ll still be able to go to classmates because we can meet. Still…
Researcher: And when will that be? What do you think? Do we have to wait a long time for it, or will the change come quickly? Kuba?
Kuba: There might still be coronavirus, and when it’s over, then we can do something with our friends. And yet..

Kuba: Still, people can be… they can either be nice, or they can be bad, or they can be sad, or they can be mean, or they can be mean, or they can be hurtful.
R: Why?
K: Because evil, well it can happen that you’re allowed to have the vaccine, well you’re allowed to have the vaccine and you could… Because I had it vaccine a long time ago and here I was bleeding.
R: Ok.
K: But then mum gave a tissue and wiped it off. And still people can be very mean or they can get a stomach ache. But for now there’s still coronavirus.
R: And I want to know what it’s going to be like when it’s over? How is it going to change? I want to find that out from you? How do you imagine it to be?
K: That people can be happy. That there is no coronavirus. Because everyone doesn’t like coronavirus for now. They only like when there is no coronavirus. And they like sunshine and they like snow. I like snow the most. Because I let it snow again today too. I like snow best, because snow usually, because…. because if there’s still snow, my dad said we’ll build this… of this, well he beat the […] … this snowman.
R: Olaf.
K: And Olaf we’ll build one now all the way to the fence we’ll build one, a big one.
R: Okay. And do you want to tell me anything else about this world without the virus?
K: No.
R: Okay. That’s it, that’s what, right? What you’ve been thinking about. You said everything you were thinking about? Great. Thank you very much.

Kuba: Without the coronavirus we will finally be able to breathe, still, well we can anyway with our friends without masks we can call different people and we will be … they can come and then we can be together at last and then everyone will be happy. And on top of that we’ll be able to call someone and we’ll be able to play with them without a mask. And that’s it.

Kacper:  If there is no coronavirus, I will be able to come to my grandparents and I will be happy. And even then I’ll be able to visit my aunt and uncle. And… and then the world will be cool. And I think that’s it.

Ala: It will be allowed to go to the playground and to other playgrounds, and it will be allowed to go to others… Well…
R: And when will that be? When is that going to change?
A: I don’t know.
R: And how do you foresee it?
A: Ym, I don’t know either.
R: And then tell me when you would like it to change.
A: On some… Saturday or Sunday.
R: For there to be a change, right? And then you’ll be able to do these things already. What else will you be able to do?
A: Hang out with my friends.
R: How else will it be, how will it change?
A: It will be allowed… I don’t know.
R: It’s all there now, have you said what you wanted to say?
A: Yes.
R: Do you want to add anything else? Okay, thanks.

 

The teacher’s comments

After the series of activities, we started the recordings. The children signed their consent for the recordings and were instructed on what it would be like. Preschoolers did not use pseudonyms, they wanted to sign the document with their name. They were eager and curious, especially with the device for recording – a voice recorder from the phone application. (Nobody wanted to be first. After we broke the ice, the children volunteered enthusiastically.) They watched their voice in the form of a graph and eagerly listened to the recordings. They were surprised that it wasn’t a movie, but they weren’t disappointed. They were glad it was their voice. They did not listen to their colleagues, so as not to be influenced by their statements. After recording, they could come back and add what else they wanted to add and they used it, but not all of them. Two children (a boy 6 years old and a girl 5 years old) did not agree to the recording, and one, despite consenting to the recording in the form of a contract, decided not to record anything (girl 6 years old). We recorded in our free time during free games in a kindergarten room in a quiet place. The recordings were also made on the playground as the children volunteered to complete their earlier statement from the kindergarten room.