This response to Fleer, Adams & Gunstone builds upon "Transformative pedagogy: Dinka playgroups as spaces for cultural knowledge productions of Western science" by expanding conceptual understanding of the cultural practices of Dinka refugee children. Drawing upon both disciplinary literacy research and research into the role of play in young children's language development provides a fuller understanding of refugee children and contributes towards more culturally responsive and ultimately more humanizing science pedagogy in educational spaces.