Practical visits to the Garden-Garden

Educational garden. Botanical Garden.

Introduction

The CLAB offers recreational and educational visits adapted to children of all educational stages, from nursery school to high school, with the aim of bringing nature, gardens and orchards closer to children. The visits take place from April to November and are led by volunteers from the association.

Activity Topic

Social cohesion, environmental education.

Organisation

Conservatoire des Légumes Anciens du Béarn (CLAB)

Legal Status

Non-profit association.

Year of Establishment

2013

Location

3bis, route du Bois. 64510. ASSAT (France)

The CLAB association has almost 6,500 m² where it conserves and enhances more than 500 plant species, most of which are native to the region. The association is interested in the conservation and cultivation of ancient varieties, the preservation of the biodiversity of flora and fauna, raising public awareness of environmental conservation and the preservation of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) through the organisation of an ethnobotanical centre.

The garden-garden supports professional and social reintegration courses, educational workshops for all audiences and educational centres, the implementation of cultivation methods based on ecological transition, the organisation of festive and educational events, etc.

It currently has more than 380 members and 50 volunteers.

Activity Description

Aims and Outcomes

The objectives of the activity are:

Develop a conscious and respectful approach to the nature that surrounds us.
Understand the role of humans and their relationship with nature in the past and present.
Discover the original plants, fruits and vegetables of the region.
To approach the notion of seasonality in nature and to learn about the origin and fruits provided by fruit and vegetables.
To know the different ways of conservation and consumption of seeds and fruits of plants.

Implementation Steps

Initial planning and dissemination: CLAB, thanks to volunteers, draws up a project and contacts members of the educational community in the region.
Approaches are made to the regional government responsible for education.
Donations are arranged with local companies interested in the subject.
Execution of the activity: the schools carry out the visits from April to November due to weather conditions. There are different practical possibilities to be carried out with the schoolchildren, at the request of the teachers.

The groups are divided into 3 groups of 10 children each, who rotate through different activities.
The activity lasts approx. two hours.

Follow-up: A subsequent evaluation is carried out to find out the degree of influence on the teaching-learning process.

Advantages and Benefits

It encourages teamwork. As they have to carry out several tasks in the garden-garden, the pupils need to help each other, thus encouraging teamwork, cooperation and companionship.
Stimulate their senses. In the CLAB garden garden, schoolchildren learn by touching, smelling, seeing and tasting, i.e. they learn through sensory stimulation while having fun. They also apply what they have read in books and can observe at first hand how natural processes take place.
It shows the value of effort. Schoolchildren learn the value of effort and gain respect for the work of farmers.
Encourages care for the environment. As an activity that involves interacting with the earth and plants, schoolchildren learn the importance of respecting the environment and nature.
It encourages healthy eating. The visit to the garden-garden encourages a balanced diet, as it puts many healthy and seasonal foods within reach of the schoolchildren so that they can get to know them and try them.
It combats sedentary lifestyles. After all, manual farming is a physical activity in the open air, so it helps children to move around and stay active.

Required Competences and Skills

List the skills and knowledge required to successfully carry out the activity. These activities are carried out by volunteers, who need to be able to work with children. They need to have animation skills, knowledge of plants, knowledge about the climate, water, soil, etc. It is also important to have good communication skills, organisational skills and experience in working with outdoor groups.

Evaluation

The activities are evaluated on the basis of meetings and feedback from the accompanying teachers at the schools. Interviews are also held with schoolchildren to find out their degree of satisfaction and the impact of the activity in the short and medium term.

Conclusions

These activities of practical visits to the CLAB garden-garden are a great success and are very well received by schools in the region. Every year hundreds of schoolchildren visit this space and carry out some kind of practical activity. The medium and long term impact is positive as some schoolchildren subsequently become involved as volunteers at CLAB. These visits also help this initiative to be disseminated and promoted among the citizens of Assat, Pau and the rest of the region.

Advice / Recommendation

To do this activity successfully, you need to have skills in working with children, plan it very well in advance and have knowledge about plants, fruit trees and vegetables.

It is also important to have knowledge of group management and organisation.

Project Number: 2023-1-FR01-KA220-ADU-000153638

The objective of the Gardeniser Academy project is to support the development of community gardens in Europe by offering online training contents tailored to the needs and expectations of gardeners all over Europe.

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

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