Since September, once a month, the CM1-CM2 students of the Jean-Jaurès school go for a few hours to the esplanade of the Clos de Maillonas in Dijon to observe the richness of the biodiversity. Along the banks of the Ouche, they study birds, insects and plants, pencil in hand.
Tenth morning of nature observation for CM1-CM2 students from the Jean-Jaurès school in Dijon at the Clos de Maillonas esplanade. This is a pilot class of educational areas, a system set up by the French Office for Biodiversity. In Côte-d’Or, around fifty classes follow the same program. Throughout France, 600 educational areas are scrutinized by students ranging from CM1 to sixth grade.
– Claire Checcaglini
Despite the unusual setting of the course, the CM1-CM2 of Philippe Roy’s class are disciplined and scrupulously draw the result of their findings in the field. Eléa captured a bumblebee, put it in a plastic tube just long enough to bite into it.
Axel scrutinized the Ouche and its inhabitants. He remains amazed by the spectacle of mother nature.
“I saw a gray heron leaning over, it was amazing!”
– Claire Checcaglini
Successful outreach
But beyond the emotions provided by the observations of this natural environment, these workshops sharpen the eyes of these budding biologists. “They learned to listen, to be silent in order to observe the birds, observes their teacher. And these little city dwellers have developed a taste for knowledge of nature. Now we have discussions about what they saw during their weekend, on their balcony, the animals they encountered outside of the classroom.
– Quentin ENEE