It was with great satisfaction that two classes of the primary school of Rumelange presented on 26th September the result of the pilot project of an ‘Aire Terrestre Educative’ that has been carried out over the last two years.
The footpath that crosses the arboretum ‘An Aenzelen’, one of the rare arboretums in Luxembourg, now benefits from a new creative signposting created by the pupils of Rumelange. This signposting was officially inaugurated by Claude Meisch, Minister for Housing and Spatial Planning and Minister for National Education, Children and Youth, Erny Muller, Vice-President of the PRO-SUD Syndicate, and Henri Haine, Mayor of Rumelange.
Afterwards, the other activities in which the children took part during the pilot project were presented at the local cultural centre Spektrum. The signposting of the trail through the arboretum will serve as a future reminder of the Minett Biosphere pilot project, part of the MiNELL-Naturelab, a flagship project of the FNR, which will end in early 2025. It will give everyone the opportunity to discover the Arboretum’s special features for themselves.
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© Minett UNESCO Biosphere
The concept
An ‘Aire Terrestre Educative’ is a pedagogical approach that gives students the freedom to discover and explore their interests in nature. In a pre-defined natural space, students democratically vote on the topics they wish to explore in depth and develop various projects and activities in consultation with experts. This educational approach not only promotes an understanding of local biodiversity, but also the development of important social and creative skills.
The uniqueness of this approach is that it does not only focus on science and ecological thinking, but also allows subjects such as languages, art and mathematics to be taught in an interdisciplinary and interactive way outside the school walls. Originally developed in France, this format has been implemented for the first time in Luxembourg thanks to the collaboration between the Minett Biosphere, the City of Rumelange and various other partners.
The pilot project
At the beginning of the project, two school classes discovered the arboretum ‘An Aenzelen’, which was established in 1993 on the remains of a former local waste and rubble dump. Over the course of two school years, they explored the site through regular excursions and workshops with experts in various fields. A highlight was their participation in Land Art workshops run in collaboration with the Spektrum cultural centre. The children created works of art using natural materials. Another highlight of the pilot project was the visit of nearly 100 children from the Moselle Sud Biosphere Reserve in France, who came to discover Luxembourg’s ‘Aire Terrestre Educative’.
In addition to the practical work, the students learnt more about the Minett region, the history of the arboretum and the protection of Natura 2000 sites and neighbouring nature reserves during the pilot project. The collaboration with the Nature and Forestry Agency (ANF), which made the children aware of the historical and ecological aspects of the arboretum, made this comprehensive learning experience possible.
Signposting of the footpath
An important aspect of the project was to replace the Arboretum’s signage, which had become almost illegible after more than 30 years. The result includes directional panels with a specially designed logo for the Arboretum and explanatory panels distributed throughout the trail.
Graphic designer Lisa Keiffer, originally from Rumelange, created all the panels in collaboration with pupils from the two primary school classes. They provide an overview of the nature and history of the region, with information, graphics and creative contributions from the children, summarising their ideas and discoveries throughout the project. The panels are accompanied by short texts describing and highlighting the special features of the Arboretum.
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© Minett UNESCO Biosphere / Panneaux: Lisa Keiffer
Project evaluation
For Claude Meisch, Minister for Housing and Spatial Planning and Minister for National Education, Children and Youth, the concept of an ‘Aire Terrestre Educative’ combines the strengths of on-site learning, which allows children to deepen their knowledge of nature by discovering it for themselves, and the acquisition of territorial awareness, which develops when one has direct responsibility for a natural space, in this case an arboretum, over a long period of time”.
The Mayor of Rumelange, Henri Haine, praised the pilot project: “The ‘Aire Terrestre Educative’ teaches values such as respect for the environment, democracy and responsibility in a playful and educational way. These values are essential for the development of children as responsible members of our society. In addition, the new signage will offer the inhabitants of Rumelange and all visitors to our town a unique natural space in the Minett Biosphere Reserve”.
Lucie Majerus, coordinator of the MiNELL-Naturlab of the Minett Biosphere, is very positive about this two-year pilot project: “The ‘Aire Terrestre Educative’ has not only contributed to strengthening the environmental awareness of the students, but has also created a platform where education, creativity and personal development go hand in hand. We look forward to seeing how this innovative project develops. We also hope that this model can be replicated in other regions of the country and integrated into the educational routine of Luxembourg’s primary schools in the coming years”.
The project timeline
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