Trees and plants are back in the courtyard of this school in Vendée

See my news
Follow L’Hebdo de Sèvre et Maine

It was following the intense heat of summer 2022 that Cugand, a commune in Vendée, in partnership with the company Green Life Expérience de La Bruffière, launched its first participatory workshop for greening school spaces entitled, Fertile Schools.

“Bringing nature back into children’s daily lives”

With a particularity which was to constitute a group of 25 people (children of the municipal council children, directors and teachers of schools, parents of students, facilitators of the Accueil Enchanté and elected representatives of the School Childhood commission) in order to think about design.

“And especially with an objective which was to bring back greenery and nature in the daily lives of children », underlines Cécile Barreau, the mayor of Cugand.

After several group meetings, a project was defined.

Create islands of freshness

This involves planting plants selected for biodiversity, their flowering during school periods, their ability to cover the ground or climb and their resistance to climate change. Islands of coolness will help combat high heat phenomena and finally, the permeabilization of the soil will allow water infiltration.

After the installation of spaces with wood shavings, bird nesting boxes, furnitureand wooden games at the start of the September school year, the first plantings took place on Wednesday November 27 in the courtyard of the Jean Moulin school.

The games changed during recess

A small event with the presence of the various members of the workshops who participated in the development of the project.

“Since the first installations, the games have changed during recess. Before, the asphalt yard was monopolized by boys' football. Today, there is more diversity in spaces. The children look for insects in the wood shavings and come to show them to us or they look at the nest boxes,” explains Corinne Chaque, the director of the Jean Moulin school.

An opinion shared by some students present this Wednesday as for Peyo in CM 2 class.

Other steps to come

It will be good for the planet. We will be able to enjoy nature more, breathe better and also change our habits during playtime.

The next steps include the greening of the school restaurant areas common to the public school and the private schoolfrom next summer.

Work which should be completed in November 2025, still based on the decisions taken during the participatory workshops.

The budgeted financial envelope, which will be spread over three years for the entire project, amounts to €146,765.

Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon Actu.