The activities for schoolchildren are in full swing!

Despite significant financial uncertainties in 2025, the "Education about the Territory" mission has successfully reinvented itself to maintain a rich program for schoolchildren. At the beginning of spring, many students in the Périgord-Limousin region are participating in classroom and field activities focused on water, wild bees, and food.

Adapting to continue raising awareness

Each year, the Regional Natural Park's "Education about the Territory" mission coordinates activities for the general public, schools, and leisure centers. Led by Park staff and a network of partners, these initiatives help to better understanding the riches and the challenges of the territory.

Faced with budget constraints, the team had to adapt by temporarily narrowing the focus of the classroom interventions. seeking additional funding However, it has made it possible to maintain a water-related service, supported by the Adour-Garonne Water Agency, and pollinator projects within the framework of the program LIFE Wild Bees led by the Park. Interventions related to agriculture complete the package.

The Park Explorers: 170 activities for younger children

A historical program designed for primary school students, the " Park Explorers "plan three interventions per class, including one outing.

This year, 40 classes They thus benefit from interventions within the framework of the "Water Mission," with the support of the Adour-Garonne Water Agency. Many municipalities (Mareuil, Saint-Estèphe, Champagnac-la-Rivière, Gorre, etc.) have already hosted the first activities. Students discover the water cycle through sensory and experimental workshops (evaporation, condensation). By varying the approaches, they gradually become familiar with this essential resource and the issues related to its preservation.

Thirteen classes are also participating in the "Wild Bees" mission, in connection with the "buzzing gardens" of Cussac, Chalais, Dournazac, and Bussière-Badil. On this occasion, the children discover the role of pollinators and the world of insects. Thus, on March 23rd, the students of Dournazac learned to classify animals according to their number of legs and name the different parts of the insect before going on a walk in pictures.

Finally, four classes are involved in the "My Neighbor the Farmer" project, which promotes the discovery of local agriculture. In Les Cars, for example, the students tried their hand at to create balanced menus using 100% local produce, during an initial classroom exchange in early March. A great introduction to local food and agriculture before getting to know a neighboring farmer better, with whom they will continue their exploration at the end of April.

The Park Experts: the biggest names are also involved

The support of the Adour-Garonne Water Agency also makes it possible to carry out interventions in secondary schools (middle schools, high schools and rural family homes) through the " Park Experts ».

Around this single theme of water, the projects developed by the classes are varied. For example, 10 classes are studying... wetlands and rivers4 classes are working on the impacts of human activities on water quality and 4 classes are interested in links between water and agricultureIn Nontron, for example, the eco-delegates from the Alcide Dusolier school complex are conducting an investigation into food production and water resource conservation. During a visit to the Ferme des Âges in Thiviers, they studied water use and the importance of living soils and wetlands before launching classroom experiments. Furthermore, two middle schools will participate in activities on wild pollinators as part of the program. LIFE Wild Bees. 

The funding provided by the Park also allows local leisure centers to offer activities. Two of them are running water-related projects this year, while seven groups of children and teenagers are participating in activities about wild pollinators as part of the program. LIFE Wild Bees.

From kindergarten to high school, the activities offered as part of the Park's awareness programs rely on the commitment of numerous local organizations, whose interventions are coordinated and funded by the Park. Regular exchange sessions help strengthen the cohesion of this network. network of facilitators and to develop the skills of stakeholders, in service of a vibrant, participatory education rooted in the local area.