The playground at Trois Rives school will be transformed thanks to the ‘Récré'actions’ scheme

The dispositif Récré’actionssupported by the Normandie-Maine Regional Nature Park and Unesco World Geopark, and backed by the Normandy Region and European funds (ERDF), got underway in September 2024. The aim of the initiative is to rethink the region's school grounds, making them less impermeable, more inclusive and better adapted to today's environmental challenges. For this first year, the Trois Rives school in Hauterive (61) has been chosen to benefit from this innovative programme.

A pilot school for 2024-2025

The Trois Rives school is the first to benefit from the expertise of the Normandie-Maine Park and Geopark. In collaboration with a team of specialist designers, the school will be working on a tailor-made scenario to transform its playground into a more natural and welcoming space. The aim is to create a place that promotes children's well-being, while meeting the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Why this project?

Today's school grounds, often dominated by concrete and tarmac, will be transformed into greener, more playful spaces. This is part of an overall approach to ecological transition and improving the living environment for younger generations. The project meets a number of key challenges:

• Creating inclusive and diversified courses
• Renaturation to keep cooler in hot weather
• Better water infiltration during rainfall
• Closer contact with nature

A project involving students

The success of Récré'actions depends on strong local involvement. From the outset, the pupils of the Trois-Rives school, their teachers and their parents have been involved in the planning of the playground. Co-construction workshops enabled everyone to put forward ideas and choose the layout that best suited their needs. This collaborative work will continue throughout the project, with regular consultations and exchanges with pupils, teachers and the local authority.

How does it work?

Following the various consultation workshops, the Park and Geopark, together with a team of multi-disciplinary experts, will carry out a pre-operational study. This study will reflect the development scenario developed during discussions with stakeholders. Some initial light work will then be carried out as part of the Récré'actions project, to give everyone a concrete idea of the future development. Subsequently, the communauté de communes will take over the project management to finalise the project and carry out all the work, according to the needs and priorities defined locally.

A project for the whole community

More than simply transforming school grounds, this project aims to revitalise rural areas and strengthen the connection with nature for the well-being of pupils. Each project will be designed with the local community in mind, so it's not just a project for the children, but for the whole community, creating more sustainable, pleasant and inspiring places for everyone to live. Récré'actions is a project that is both local and global, for a more breathable future for our children!