Like many children this week, the 5th and 6th primary of the school of Ochamps (Libin) took part in the Printemps des Sciences at the Haute École Robert Schuman of Libramont. Organized for more than twenty years near Arlon, this is the first time that this event has also been held in Libramont. On this occasion, the students were able to participate in various workshops allowing them to approach various scientific fields.
On the menu, the construction of a bridge in the style of Vinci, an introduction to chemistry, an exercise in muscular strength as well as a workshop enabling the principles of geometry to be applied using the tools of a surveyor.
“Such workshops are rich for all these children, underlines Isabelle Otjacques, teacher at the Ochamps school. Ils allow us to discover science in an original way, different from what we can do in class. And the material used is of high quality. Placing children in concrete situations, with a minimum of theory, helps to awaken them as much as possible. “They thus discover trades or studies that they did not knowcontinues the teacher . This can therefore arouse vocations. For teachers, it gives us ideas to transpose into our classrooms.”
A very satisfying result
The Printemps des Sciences event took place throughout the week and welcomed just over 500 young people to Libramont and 1,000 to the Arlon site. Aimed at children at the end of primary school and secondary school students, this meeting has a very specific objective. “That of making this entire population aware of the world of science by offering them dynamic and fun workshops, explains Nicolas Bougard, teacher at HERS Libramont and organizer of the event. All these learners were supervised by the students of the Hautes Écoles and their professors.” For a first in Libramont, the results for this week are more than satisfactory. “We saw motivated and curious children and young people, continues the professor. If we decided to offer such an event for the first time in Libramont, it was to meet a wider audience. Located in the center of the province, the Libramont school makes it possible to reach other regions. There is no doubt that the event will still be present next year in Center-Ardenne.”