In May 2023, the FUSILLI project opened the Pedagogical Garden in Differdange. This special garden is designed for kids aged 6 to 13 years old. So far, over 100 children have already had the chance to visit and enjoy the garden.
The visits to the Pedagogical Garden are made possible through collaboration with two childcare centers in Differdange. These centers are like after-school hubs where kids can take part in various extra-curricular activities outside of their regular school hours.
Workshops at the garden
During the visits, kids take part in the workshop ‘’From seed to plate’’, designed by Differdange’s gardener Sabrina Zumbo. 15 sessions of the workshop took place since the opening of the garden, covering different stages of the planting season, from preparing the soil to weeding and harvesting.
Each session offers a combination of theory and hands-on gardening. Kids participate in quizzes and informative discussions about healthy eating, planting methods, and irrigation strategies. They then head to the garden to practice what they’ve learned, using techniques like intercropping to plant various vegetables. During a specific session, they also discuss climate change and how to adapt watering techniques to cope with more frequent heatwaves experienced in Luxembourg
The children working the soil
A garden for everyone
Sabrina Zumbo told us about the diversity of the children visiting the garden, that reflects the 118 nationalities represented in Differdange: ‘’there are kids speaking French, Luxembourgish, Portuguese, and also Ukrainian! I often communicate in English too and sometimes I am afraid that some kids are not following the explanations. However, everyone always ends up having a good time and we always figure out a way to include every kid’’.
The Pedagogical Garden is conveniently located in the heart of the city, making it easily accessible by foot or bus. Even during vacation seasons, it remains busy, offering a variety of engaging extracurricular activities for the children involved.
The children posing for a group picture with their shovels for the day