• An adventure playground has just been set up in the Marc Sangnier park in Rennes.

  • Supported by the L'Allumette association, the project offers children a space for play and freedom.

  • By building cabins in the woods, they learn autonomy and management of danger.

He had never built a log cabin before. But in recent days, Lyam has become an expert, particularly mastering "nailing boards". Living in the Blosne district in Rennes, the 9-year-old boy has made Marc Sangnier park his new HQ since the opening in mid-June of an adventure playground. Very developed in the Nordic countries and in Germany, this concept is not new in Rennes where three adventure fields already existed at the end of the 1970s.

Forty later, the experience restarted thanks to L'Allumette, an association of popular education and social animation, which succeeded in convincing the city to entrust it with part of this urban park, located halfway between the Blosne and Francisco Ferrer districts.

Here, no slide or spring animal awaits children like in a classic playground.

On the other hand, wooden planks and tools are made available to them so that they can build huts.

"It's every kid's dream but unfortunately the children who live in town do not have this possibility", underlines Esteban, president of the association.

A place of freedom to acquire autonomy

In this new space, free and open to all, children lead their lives as they see fit, giving free rein to their imaginations. "We do not impose any activity on them, they are free to decide what they want to do," says Esteban. Those who are tempted to build a cabin do so independently, with two adults still present to supervise them. "We explain the safety rules to them and we pass a tool permit to the new ones, but otherwise they are the ones who do everything by themselves", explains Margo, employee of the association.

The approach, theorized by Freinet, is that of experimental trial and error with learning by trial and error.

"We are also on a risk pedagogy where children experiment to better understand the danger", continues Esteban.

Launched on an experimental basis for six months, the project of the Allumette association also aims to question the place of children in the city.

Because according to Esteban, “cities are not made for children”.

Inclusive play areas soon to be developed

To remedy this, Mayor Nathalie Appéré created a post of assistant in charge of “the city on a childish scale” last year.

Lucile Koch-Schlund is interested, among other things, in the development of play areas, "too sanitized spaces" according to her.

The adventure playground project could therefore only seduce her.

“It is a place of freedom and encounter with nature for children, underlines the elected ecologist.

They learn autonomy but also develop social skills ”.

In this spirit, it is also working on the development of inclusive play areas where able-bodied or disabled children "can play together and not side by side".

The first should see the light of day next year near the Trégain school in the Maurepas district and two others have also been validated as part of the participatory budget.

Reindeer

A 15 hectare country park to green the Beauregard district in Rennes

Reindeer

Guinguette, terraces, theater… These confined restaurants and bistros that have changed everything in Rennes

  • Hobbies

  • Park

  • Child

  • Games

  • Freedom