RECITAL

RECITAL: Remuer Ciel et Terre – an educational playground

Location of activities and scope

France, National

Strand 1 – Innovative communication campaigns

Executive Summary

The project aims to develop a national communication campaign on soils, relying on the network of French Environmental Education Centers (CPIE) to reach a broad, all-ages audience (children, family, schools groups and agricultural high schools students) to instigate and spread soil awareness. The RECITAL project will provide the CPIE centers with an educational treasure hunt game centered on soil functions. Players will go exploring for six “treasure chests,” each revealing one soil function. Participants take on the role of explorers.

They will be guided by a booklet and an orientation table. The game can be played outdoors (or adapted indoors), individually or in small groups, freely or with a guide. Each soil treasure will be illustrated through an artistic creation while retaining strong scientific and pedagogical content. All tools are based on proven science but enhanced with artistic design to stimulate curiosity, discovery and create a playful, poetic atmosphere. This participatory, artistic, and educational game will be disseminated nationally to raise awareness of soil benefits and the importance of protecting them.

Motivation Statement

Soil is a living environment at the interface of other ecosystems, playing a vital role in sustaining life. It supports terrestrial plant production and regulates climate, groundwater, rivers, and organic matter recycling. It is also a reservoir of biological resources essential to life on earth, reflecting major but often overlooked societal issues that demand awareness and action. For soil scientist Arnaud Vautier, soil is a complex and evolving subject of study, preserved and improved through land management (terraces, drainage) and agricultural or pastoral practices. For artists Manon Thedrez and Zahrane Garczarek, it is a source of inspiration, offering organic forms, textures, and hidden secrets. They explore its unseen dimension, colors, secrets, and material diversity for artistic creation.

The consortium believes raising awareness about soil is crucial to care for the Earth and to recognize biodiversity as a treasure to be preserved for humanity and all life on the planet.

Sub-project objectives

The objective of the RECITAL project is to develop an educational tool based on science and art that will support a nationwide campaign on soil awareness. The project will build on the national CPIE network, with the goal of deploying the tool – a specifically designed treasure hunt game- in at least two CPIEs in two different regions of France during the funded project period. Participation in the game will involve at least 20 school groups and two agricultural high schools per region, as well as the regular audiences of the centers (families and the general public). By the end of the campaign, the public will have experienced the impact of soil on daily life and recognized the importance of protecting it from pollution, erosion, and desertification. They will also be sensitized to the soil’s role in carbon storage and will be better equipped to support initiatives that contribute to its preservation.

Challenges and how they will be addressed

The originality of the project lies in the combination of graphic and visual arts with the scientific field’s need for knowledge transmission. The project contributes to a better understanding of soil. It will build on learning mechanisms rooted in curiosity, visual emotion, field discovery, group dynamics, and the sharing of emotions among learners. It meets current educational expectations by promoting active learning among students. Awareness will be fostered both through the information conveyed during the game and through the memories and emotions sparked by its artistic form.

 

Expected outcomes

The project aims to shift public perception of soil, showing that it is not merely topsoil but a living system as complex and vital as the ocean. By engaging citizens, it will promote greater environmental stewardship through everyday practices – such as eliminating littering and adopting agroecological techniques in the management of home gardens and community green spaces. For future farmers, the project will foster a deeper understanding of the soil’s agro-environmental value. Through guided visits, they will be encouraged to recognize soil as a resource that must be preserved and to adopt agroecological practices as essential tools for sustainable farming and longterm resilience.

 

Soil soil soil

Meet the Project Team

Manon Thedrez

Self-employed individual, graphic designer.

E- mail – manon.thedrez@gmail.com

Phone – (+33)6 44 78 35 47

Arnaud Vautier

Self-employed individual, soil engineer.

E- mail –terrenis.etude@yahoo.fr

Phone –(+33)6 49 09 96 96

 

 

 

Zahrane Garczarek

Self-employed individual, object designer.

E- mail – zahranegarczarek@gmail.com

Phone – (+33)6 71 29 71 33