The half-day of climbing can be extended by a night in the trees, comfortably installed in hammocks, at different heights, according to the wishes or apprehensions of each person.
Interests of the activity]
– To know the trees and their environment,
– Understand the role of the forest ; know how to protect it,
– Approaching the forest environment differently,
– Experience new sensations,
– Develop team spirit : (climber/insurer communication),
– Listening, observing the fauna, comfortably installed in a hammock,
– Develop agility and balance,
Intended for : from kindergarten onwards.
Procedure Procedure Procedure Procedure
Tree climbing is a nomadic activity ; our equipment is not permanently installed (removable workshops on ropes). We supervise the participants in a tree-covered environment prepared in advance, chosen according to its educational and playful interest and its proximity to the centres with which we work (economy of transport, greater freedom also in the organisation of activity times).
Speakers
The speakers of the association "Au Fil des Branches" are all qualified (mountain leaders and tree climbing educators - CQP-EGA : professional qualification certificate for tree climbing educators) - They are also approved by the Hautes-Alpes Academic Inspectorate.
The sessions
For the classes, two types of operation are proposed :}.
– a half-day operation : the class is divided into 2 equal groups ; one group will discover the techniques and climb, while the other group will participate in educational workshops on the forest (knowledge of the environment - identification of the trees and their hosts - role of the forest, listening moments installed in hammocks,....) - Pedagogical tools are proposed in order to make the acquisition of knowledge more fun.
After about 1h30 of animation, the groups change activity, those who climbed go to the pedagogical workshop, the rest of the class goes to the foot of the trees to climb.
This operation requires an activity time of 3 hours per half-day.
– The second type of operation proposes full-day sessions ; 2h30 of climbing and 2h30 of discovery of the environment per half class, on the same day (the whole class passes over the two workshops during the day).
Please note that the educational workshops and the tree-climbing activity are always done on the same site.
- Technical approach related to the activity :}
The first half hour of a session is devoted to technical explanations concerning safety in the activity (how to climb, ensure, respect the integrity of the tree, safety instructions, knowledge of the equipment).
There are "moulinettes" workshops (1 tree represents a rope with a climber and a belayer),
Throughout the session, informally and according to the participants’ attention to the moment, we provide knowledge about the environment, in the form of games or discussions during break times.
- "discovery of the environment" approach :}
The session takes place close to the climbing site (a little further away to allow effective listening) - the discovery begins with a mini hike in this small piece of forest - it continues with the use of the educational tools and ends with a calm sequence in the hammocks (installed at a maximum of 1
metre and 1.20 metres from the ground) where listening will be favoured.
The following are installed :
– hammocks for observing and listening to the sounds of the forest.
– Educational tools ("magic" tree - bark - games).
Provision of teaching material (identification sheets, listening material, books, etc.).
This allows everyone to experience the activity at their own pace and according to their own wishes.
It should be noted that we insist on the fact that respect for the environment comes first and foremost through respect between all !
In order to prepare this type of activity and to allow the children to take full advantage of this privileged time in the forest, we think it is desirable that work on the forest environment be carried out upstream by the teachers - The activity of climbing a tree and discovering the forest environment will then be the culmination of a real awareness project open to raising awareness and protecting this fragile environment, which is essential to our survival.
