Wild Lab: nature science screenings in French Guiana schools
French Guiana holds a large share of France's biodiversity, and most children here have never seen the science on their doorstep. A documentary series on public television, screened in schools.
Wild Lab is a short documentary series about the natural world of French Guiana. Each episode lasts five minutes and answers one question. Why are there more jaguars around one village than anywhere else on the territory. What a termite builds, and how. Why a tree that cannot move still has to defend itself.
It is presented by Mowgli, a French Guianese creator whose work has always been about this territory, and it is filmed with the people who do the research here: forest rangers, ecologists, entomologists.
The series is broadcast on Guyane la 1ere, the regional public channel, and remains available online afterwards.
During the European Sustainable Development Week we take it into schools. Each episode comes with a teaching sheet, so a screening can be followed by a class discussion. The material is free and stays available to teachers after the week.
French Guiana holds a large share of France's biodiversity, and most people living here have never seen the research being done on their doorstep. The aim is simple. A pupil who watches an episode should be able to explain something about the forest to someone else the same evening.
Wild Lab est une serie documentaire courte consacree a la nature de la Guyane. Chaque episode dure cinq minutes et repond a une seule question. Pourquoi y a-t-il autant de jaguars autour d'un village. Ce que fabrique une termite, et comment. Pourquoi un arbre qui ne peut pas bouger doit quand meme se defendre.
Elle est presentee par Mowgli, createur guyanais dont le travail porte depuis toujours sur ce territoire, et tournee avec ceux qui font la recherche ici : agents forestiers, ecologues, entomologistes.
La serie est diffusee sur Guyane la 1ere et reste disponible en ligne.
Pendant la Semaine europeenne du developpement durable, nous l'emmenons dans les etablissements scolaires. Chaque episode est accompagne d'une fiche pedagogique permettant de prolonger la projection par une discussion en classe. Les supports sont gratuits et restent a disposition des enseignants apres la semaine.
La Guyane abrite une part importante de la biodiversite francaise, et la plupart des gens qui y vivent n'ont jamais vu le travail scientifique mene a cote de chez eux. L'objectif est simple. Un eleve qui regarde un episode doit pouvoir en raconter quelque chose le soir meme.
