We are pleased to introduce ourselves: Le Jardin des Particules, a nursery and primary school located within CERN.

At our school, we’ve opened new reception classes: a preschool section for the youngest children and upper levels for older students. Currently, our school welcomes children from ages 3 to 9!

Here are some key words representing our approach and care for our pupils:

• Bilingualism (French-English).

• Child-centered educational activities, focused on their development and needs.

• Sports, science, music, and arts education.

• Co-education and partnership with families.

• Emotional education.

• Outdoor nature outings.

Our nursery service, for children aged 4 months to 3 years, is also undergoing a wonderful evolution!

A stable and skilled team ensures daily care with a kind, reassuring, and attentive approach.

We’re also excited to introduce new projects, including:

• Musical awakening, led by a specialized instructor.

• Psychomotor activities, guided by a psychomotor therapist

• A multi-sensory space, a source of joy for our little ones.

These specialists are integrated into the educational team as resource experts, providing high-quality support tailored to the needs of young children.

With collaborative perspectives and sensitive attention to children and families, our goal is to offer a high-quality educational environment.

We’re available if you’d like to meet us:

Le Jardin des Particules, Building 664

info.jdo@cern.ch

School project 2024/25: Introducing Young Minds to Particle Physics

We’re excited to share a collaboration between Le Jardin des Particules - Crèche and School of the CERN Staff Association and  Diamantideio Kindergarten, Leonteios School of Nea Smyrni from Athens. This project introduces our youngest students to the world of particle physics and CERN’s research through storytelling, games ,and hands-on experiments.

The project is a joint effort led by Justyna Walus for Le Jardin des Particules with Panagiota Belia for Diamantideio Kindergarten, with the invaluable support of their respective school directors, Roberta Cavigliasso at CERN and Panagiota Dimoka in Athens.

Our students have connected through video calls, exchanged books and small gifts related to science, and worked on a special project—writing and illustrating A Neutron in the LHC, a collaborative story that introduces key scientific concepts in a creative way. You can read it here: https://staff-association.web.cern.ch/sites/default/files/Echo/2025/Neutron.pdf

In addition to storytelling, students have been learning about CERN through videos, posters, and other shared materials. The next phase of the project will include letter exchanges between students, strengthening the connection between both schools.

A major highlight will be the visit of Greek students to the Jardin des Particules and CERN in June 2025. They will explore the Science Gateway, take part in workshops, and engage in activities organized by various CERN labs, giving them an interactive experience of the science behind CERN’s work.

By combining creativity with scientific discovery, this project offers a fun and engaging way for young learners to explore big ideas. We look forward to continuing this collaboration and seeing where this shared journey takes us next!