“It’s not my fault that the planet is in such bad shape.”

A remark made by a child during a nature activity became a turning point for Charlotte Reuter, children’s author and literary mediator. The sentence revealed a sense of powerlessness and distance towards environmental issues. It was this moment that sparked the idea for "Flora Fabulosa".

The idea then took the form of an exhibition designed for children. To bring it to life, Charlotte Reuter partnered with illustrator Claudine Furlano. Keen to rely on educational expertise, they turned to ErwuesseBildung (EwB), which coordinates the project and develops the accompanying materials.

Rather than focusing exclusively on issues such as climate change or pollution, the project adopts a different approach: a sense of wonder.

This intention became the guiding principle of the project: to spark curiosity and interest by allowing children to discover the richness of the plant world around them.

Flora Fabulosa takes the form of an interactive exhibition dedicated to wild flowering plants. Through visual and accessible content, it explains how these plants grow, adapt and interact with their environment. Educational workshops complement the exhibition, inviting participants to experiment and observe nature up close.

The initiative primarily addresses children, families and school groups. By providing simple tools such as notebooks, pencils and magnifying glasses, it encourages an active approach similar to scientific observation. This method helps to better understand natural balances and to develop an attentive perspective on living systems.

The implementation relies on close collaboration between multiple fields of expertise, including cultural mediation, illustration, scientific knowledge and pedagogy. This diversity has made it possible to develop a coherent programme that is both rigorous in its content and accessible to a wide range of audiences.

The development of the initiative was not without challenges. The postponement of the exhibition led to a loss of momentum, making it more difficult to maintain continuous engagement among all partners. In this context, the commitment and availability of scientific experts played a decisive role in maintaining direction and ensuring overall coherence.

On site, the impact is reflected in concrete moments. During a workshop, a child questioned whether wild plants should be consumed, aware of their importance for insects. This reflection reveals a new level of understanding: within ecosystems, every element is interconnected.

The feedback collected from participants has been very positive. Children and adults expressed surprise at knowledge they had not previously encountered, while many teachers showed interest in integrating the exhibition into their teaching practices.

Today, Flora Fabulosa continues to develop through new perspectives, including presenting the exhibition in other educational settings and translating its content to reach a wider audience. The initiative highlights that raising environmental awareness also means fostering discovery and the pleasure of learning to see nature differently.