Secondary schools
Learn and experience at Tabloo
Tabloo allows pupils to not only see billions of years into the past but also look far into the future. Time, in fact, plays an important role in the phenomenon of radioactivity. The role of Tabloo is to keep the memory of the nearby radioactive waste repository alive for 300 years and beyond. But how will it do this?
Discover radioactivity and the management of radioactive waste at Tabloo
- Visit Expoo with a guide or audio guide
- Take part in the Repository Walk
- Follow ‘The Path of Waste’
Tip: discover the highlights of Expoo using the map below!
The workshops tailored to the first and third stages of secondary education can be found at the bottom of this page!
Visit Expoo
with a guide or audio guide
Pupils will go on a journey of discovery through the invisible world of radioactivity. They will learn what radioactivity is and what we do with radioactive waste. They will come to understand the concept of time and find out how the public can help to find solutions for radioactive waste. Finally, they become familiar with research into nuclear applications.
A visit to the expo with an audio guide takes between 1.5 and 2 hours. If you would like to explore everything down to the last detail, you should allow around 5 hours.
Repository Walk
For Levels 2 and 3 (14+)
Pupils will walk right up to the site of the future radioactive waste repository. While on this circular route (5 km), they will pass various nuclear repositories and discover where the materials and building techniques for the repository are tested.
A guide from Tabloo will accompany you on the walk.
The path of waste
For Levels 2 and 3 (14+)
Students follow the journey of radioactive waste on a walk around the site and discover the steps that waste goes through before it can be permanently disposed of. On this guided tour, your group will have the unique opportunity to take a look inside the temporary storage building where Belgium's radioactive waste will be disposed of. You will walk to the surface storage site, the final destination of part of the waste.
Workshops for the first stage (ages 12–14)
- Each workshop lasts 2 hours and is led by a Tabloo facilitator.
- As a teacher, you will receive the lesson pack for this workshop immediately after booking.
A message through time
Within a few years, the disposal of low and intermediate-level short-lived waste will start in Dessel. This waste will give off ionizing radiation for about 300 years. How do you keep knowledge of the disposal alive for future generations?
Pupils will discover the ways you can convey a message. They will imagine what the world will look like in 300 years. They will learn how a great many factors need to be taken into account in order to send a message over several centuries. Pupils will work in groups to design their message: what is their message and how will they convey it?
This workshop is only available in Dutch and French.
The electromagnetic spectrum
Pupils will learn about the electromagnetic spectrum in a fun way. They will explore different types of waves and learn to put them in the correct order on the spectrum. Using examples from everyday life, they will come to understand that we use waves in different ways, but that they can also be dangerous. Pupils will work together in groups to complete various missions.
This workshop is only available in Dutch and French.
Workshops for the third stage (ages 16+)
- Hands-on in the lab
Hands-on in the lab
For Level 3 (16+)
Pupils carry out experiments with radioactive sources in our lab. These are entirely safe, of course. At the start of the session, they will watch a presentation on the safety rules and a short introduction. Working in pairs, they will then get to work on activities, using a tablet to enter and send in their results.
Pupils will become familiar with the concept of half-life, the effect of ionising radiation, the energy of beta particles, and much more. The workshop is led by a guide from Tabloo.
The Repository Mayors
Whether you are for or against nuclear energy: we have radioactive waste in Belgium. And that is not going to disappear on its own. So we need to ensure it can be stored safely. Europe considers deep geological disposal for high-level radioactive waste to be the safest method. A repository deep underground, in other words. But where?
From mayor to repository mayor?
Five mayors step forward and put their municipality forward as a candidate for this repository. They engage in debate with the public, who have many critical questions.
This workshop is only available in Dutch and French.
Request your visit
State when you would like to visit, how many pupils will be in your group, and what activities you would like to take part in. We will contact you once you have sent your request to confirm your visit. Your booking will not be deemed accepted until we have sent confirmation. An invoice will be issued for payment. Prices:
- Expoo: €5 per pupil (teachers free of charge)
- Guide for Expoo: +€120 (max. 25 persons)
- Workshops: €120 (max. 25 pupils)
- Repository Walk with guide: €120 (max. 25 pupils)
- The Path of Waste with guide: €200 (max. 25 pupils)
Breaktime in Bistroo
At lunchtime, pupils can be accommodated in a separate room in Bistroo to buy a drink. They can also eat their own lunch or buy a snack here. In fine weather, they may eat their sandwiches outside in the nature reserve.
