In the French-speaking part of Belgium, remembrance is an essential educative mission imposed on schools by a specific decree (Moniteur Belge, 2019). In this respect, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation pays particular attention to this issue through citizenship education. History classes and remembrance projects aim to develop critical thinking and prepare pupils to become responsible citizens (Falaize, 2020). Visits to museums play a key role in this transmission in primary school as they provide an authentic experience of historical events (Wadbled, 2014). After these visits, teachers must debrief with their pupils, but some children struggle to express their emotions through language. In such cases, drawing can be an effective means of communication (Martin, 2012; Cognet & Cognet-Kayem, 2018).

The Mons Memorial Museum (MMM) is an emblematic place for the citizens' remembrance regarding the successive wars that have impacted the city of Mons. That is why we decided to conduct our research in association with this institution. Our study aimed to assess and understand the effect of a guided tour focused on World War I on children's emotions and knowledge.

To achieve this, we used cards depicting various emotions and asked the children to describe their feelings after the visit. We also invited them to draw the war before and after the visit to analyze the changes in their representations. The sample consists of 14 pupils aged 7 to 9 years. At the end of the visit, three emotions emerged: sadness (8/14 – 57.14%), joy (5/14 – 35.71%), and excitement (5/14 – 35.71%); these last two emotions reflected the enthusiasm generated by visiting the museum. The analysis of the drawings shows that children already integrated representations of war influenced by television, current events, video games, and the internet. They are also familiar with symbolic elements of the war context, such as weapons (14/14, 100%), military uniforms (11/14, 78.57%), and tanks (8/14, 57.14%), but don't always understand the meaning of some terms used by adults (e.g., trenches).

Our results also indicate that a guided tour of the MMM changes pupils’ perceptions of war and arouses various emotions that the teachers must manage with care. School and home learning, enriched by visits to museums and authentic sites, play a complementary role in developing critical thinking. Museums thus serve as valuable educational resources, arousing children’s curiosity and interest. Our study highlights the importance of a diversified pedagogical approach, combining several teaching methods to optimize pupils’ learning experiences.

Keywords: Education, Remembrance, Museum, Citizenship Education.