
Today's idea: Make a Sound Map!
You will need: paper, pencil/crayon/marker, clipboard (or other hard surface to write on).
You will need: paper, pencil/crayon/marker, clipboard (or other hard surface to write on).
- Step 1: Take your supplies to a special spot in your yard - a place you can sit comfortably and take in your surroundings.
- Step 2: Draw a small circle in the middle of your paper - this is you! (You can choose another symbol to represent yourself if you prefer.)
- Step 3: Close your eyes. This will help you tune in to all the sounds around you!
- Step 4: Listen. Begin to notice the sounds around you. Do you hear the sounds of birds calling? Your family talking? A neighbor mowing the lawn? What about softer sounds - like the rustling of leaves or the scuttling of insects?
- Step 5: Each time you hear a sound, see if you can figure out where it is coming from. Then, make a mark on your paper to show where you heard the sound. You can make "x"s or draw pictures or write words to represent the sounds you think you heard. For example, if you heard a bird calling behind you, you would make a mark for the bird below the O on your paper. If the sound is close, mark it close to the O; if it's far away, mark it at the edge of your paper.
- Step 6: Repeat until your page is full of sounds! This is your very own sound map. It is unique! No other map will ever look the same.
- Step 7: If you would like to, write the date and the location of your map on the page. This way you can look back and remember what you observed.