Hand's On Activity

This activity is best done on a warm day.

Teacher's Note ­ Objective: identify every day nature sounds

Materials Needed:

Pen/Pencil
Notebook or piece of paper to write on
Your ears

Activity:

Go outside and find a place where you can sit uninterrupted for 5 minutes.

Close your eyes for 5 minutes. What do you hear? Birds? Dogs barking? People talking? The wind?

After the 5 minutes are up, write down all that you can remember hearing.
Now count how many of those sounds are nature sounds (remember: we humans are part of nature too), and how many are mechanical (cars, phones, t.v., etc.)
Put a star * next to the nature sounds you don't think you hear everyday. What were they?

What did you hear the most of, mechanical or nature sounds? Why?

What nature sound(s) were you not aware of before? Why not?

Extra:

Do this same activity in a different setting. For example, if you were in a city backyard, to a park or the countryside. Compare your two lists, how did they change?

Conclusion:

Audio biodiversity surrounds us each day, whether we are listening or not. Keep your ears open to the biodiversity surrounding you. What you hear may surprise you.

Activity created by Lily Huddleson. Permission to use freely.