20 minRien du tout
Cloud Watching
Lie on your back and argue about what the clouds look like.
👂
Draw a Sound Map
Sit still outside, close your eyes, and draw every sound you hear.
A quiet outdoor activity that works in a garden, a park or a balcony, and needs one sheet of paper.
Ce qu’il vous faut
- paper
- pencil
Comment faire
- Sit somewhere outside and put a small cross in the middle of the page to mark yourself.
- Stay completely still and silent for two minutes, just listening.
- Every time you hear a sound, mark it on the page where it came from.
- Use any symbol you like. A squiggle for wind, a bird shape for birds.
- Compare maps afterwards and see who heard something nobody else did.
Pourquoi c’est bon pour eux
Most children have never deliberately listened to their environment, and the first thirty seconds of silence is uncomfortable for them. Mapping sound to direction also involves spatial reasoning that visual activities never touch.
Adapter selon l’âge
4 to 5 yearsOne minute, and simply count the sounds on your fingers.
11 to 12 yearsDo it in two different places and compare the maps.
Sécurité
Stay within sight in public spaces.
Astuce rangement
None.
Dans le même esprit
20 min
Window Bird Watch
A tally chart, a window, and fifteen quiet minutes.
50 min
Build a Bug Hotel
A stack of sticks, leaves and cardboard tubes for things to live in.
40 min
Ten Photograph Walk
Ten pictures on the walk. Only ten. Choose carefully.
15 min
Barefoot Texture Walk
Grass, then paving, then a towel. Shoes off, eyes closed.
25 min
Plant Something and Wait
One pot, a few seeds, and a reason to look out of the window every morning.