Listening to nature is such an important skill for children and adults alike. When we can explore the outdoors, the time spent is very valuable, stopping and listening to the world around us. Be sure to do your sound walks in different seasons so you can truly experience the beauty of each time of year in the outdoors.

Sound: listen to the rustling of the leaves on the ground as they blow across the trail

Listen to the chirping of the birds high above your head, do you hear a woodpecker’s beak going into the wood of a sturdy tree? Can you pick up an onomatopoeia sound they might make?

Can you hear the scampering sounds of chipmunks across the forest floor?

Identify what is making the splashing sounds in the water along the trail.

Is that a whistle blowing or the wind singing its song through the trees?

The plunk plunk sound of snow as it melts off the tree branches.

Can you identify that buzzing sound by your ear, is it a bee or a mosquito?

Is that roaring sound a waterfall as it plunges over the rocks and down into the still water below?

Is that the scampering of a squirrel digging up their treasures, or a crunch of leaves under your shoes?

Can you listen closely to the rustling of the tall grasses in the fields?

Does that sound have a vibration, a high or low pitch, a deep or low or soft volume?

What sounds do you hear as you cross a wooden bridge versus a metal bridge, one that crosses water and ones that cross a field?

Something dropped to the ground by you, was it an acorn, a twig, a pinecone? What might you do with each of those items that can become an art project?

Pick up two sticks and listen to the different sounds they make as you tap them on different items in the woods. A rock, a tree trunk, your boots, a fence, a bridge, a bench, a signpost and more.