Neighborhood Sound Map
About 60 minutes, outside, for ages 11 and up.
Where it works
Works in any outdoor space
Who it's for
ages 11 and up
Listen For These:
- a natural sound
- a human-made sound
- a sound from far away
- a sound up close
- a repeating sound
- a sound you cannot identify
Today's Challenge
- 1.Which part of your route was the loudest?
- 2.Which part was the quietest?
- 3.Did any sound surprise you?
Quick Start: What you need
- 1pencil
The Goal
Walk a short route, sketch it from memory, and mark what you heard at each stop.
How to start
- 1
Gather what you need: pencil. Nothing else required.
- 2
Head outside and listen for: a natural sound, a human-made sound, a sound from far away, a sound up close.
- 3
Talk about what you are seeing. Start with "Which part of your route was the loudest?"
- 4
Print the worksheet to check things off as you find them, and keep it afterwards.
Draw Your Route
Sketch the path you walked below, then mark an X everywhere you heard something interesting.
Sound travels about four times faster through water than through air.
If you want to push it further
- Mark a spot where two different sounds overlapped
- Try humming back a sound you heard
Print it and go
The worksheet has the checklist, the prompts, and a space to draw in. One page, ready for a bag or a glovebox.