celebrating spring on a listening walk

On Saturday, March 21st, several families braved the rain/snow to come to the Huron Natural Area to celebrate the first day of spring. 

First, we talked about signs and sounds of spring. We read The Listening Walk by Paul Showers about a girl who hears many, many sounds around her as she walks quietly with her dad and her dog.

We listened (inside) to hear what we could hear for 12 seconds. It was a challenge to be quiet at first! We heard the humming of an electric heater, and maybe the fluorescent lights too. Then we went outside to the woods. We stood together as a group and listened quietly for 15 seconds. We heard the chattering of chickadees, the wind blowing in the trees, and the far-away whoosh of traffic.

And then the sun came out!

Each child then took an index card and pencil to make a sound map. They found a special place in the woods to listen for 5 minutes. Using symbols to represent the sounds, they mapped out where they heard the sounds in relation to where they were sitting.

Then we went for a little hike. We passed by a bubbling stream that was making lots of spring-like noises. We stopped to listen quietly for a bit.

Goodbye winter! Welcome spring!