The Sounds of Silence… or is it?

Connecting Kids to Nature Activity

In our day to day lives there are many sounds going on much of the time … cars, buses, machinery, chatter. We get so used to many of them that they become the background noise of our lives.  Others jar and grate on our senses.

Sometimes we may long to get away into nature, or for the coming of the night, to have some peace and quiet

But is it really quiet?  What can you discover in the ‘silence’?

Activity 1:  Music of the Night

This is a night time activity, the later the better, but obviously young children won’t be able to manage to stay up as late as older children.  The idea is to try to do this activity once most of the general hustle and bustle noises have stopped for the day.

Start inside- stand or sit quietly in a room and really listen… what can you hear?  Wander quietly around the house listening.  Try standing with the light out and see if that helps you concentrate on what you can hear.

Can you maybe hear a fridge running?  A pet stretching in their sleep or moving in a cage?  Does any of the household electronic equipment still make a sound, such as the hum of a computer fan?  The sound of an air conditioner running?  Sounds of a curtain moving in the breeze?  Do your water pipes have any sound of water running through them?  What about the toilet cistern?  If you flush it, how long does the sound of water refilling go on for?  Does anything creak or rustle in your ceiling or outside the window?

Time to move outside now.  Stand still and let your ears adjust to the outdoor sounds of the night… both close and distant.

Can you hear distant traffic?  What about TV’s or radios from neighbouring houses?  Other people’s air conditioners running?  A toilet flushing in a neighbour’s house?  What birds can you identify… are they night birds, or day time birds still settling in for the night?  Other creatures stirring?  Crickets or frogs?  Bats?  Wind rustling in the trees?

Activity 2:  Nature Noises

This activity can either be done on a day outing or, even better, a camping trip in the great outdoors.  The further away you can get from civilization, the better, however even a fairly local National Park would do.

Find a spot not too close to a road or other people, if possible.  If you are energetic and the kids aren’t too young, a bush hike is a good place to do this.

Sit or stand quietly and observe what you hear.

Birds calling?  Insect sounds?  Frogs?  Other animals?  Trees creaking?  Leaves rustling?  Water flowing or dripping?  Distant planes, helicopters or vehicles?

 Try moving on to another location?  Do you hear some of the same sounds?  What about any different ones?

Try keeping a nature sound journal, recording all the sounds you hear each day.

The more you get used to really listening, the more you will begin to hear.