Just for today… Give yourself a 15-minute walk outdoors. Discover the interesting sights and sounds in which you live. Your best educational skills is in your ability to observe your environment. So, for today…
- Materials needed on your discovery walk: journal/theme book/paper; pencil/eraser; colored pencils; magnifying glass; and a baggie of trail mix. (If you want to use your iPhone to take pictures of items found… you will need to take along a notepad to list what you discovered. The pictures will be used when you are at home for the journaling of your discoveries).
- Learning Target: Observation skills refer to the ability to use all five senses to recognize, analyze, and recall details about your surroundings. Remember that “listening” is an important aspect of observation, hearing the sounds of nature enhances your ability to focus in the moments of discovery.
- Discuss the slide above: What do you notice? How will you sketch your discoveries? What should you make note of while you document your objects? How did Lewis & Clark journal their discoveries?
- Observation Skill Building: During your 15-minute walk, you will seek to find objects of interest (use the pictured scavenger hunt list from the slide above). As you document your objects… number list each object and its location. Add the environmental sounds around the object you are sketching or photographing.
- Journaling 10+ items: 20-minute documentation. As soon as you are done investigating, it is time to find a quiet place outside to begin sketching, adding colors to your objects, and scribing your final “touches” to your discoveries. On the slide above, you should notice that some are sketched, others are colored documenting the beauty of each discovery. Your attention to detail is directly related to your value of your experience… care enough to do your best… get lost in your skills of discovery…
- Family sharing: Share your journaled discoveries. What is your favorite entry? What do you wish you had included? How did “listening” while exploring help you recreate your experience?
- Enjoy your new observation skills… use them often in and out of every season.