Collect 3 or 4 sticks off the ground. (Don’t choose a stick that looks like this: [poison oak stick picture])
Make a shape on the ground with your sticks.
Describe out loud the things that are in your shape.
Follow your curiosity as you explore inside your frame. Here are some ideas to try….
What do you discover?
Adults! Taking time to focus attention in nature builds observation skills, develops curiosity, and relieves stress. Describing things out loud reinforces the quality and memory of observations, while sharing them aloud makes this a social experience. Find out more about practicing the essential skill of observation:
Three prompts for deeper nature observation from John Muir Laws
Parent Guide for I Notice, I Wonder, It Reminds Me Of from the BEETLES Project at Lawrence Hall of Science.
Did you find something interesting?
Is it alive or might it become alive?
Was it alive before, but now it isn’t?
Is it a piece of something that was once alive?
Was it never alive?
Discuss with a friend the clues that helped you decide your discovery is alive, was once alive, or was never alive.
If a pretend space alien came to Earth and observed you, what could it notice about you to decide whether you are living or never alive? What could it notice about a tree? a car? an apple seed? a cloud? your shirt?
Try this later:
- ideas for doing things at home…