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2000 Volunteer Leader Training Guide
Sharpen Your Senses
Natural Resource Activities for the Novice
Printer Friendly Version (PDF)
Introduction • Target Audience
• Activity Time Duration
• Objectives
• Background Information
• The
Predator/Prey Games (Sense of Hearing)
• Sound Off (Sense of
Hearing) • The
Nose Knows (Sense of Smell)
• Blind Walk (Sense of
Sight)
• Unnatural Trail
(Sense of Sight) •
Blindfold Surprise
(Sense of Touch)
Introduction
Today’s youth are bombarded with information about the
environment; however, they do not have an adequate understanding of it. In order
for youth to understand the environment around them, they need to acquire an
understanding of the elements of the natural world.
This lesson is designed to provide simple, hands-on natural
resource activities that a leader, teacher or teen leader can use with youth,
regardless of their scientific background. Each activity is basic, providing
information youth "can relate to," and requires little preparation and few
materials (a bonus for those with small budgets). The lesson includes background
information, an easy-to-follow procedure section and discussion questions to be
used for evaluation and processing after each activity.
Target Audience
Activities are geared primarily toward nine to twelve-year old
youth; however, they can be adapted to fit almost any age group.
Activity Time Duration
Each of the following educational activities will range in time
from approximately 15 to 30 minutes. Activities may last longer depending upon
amount of group discussion and interaction.
Objectives
-
To understand how animals use their senses in
order to survive in their environment.
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To learn how certain animals have specialized
senses they rely upon to find food and escape from predators.
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To learn how we use our senses to understand our
environment.
-
To provide an opportunity for students to
appreciate the out-of-doors using senses other than sight.
The following activities are best carried out in a quiet area,
preferably woods or a grassy field; however, it is possible to adapt these
activities to the classroom.
Background Information
All animals, including humans, rely on their senses in order to
survive in their environment. Different animals have specialized senses,
depending upon where they live (their habitat), how they obtain their food and
how they escape or hide from predators. For example, a rabbit has well developed
senses of smell and hearing. Rabbits must be able to "sense" danger, and their
sharp ears allow them to detect a predator before they are in danger. Hawks and
other birds of prey have a keen sense of sight, so they can detect movement of
animals such as mice while soaring high above the ground. Did you ever wonder
how a hawk can detect a tiny mouse while soaring high above the tree line?
Animals that live underground (such as moles) do not need a well-developed sense
of sight, but do have sharp senses of smell and touch (whiskers) to help them
find their way around and search for food.
Use the activities below to discover how animals (including
humans) use their senses. Discuss which animals may rely primarily upon each
sense and how this helps them survive.
The
Predator/Prey Game (Sense of Hearing)
Materials Needed
Lesson
-
Pick one person to be the prey (a rabbit). Have
this person sit, blindfolded, facing the group. Place a hat one
to two feet in front of this person.
-
Have the rest of the group sit in a semicircle
about 10-15 yards away from the prey. The rest of the group is a
pack of coyotes (the predators).
-
One at a time, each predator attempts to sneak
up on the prey and grab the hat before he/she is "pointed at."
The prey (rabbit) will point to the direction where he/she
thinks the predator is. When the prey points directly at the
predator, this persoi sits down where he/she was spotted. (All
predators MUST remain quiet when someone else is "sneaking.")
-
The game continues until the hat is grabbed
(prey is caught) or until all the predators have been "spotted."
The person who "catches" the hat becomes the next prey. If no
one caught the prey, another person is appointed.
Questions for Discussion
-
What is the importance of a good sense of
hearing for an animal like a rabbit? (to escape predators and be
aware of its surroundings)
-
What other animals rely largely on their sense
of hearing? (deer, mice, etc.)
-
What adaptations do predators have to allow them
to sneak up on their prey? (coloration - blend in with habitat;
pads on their feet)
Sound Off (Sense of
Hearing)
This activity is best performed in a large, grassy area free of
large rocks.
Materials Needed
Lesson
-
Form groups of two, and have each pair choose an
animal that makes a distinctive sound (cow, snake, horse, bear,
etc.). Make sure each pair has a different animal.
-
Separate the members of each pair across the
field, approximately 50 yards apart. Blindfold each person.
-
When the game starts, each person will try to
find his/her partner by making and listening for their animal
sound. The game ends when all pairs are grouped together.
Questions for Discussion
The Nose Knows
(Sense of Smell)
Understanding
Nature provides a variety of odors. The ability to smell is an
important survival tool for animals.
Materials Needed
-
1 smelly bag (35mm plastic film canister, paper
sack, small cotton balls) filled with one common household
smelly object such as onions, garlic, spices, potpourri, scented
candles, soaps, fruits, etc.
-
Blindfold
-
1 spray water bottle
Lesson
-
Prepare smelly bags in advance and "seed" your
blindfold smelly trail.
-
Have everyone sit comfortably in a sharing
circle. Ask them what kind of smells they have at home.
Encourage everyone to share a smell.
-
Explain that you have brought some smells from
home. Pass around the smelly bags. After everyone has had a good
whiff, have them identify the odor. Explain that similar smells
can be found in nature.
-
Give each child a smelly bag and give five
minutes to locate a similar smell in nature. Explain that the
object should remain where it was found. After all the students
have located a smell, take a tour of the objects, comparing
odors with the smelly bags. Congratulate all the children for
having such good "smellers."
-
Explain that many animals can smell better than
us. Ask anyone if they have ever felt a dog’s nose. What does it
feel like? Tell the children that animals’ wet noses are able to
smell better because the moist air attracts odor particles
similar to the way a magnet attracts steel. Follow by asking:
Why would it be important for a dog (wolf) and a deer to be able
to smell better? How do other animals or plants use the power of
odors and smell (i.e., pollen and/or nectar attracting the bee)?
-
Explain that it’s their turn to smell as well as
a wolf or deer. Have them line up. Spray their nose and upper
lip with the water bottle, then have them put on their
blindfolds. Lead the children to several "seeded" smelly spots.
Have them guess the smells and lift the blindfolds to check
their answers. Periodically re-spray their noses.
Questions for Discussion
-
What was your favorite smell today? Did it
remind you of another place, another time?
-
How do animals use their sense of smell?
-
How would you feel if your sense of smell was
taken away? What smells would you miss?
Blind Walk (Sense of
Sight)
Materials Needed
Lesson
-
The group will pair off in twos and assemble in
a relatively open area.
-
Each member of the pair will take a turn at
being the "blind" animal and will choose a destination he/she
wishes to reach.
-
After being blindfolded, each person will
attempt to reach his/her destination with only verbal commands
from his/her partner (i.e., "take three steps to the right,"
etc.).
Questions for Discussion
-
How did it feel to have to get somewhere without
being able to rely on your sense of sight? What other senses did
you use?
-
Which animals cannot use their sense of sight to
help them "get around"? Where do these animals live?
(Underground, etc.)
-
What other senses do these animals rely upon?
(smell, touch whiskers, hearing)
Unnature Trail
(Sense of Sight)
Camouflage is an important survival strategy. Specific
understandings may be developed by the leader. Refer to item one in OPTIONS.
Materials Needed
-
15 human-made items (clothing, salt shaker,
kitchen utensils, toys, etc.)
-
Paper and pencil for each child (optional)
The leader should be familiar with the trail used for the
activity. Place the items along the trail shortly before the hike. The objects
can be placed on the ground, on rocks, in tree holes, or hung on branches, using
both sides of the trail. They should not be completely hidden nor completely
obvious. (They should be placed no more than 15 feet off the trail.)
SPECIAL NOTE: Although this activity can be done anywhere
outdoors, it is important that there be an established trail. This activity
works best in a forest.
Lesson
-
Gather the group just before the start of the
"unnature trail" trail. Discuss briefly the differences between
human-made and natural things. Explain that they will be playing
nature detectives, looking for things that don’t belong on the
trail. (Note: If you are using a trail at a nature center or in
a park, there may be some objects, such as trail markers, which
are human-made but do belong.)
-
Allow 10-15 minutes to walk the trail. Remind
the children to look up and down as well as just off the trail.
You might wish to have them take paper and pencil and write down
which objects they spot. You might also want to make it a
competition to see which child can find the most objects.
Questions for Discussion
"After the hike, discuss which objects were hard to find. Use
them to introduce the concept of camouflage. Talk about animals that use
camouflage.
Options
1. By carefully selecting the objects, you can give your hike a
specific theme. Proceed as above, but after the walk go back down the trail and
discuss each object and what it represents.
Some Suggested Objects:
-
Sponge on ground - soil’s ability to absorb
water
-
Strainer in tree - tree canopy’s filtering of
rain
-
Salt shaker by game trail - wildlife’s need for
minerals
-
Sweater by tree - animal’s need to prepare for
winter
-
Flashlight by clearing in woods - sunlight
influences plant growth
-
Lego block by rock - rocks are basic building
block of soil
-
Toy windmill in tree - plants block wind
-
Holed donut on tree - holes in trees provide
homes
-
Pen by barkless log - bark beetles engrave their
signatures
2. Have the children use red cellophane sunglasses as they walk.
The cellophane duplicates the monochromatic vision (one color vision) that many
animals have and accentuates camouflage effects.
3. Explore a new area and have the group look for examples of
camouflage. Grasses, shrubs and bark are excellent hiding places for insects,
spiders and other small animals.
Blindfold
Surprise (Sense of Touch)
When our primary sense of sight is removed, other senses make up
for it.
Materials Needed
-
A blindfold for each child
-
Several similar objects (leaves, wood, seeds,
cones, rocks, feathers, bone, etc.) for each child
-
Several additional objects for the wrap-up
Lesson
-
Make sure you have a way to identify which
object belongs to which child.
-
Sit in a sharing circle. Discuss how people rely
on their senses and how sight is our primary sense. Explain that
the group will be exploring some objects without using their
sight.
-
Tell the children that you will not be giving
them anything that can harm them, and that the goal is to know
their object so well they can select it from a large group of
objects.
-
Pass out the blindfolds and give out the
objects. Ask the following questions, emphasizing that they
should answer silently to themselves. "How big is the object
compared to your hand? Is it lighter than a ping pong ball?
Heavier than an orange? Is it rough or smooth? Hard or soft?
Does it have any holes or indentations in it? Is the texture
uniform or does it vary? Does it remind you of a letter of the
alphabet? Could a spider live in it?" Create other questions
yourself.
-
Ask the children to describe their objects
without naming them or their parts. For example, a pencil is a
long, thin, round object which is pointy at one end and soft and
rubbery at the other.
-
Collect all the objects and place them in the
center of the circle, adding a few additional objects. Have the
children remove blindfolds and find their objects individually
or as a group. Once everyone has claimed an object, have each
describe unique clues that helped with the identification.
Questions for Discussion
-
What did it feel like to rely only on your sense
of touch? If you were an animal, would you be able to rely only
on your sense of touch?
-
What other part of an animal’s body can be used
in the way we use our hands to detect our sense of touch?
(Whiskers, paws, etc.)
B. Michael Klumpp, 4-H and Youth Development Specialist
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