Age groups: 8 and up
Keywords: Outdoors; Natural area needed; In-school activity; At-home activity; Individual activity; Pen and paper needed; Sense of place; Bioregion awareness; Observation; Reflection
One-sentence summary of activity: Each student spends time observing a nearby outdoor landscape with all of their senses and then reflects on the experience through drawings and written reflections.
Diagram of activity: Example of drawing and reflections.
Learning Goals for activity:
- Skill: Observational, Reflection
- Value: Relational
- Information: Local environment, Human interactions with nature
- Action: N/A
Step-by-step instructions for activity:
- Each student finds a nearby outdoor landscape that they enjoy. Students are encouraged to bring other family members to participate in this activity.
- For at least 5 minutes, students will be still and present with the natural world (no moving, talking, etc.) and just observing their surroundings.
- To the best of their ability, students will draw the landscape or take a picture.
- Engaging all of their senses, students will reflect on what they are experiencing in the environment: what can they touch, hear, see, and smell, and how does being with this outdoor landscape make them feel?
Ecological concepts involved
- Local environment – students foster a sense of place within their local environment
- Human interactions with nature – students take time to observe and reflect on their relationship with their local environment
Educational Activities developed by the University of Vermont’s Environmental Education course, Fall 2020