Core Routines: Expanding the Senses, Sit Spot
Skills Practiced: Listening, auditory memory, spatial orientation
Ecological Indicators: Birds, mammals, wind, water
Qualities Fostered: Quiet Mind, Sensory Awareness, Patience
Directions (Shields): South (Activate), Northwest (Reflect), North (Wisdom)
Suggested Age Range: 6+ (especially engaging for children who enjoy drawing or quiet time)
Timing & Energy Level: Excellent during or after Sit Spot (Northwest to North)
Set-Up & Materials:
- Paper and pencil or journal
- A quiet place to sit—field, forest, backyard
- Optional: compass for directional awareness
Description:
Participants sit in silence for several minutes and mark the location of sounds they hear on a simple map. Each sound (bird call, rustle, water drip) is marked with a symbol or word in relation to their own position on the paper. The result is a personal, sensory-based landscape that reveals the richness of the soundscape. Sound Mapping deepens observation and brings spatial awareness to listening.
Coyote Mentoring Tips:
- Model first: “I’ll make a map while you do yours.”
- Let them invent symbols or keys—owl = spiral, crow = X
- Encourage stillness but allow note-taking during the sit
Variations:
- Create maps at different times of day to compare
- Map human vs. non-human sounds in two colors
- Use as a before-and-after with a group walk
Debrief Prompts:
- “What surprised you about what you heard?”
- “Did the sounds come from expected places?”
- “What changed as you sat longer?”
Story Seeds:
- Tales of hearing the world awaken
- Stories where someone finds their way through sound
- Memories of “what the forest sounds like”