Core Routines: Sit Spot, Expanding the Senses
Skills Practiced: Auditory focus, stillness, spatial listening
Ecological Indicators: Birds, insects, water, wind, human sound
Qualities Fostered: Stillness, Curiosity, Sensory Awareness
Directions (Shields): Northwest (Reflect), North (Wisdom)
Suggested Age Range: 6+ (easily adapted for older or younger groups)
Timing & Energy Level: Quiet, grounding practice—perfect midday or closing circle (Northwest/North)
Set-Up & Materials:
- Sit Spot location for each participant
- Notebook or template for mapping sounds
- Optional: compass, pencil, markers
Description:
A hybrid of Sit Spot and Sound Map. Participants choose a Sit Spot and begin with Owl Eyes and Deer Ears. After a few minutes of listening, they draw a circular “sound field” map showing what they hear and where it comes from. This repeated practice sharpens listening over time and can reveal patterns in place—shifting birdsong, recurring footsteps, wind corridors.
Coyote Mentoring Tips:
- Use prompts like: “Draw yourself in the center. Then let the sounds land around you.”
- Ask: “Can you hear layers? What’s closest? What’s distant?”
- Offer silence at the end before sharing
Variations:
- Repeat in same place over multiple days
- Use different symbols for types of sounds (bird, wind, machine)
- Create “sound journals” over a season
Debrief Prompts:
- “What did you hear first?”
- “Which direction had the most activity?”
- “Did anything surprise you?”
Story Seeds:
- Myths of the world being sung into being
- Stories of elders who could “read” the forest by sound
- Personal memories of listening in silence