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The Art of Mentoring: Coyote’s Guide
Coyote Mentoring is a relational approach to learning that follows the rhythms of nature, curiosity, and connection. Rooted in the Eight Shields model and inspired by regenerative, land-based cultures, it emphasizes mentoring over teaching—modeling attentiveness rather than delivering information. Coyote Mentors guide through story, mystery, and well-timed questions that awaken awareness rather than explain.
At the heart of this approach are core routines like Sit Spot, Bird Language, and Wandering—practices repeated over time that build deep relationship with place. These routines cultivate the attributes of connection: quiet mind, empathy, resilience, aliveness, and love for the Earth.
The mentor’s role is to remain largely invisible, listening deeply and guiding with humility. Coyote Mentoring honors each learner’s natural genius and encourages self-discovery, not performance. Over time, this practice supports the growth of whole humans—attuned to the land, to their own gifts, and to the unfolding story of community and culture.
With deep gratitude to Jon Young and his work across so many programs and communities—for inspiring me, the children I teach, and the wider circle of mentors walking this path. His teachings have shaped not only the routines we return to, but the way we listen, question, and build culture rooted in connection.
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COYOTE MENTORING
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A field-tested mentor’s manual for deepening children's relationship with nature, offering stories, routines, and practices to awaken curiosity, quietude, and ecological belonging.
A nature-based approach using curiosity, storytelling, and invisible guidance to foster deep connection with the land, self, and others, supporting cultural repair and renewal.
Games, Story Prompts, and Activity Setups for Mentoring in Nature
This collection includes playful games, quiet routines, storytelling prompts, sensory invitations, mapping, tracking, and ways of being in nature that awaken curiosity and build relationship over time. They’re more than just fun—they’re doorways into deep nature connection. Each one is designed to spark joy and gently stretch the edges of awareness. In the mentoring model, we ask open-ended questions, follow the child’s interest, and trust their unfolding connection with the natural world. The focus isn’t on performance or competition, but on wonder, presence, and belonging.
In my work with younger children, I’ve adapted many of these activities to meet their developmental rhythms, while also honoring our approach that unstructured time in nature always takes precedence. The spirit of Coyote Mentoring is woven throughout, though some elements may differ from traditional formats. Hold these plans loosely—as inspiration to create your own. Feel free to copy or adapt anything here to fit your context. This page includes not just the games, but ways to open the doorway—introducing Sit Spots, cultivating stillness, and supporting child-led exploration rooted in lived experience.
This isn’t a game in the usual sense—it’s a lively and participatory conversation or teaching circle where a mentor (or youth group) walks through potential hazards in the natural environment: poison ivy, widow-makers, weather changes, sharp rocks, etc. Delivered with humor, story, and engagement, it becomes a cultural lesson in awareness, not a lecture. The goal is to prepare, not scare; to empower, not control.
A fast-paced, playful game of tag. One person is “It.” Everyone else can only be safe while touching a tree. Players must leave the trees and run to another one—but only when It is distracted or chasing someone else. If tagged while in the open, they become the next It. This game naturally teaches pattern watching, anticipation, and bursts of movement. It keeps everyone laughing and alert.
Participants are challenged to lay a trail through the woods using natural materials in subtle ways—bent grasses, scuffed soil, misaligned sticks, a leaf turned over. Another group (or partner) follows this “invisible” trail using clues and inference, not obvious markings. The goal is to hide signs in plain sight, creating a trail that mimics real animal sign. It’s a favorite for developing stealth, creativity, and sensitivity to landscape.
A playful sneaking-and-tagging game. One player stands in the middle with eyes closed and counts aloud. The others try to sneak up and tag them gently before they finish counting. If the person in the center hears someone, they point and open their eyes. If they catch someone moving, that person is out or returns to the starting line. The game builds agility, stealth, and awareness of pressure, timing, and terrain.
A blindfolded person stands 20–30 feet away and slowly walks forward toward a silent partner standing still. The goal is to sense—without seeing or hearing—when they are close to the person and stop before touching them. This activity invites a deeper awareness of subtle perception: body radar, spatial sensitivity, and the energetic presence of others. It can feel mystical or grounding, depending on the person, and opens the door to conversations about intuition, trust, and boundary perception.
One partner is blindfolded and gently led by another to a nearby tree. The blindfolded person explores the tree using all senses except sight: touch, smell, spatial awareness. After several minutes, they’re led back to the start, spun around a few times, and asked to find “their” tree again using memory and intuition. The activity is slow, quiet, and often surprising—participants are amazed by what they remember through touch and feel alone.
A line is stretched between two points and represents the “trail.” A group of stalkers must move silently and slowly along the line without being detected by a seated observer (the guard or animal). The observer watches or listens from a set point. If they spot movement, they call it out and the stalker returns to start. This slow, meditative game refines sneaking, stillness, and terrain reading. Participants often say they’ve never moved so carefully in their lives.
One person is the Rabbit, sitting with their back to the field. Behind them lies a small object that players try to steal. One stalker at a time tries to sneak up, retrieve the object, and return to the start without being heard or seen. If the Rabbit hears or senses movement, they may turn around—if they catch the stalker moving, that stalker returns to the start. This game builds deep patience, body control, and understanding of how animals sense their surroundings.
A blindfolded participant must move toward a rhythmic drumbeat (or sound source) across a field or wooded area. The drumming mentor occasionally changes position or rhythm. The participant must listen closely, orient in space, and move silently and safely. The goal isn’t speed—it’s awareness, quiet feet, and subtle perception. This practice teaches how animals use sound to navigate in the dark and builds internal confidence in movement without sight.
One blindfolded participant plays the Bat. Others are Moths within a marked area. The Bat calls out “Bat!” and all Moths must reply “Moth!” Using only sound to locate them, the Bat tries to tag a Moth. The game simulates echolocation and sharpens auditory attention while adding a dose of playful tension and surprise. It’s a full-body listening game that encourages empathy with how animals navigate without vision.
Participants are blindfolded and given natural objects to explore with only their hands—no peeking. Like raccoons feeling their way through the dark with sensitive paws, players must identify or describe textures, shapes, temperature, and patterns. Some objects may be familiar; others strange or surprising. Raccoon Touch awakens touch, builds comfort with ambiguity, and supports embodied curiosity. It's also a grounding practice for groups that are too "in their heads."
Deer Ears teaches participants to deepen their auditory awareness by cupping their hands behind their ears to amplify and direct sound—just like a deer constantly scanning for predators or movement. This simple physical gesture changes how we hear and shifts the focus away from sight, helping participants notice rustles, birdsong, wind in the trees, and even far-off voices. Often practiced at Sit Spot or before a sensory game, Deer Ears cultivates a quiet mind, deep attention, and a growing sense of connection to the soundscape.
Owl Eyes is a practice of expanding one’s visual awareness by softening the gaze and activating peripheral vision. Instead of focusing on one object, participants learn to take in the entire landscape—to “see like an owl,” holding the whole forest in view. This wide-angle mode of vision supports alertness without tension and invites a calm, spacious form of attention. Often paired with Deer Ears and Fox Walk, it opens the senses and slows the internal rhythm, preparing the mind for tracking, observation, or deep play.
Fox Walk is the foundational movement skill of Coyote Mentoring. Participants learn to move silently through the forest like a fox—placing the outside edge of the foot down first, slowly rolling through the ball, and finally the heel. Each step is tested before committing weight. The knees remain slightly bent, and the body stays low and balanced. Practiced slowly and mindfully, Fox Walk sharpens awareness of sound, terrain, and movement. It fosters a deep intimacy with the land and prepares the body for tracking, close encounters, and invisibility.
Each player secretly chooses one of three local animal species. One person is “The Fire” and stands in the center of a rectangular field. The Fire calls out the name of one animal group, and only those players run from one end to the other. The Fire tries to tag them. Tagged players become “trees on fire” and root where they were tagged—able to pivot but not move their feet. Periodically, the Fire calls out “Fire in the Forest!”—prompting all animals to run at once. The game becomes progressively harder as more trees appear. Play continues until all players are tagged or everyone has run multiple times.