Core Routines: Expanding the Senses, Sit Spot
Skills Practiced: Touch, orientation, trust, memory
Ecological Indicators: Trees
Qualities Fostered: Curiosity, Trust, Relationship with Place
Directions (Shields): South (Engage), Southwest (Reflect), Northwest (Inner Awareness)
Suggested Age Range: 6+ (gentle for all ages; good for partners or intergenerational pairs)
Timing & Energy Level: Slowing down game—perfect after Wandering or Fire in the Forest (Southwest/Northwest)
Set-Up & Materials:
- Blindfolds
- A forested or tree-rich area with varied bark, shape, and size
- Pairs of participants (or guide and blindfolded partner)
Description:
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.
Coyote Mentoring Tips:
- Offer no pressure to “get it right.” Focus on the experience, not the result.
- Let learners name their tree or describe it like a friend.
- Ask them afterward, “Did you feel welcomed?”
Variations:
- Explore two or three trees and compare
- Add journaling or sketching after returning
- Repeat the same tree over a week to build a deeper relationship
Debrief Prompts:
- “What helped you know your tree?”
- “Did it feel different when you couldn’t see?”
- “What surprised you about the tree?”
Story Seeds:
- Indigenous tree stories and plant guardians
- Mythic trees (World Tree, Talking Tree, Tree of Life)
- Personal memories of a special tree