Trust walk:
This exercise shows students just how much they rely on the sense of sight, that a lot of information may be conveyed by the other senses - and that it is important in this life to be both trusting and trustworthy!
Divide students into pairs. Have one of the pair blindfold their partner, and have the “sighted” partner slowly lead their “blind” partner to a unique feature in the area: an old stump, perhaps, or an interesting patch of moss, explaining to them what it is they are touching and smelling. The blindfolded partner, after being brought back to the starting area by a roundabout route, is then challenged to find the feature that they just explored through their senses. Next, have the two students switch roles.
Important: natural areas contain many hazards for unsighted students. Caution students to remain trustworthy, and don’t hesitate to have any unruly students sit this activity out if they can’t show their “trustworthiness.”
Discussion: The importance of trust and of effective communication can also be introduced into the discussion.
Scavenger Walk:
In this activity students are divided into groups and each group has to find (and tick off) as many of the objects on the following list as possible. Every student in the group must observe and feel the object before they can move on to the next object.
In a normal scavenger hunt, you’re supposed to collect items. This is NOT the case in this activity: tell students that objects certainly must be seen, touched, and felt, but not picked up (unless they are lying loose, like a pine cone). Objects are definitely not to be collected. Tell students that the Nature Scavenger Hunt is not a race! During the hunt they are to be calm, relaxed, and observant. Ask them not to run and to stay with their groups.
This exercise shows students just how much they rely on the sense of sight, that a lot of information may be conveyed by the other senses - and that it is important in this life to be both trusting and trustworthy!
Divide students into pairs. Have one of the pair blindfold their partner, and have the “sighted” partner slowly lead their “blind” partner to a unique feature in the area: an old stump, perhaps, or an interesting patch of moss, explaining to them what it is they are touching and smelling. The blindfolded partner, after being brought back to the starting area by a roundabout route, is then challenged to find the feature that they just explored through their senses. Next, have the two students switch roles.
Important: natural areas contain many hazards for unsighted students. Caution students to remain trustworthy, and don’t hesitate to have any unruly students sit this activity out if they can’t show their “trustworthiness.”
Discussion: The importance of trust and of effective communication can also be introduced into the discussion.
Scavenger Walk:
In this activity students are divided into groups and each group has to find (and tick off) as many of the objects on the following list as possible. Every student in the group must observe and feel the object before they can move on to the next object.
In a normal scavenger hunt, you’re supposed to collect items. This is NOT the case in this activity: tell students that objects certainly must be seen, touched, and felt, but not picked up (unless they are lying loose, like a pine cone). Objects are definitely not to be collected. Tell students that the Nature Scavenger Hunt is not a race! During the hunt they are to be calm, relaxed, and observant. Ask them not to run and to stay with their groups.