Sound Scavenger Hunt

Activity Overview

We continue our work with categorizing and identifying opposites by asking students to use another one of their senses to identify opposites in the real world: our sense of hearing. Using just the sound in their environment, students will observe, identify and record their world. What is a loud sound? What is a quiet sound? How do we think loud and quiet sounds are similar or different? In practicing opposites using another one of our senses, we are taking a whole-body approach to reinforcing new skills.

What You Need

• Opposites: Loud and Soft by Erica Donner

• A device for recording sounds such as a computer, phone, tablet, or other handheld recording device

Steps

1. Read the book Opposites: Loud and Soft by Erica Donner.

2. Go on a sound scavenger hunt outdoors. Listen carefully to the sounds of nature, and record three loud sounds and three soft sounds. Loud sounds may include birds chirping or a car driving by. Soft sounds may include a bee buzzing or tree branches blowing in the wind. This part of the activity may take some time. It may also be necessary to change locations to identify three loud and soft sounds. Take your time and enjoy the process.

3. Once you have finished the scavenger hunt, find a quiet space indoors to listen to the recordings. As you listen, discuss whether the sounds are loud or soft. Play the sounds in different orders and see if together, you can sort them into loud and soft sounds.

Guiding Questions

• Shhh! What do you hear?

• Is that a loud sound or a soft sound?

• Did you hear other loud or soft sounds that we didn’t record?

Extensions

• Practice identifying different sounds outdoors while blindfolded

• “Two Little Blackbirds” is a fun, age-appropriate fingerplay about opposites. You can find it here (at about 2:48), sandwiched in between “Put the Baby in the Bed” and “Open, Shut Them”