Rainbow Walk

How long it’ll take:

15-20 minutes

What the goal is:

Encourage campers to practice mindfulness and develop more awareness of their senses.

What the objectives are:

Campers should use visual awareness to identify colors in their environment.

What you’ll need:

No additional materials are needed.

What you’ll do:

Select each color of the rainbow (ROYGBIV) and ask campers to find an example of that color on the hike. This is a team game, so the whole group is working towards the common goal of finding all colors. Encourage campers to respectfully point out trees, flowers, animals, etc. that match the color. Some colors will be more common than others. For younger campers, you can ask them to find colors that match their clothing (it can be helpful for them to have a visual example). Ask campers to consider:

• How might the colors in this place change throughout the year?

• What creates some of the colors you see? (Green leaves=chlorophyll, colorful flowers are attractive to birds/pollinators, some leaves change color in autumn, etc.)

• How do colors help items in nature 'hide' or stand out? Why might it be helpful for an animal to camouflage itself? Why might it be helpful for a flower to be brightly colored?

Debrief: Debrief with a conversation about how slowing down and noticing colors helps one become more present.

• Did our rainbow walk change anything about your hike, such as the speed, destination, where your attention was focused?

• Did you notice anything else during our rainbow hike that you otherwise would have missed?

• During the rainbow walk, were you thinking about anything else, or were you totally focused on the present moment?