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Use these quick activities to practice observation skills and connect to the environment while exploring the natural world. Most of these activities do not require any prep or materials.
Use these quick activities to practice observation skills and connect to the environment while exploring the natural world. Most of these activities do not require any prep or materials.
Power of Observation (5 mins)
Power of Observation (5 mins)
Gather students in a group. Invite everyone to collect one of the same item (example: Douglas-fir cone, rock, leaf, or stick) and take a moment to study it closely. Encourage students to observe with all their senses, focusing on small details.
Then, have student place their object in a single pile and step back. Mix the pile and ask students to carefully select their original object. Ask students the following prompts:
- How do you know your (leaf, cone, stone) is the same one you started with?
- How do you know your (leaf, cone, stone) is not the same one?
- What did you notice when you stopped and looked very closely?
Conclude by highlighting the power of looking closely at objects and the environment, and encourage students to use their keen observational skills throughout the day.
Things that don't Make Sounds (10 mins)
Things that don't Make Sounds (10 mins)
Encourage your students to silently listen to the sounds of the natural world around them. Really reinforce the importance of keeping silent during this activity. After several minutes, bring your students back and pose the question "what are some things in this forest you can't hear?". Give them a moment to ponder, and invite students to share their thoughts. For example: sap moving through trees, the sound of a spiderweb, or dew on grass.
Extension: Break students off into groups and have each group make the sound of their choice. This will create a representation of the soundscape.
Not a Stick (10 mins)
Not a Stick (10 mins)
Invite students to explore an area and collect a stick before sitting in a circle. Incorporating their stick, each student's objective will be to act out an activity/action without words (ex: fishing, writing, eating corn on the cob). The group will then have to guess what the action is before moving onto the next student.
Neck point, Nanaimo. Photo by K. Bryce.
Pacific banana slug. Photo by Pixabay
Where are the People? (5 mins)
Where are the People? (5 mins)
This activity is useful for all stages of the hike. As you walk up, ask students to take notice of any locations they see human impact.
- Do you see remnants of a fire?
- How about logging?
- Can you find any Culturally Modified Trees (CMT's)- trees that have been modified by indigenous people as part of their culture.
- What about different eco-climates? How do the plants change as you progress up the mountain?
Have students notice these as they walk up and at a few stops during the hike, invite students to share what they've seen or noticed.
Mapping our Community (duration of hike, or at rest stops)
Mapping our Community (duration of hike, or at rest stops)
Students can construct detailed maps as they explore. During their walk, they can note tracks, streams, landmarks, or other unique natural features. These maps could be given to students in different grade levels to facilitate exploration activities, such as a treasure hunt. You can vary this activity’s difficulty level by changing what students are required to map. For example, older kids could include topographical information, scales, and grid lines. Younger students could map interesting landforms, or locations of plants and animals.
(adapted from Project Learning Tree)
Questions to ask at the Summit
Questions to ask at the Summit
While looking out onto downtown Nanaimo:
Q: Why do you think European settlers chose this location for downtown Nanaimo?
Q: What islands do you see?
Q: Can you point to where you live?
Q: Can you see the Snuneymuxw Estuary (Nanaimo Estuary)?
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