This is a great activity that can be done inside or outside, but ideally would be done outside! If you have a nature trail or woods nearby, that would be wonderful! What the sound map is, is making a map of what is around you, without using your eyes to see. Close your eyes, and try to really focus on what is happening around you, using only your sense of hearing. Once you are able to hear things, you can open your eyes, draw what you heard, then close your eyes and listen for something else. For example, if you hear a bird chirping in a tree in front of you, draw the tree at the top of your map, with a bird in it. If you hear a stream babbling to your right, draw a stream on the right side of the map. You want to continue this process until you have mapped out what is around you in all directions. If you don’t have access to woods or trails nearby, your yard will work as well. You could even do it inside, and draw what may be going on around you, like a sibling turning the page of a book, a parent cooking dinner, etc.

It’s a great way to use your imagination and one of your senses in a new and unique way!

Paper and something to draw with
A flat surface to draw on (clipboard or book)
A space to listen in, preferably outdoors, but anywhere there would be descriptive noise.

Activity by Matt McDonald, Hardy Site Coordinator