HESFES field guide
Make a sound map
Mark sounds coming from near, far, left and right, then compare what two listeners noticed from the same quiet spot.
15 min · Nature · Suggested starting age band 5–7.
Gather paper and pencils.
Settle into one spot
Sit somewhere you can remain comfortably for a minute. A doorstep, bench or open window will do. Draw a dot in the centre of a sheet for your listening position. Choose one direction to count as the top of the map and mark a visible landmark there.
Listen and draw
- Listen without writing for twenty seconds. No one needs to close their eyes.
- Listen again. Make a mark in the direction of each sound. Put nearby sounds close to the centre, and distant ones towards the edge.
- Invent a symbol for each kind of sound. A zigzag might be a passing bus and dots might be a bird. Add a key so another person can read the page.
- Swap maps with a partner who sat in the same place. Can you identify a sound from the other person’s drawing?
Change one thing
Return later in the day or move to the opposite side of a wall. Compare the sounds that disappeared with the ones that stayed. A child who prefers a visual activity can make a movement map of leaves, people and passing traffic instead. Keep the same centre dot and landmark to compare the two records.