Ollie's Listening Sound Map

What you need

• Paper, 1 sheet per listener
• Pencil, 1 per listener
• Phone, 1, for a 5-minute timer
• Clipboard or book, 1 per listener (optional)

How to do it

Grown-up prep: Pick a calm spot outdoors, on a porch, or by an open window. Check for traffic or hazards nearby and make sure kids sit in a safe place.

1. Find your quiet listening spot and sit down comfortably.
2. Draw a big X in the middle of your page.
3. Pick one thing everyone can see, like the window or a big tree, and all face it.
4. Draw an arrow at the top edge of your page, pointing at that thing.
5. Get ready to listen. Zip your lips and open your ears.
   Ask: How many different sounds do you think you will hear?
6. Draw a small symbol for each sound where it came from.
7. Place near sounds close to your X and far sounds far away.
   Ask: Was that sound close enough to touch, or far, far away?
8. When the timer rings, count all the sounds on your map.
9. Lay your maps side by side with the arrows pointing the same way.
   Ask: Which sound did you both hear in the same place, and which did only you hear?
10. Now try a new spot, or invite someone else to listen! How many sounds can the next map hold?

Play it again

• Spot swap: make a map in a new place and compare how the sounds change.
• Time of day: map the same spot in the morning and at bedtime, then compare.
• Eyes closed: listen with eyes shut and draw afterwards, then see how many more sounds you caught.