Sometimes, the best way to get to know your environment is to listen to it. Whether you walk around the block or just open up your window, creating a “Sound Map” of the world around you can help you hear your surroundings in a whole new way.
We do this exercise with students in our programs as a way to understand the world around us in an unexpected way. We thought you might enjoy it too! Here’s how to get started:
🔊 Find a place outside where you can sit for a while, or simply open up a window. Take some time to listen to the sounds around you. What do you hear?
🔊 Try to identify the sounds that you hear. Are they coming from animals, plants, people, or another source? Sometimes it helps to focus your attention on what you are hearing by closing your eyes and listening. Try cupping your hands just behind your ears and turning your head so that you can hear everything around you.
🔊 Draw a map of your area with you sitting in the center. Use words or images to represent what you hear and where each sound is in relation to you on your Sound Map.
