By Cecilia Marrero

Place yourself in the forest and look down at the bare soil along the trail.  Look carefully, you will see animal prints on the ground in different patterns, shapes, and sizes.  But do you know what animals have passed by?  Where were they going and what they might be doing?  This Artscapes lesson seeks to elevate our outdoor awareness in order to help us make more accurate observations of the natural world around us.

During this after school activity, Darryl Haddock, educational director at OAC (Outdoor Activity Center), gave the kids the opportunity to explore their own awareness of animals during their interpretative hike.  After several observations were made, the kids made the connection of the common sight of dog prints and their urban location.  It also became apparent to everyone that because OAC is surrounded by the Richland Hills community, the numerous dog paw prints were most likely from neighborhood dogs. Not only does our sight allow us to draw conclusions about our observations, but our sense of hearing ties together the idea that we are not always alone in the forest.  Quieting our minds for a moment and concentrating on listening to our outdoor surroundings quickly reveals just how many diverse sounds are found in nature.  By focusing on the sounds, we can increase our awareness. Sound tends to make our sight observations more accurate, and we can draw from our senses in order to avoid a possible bad scenario in our environment and have a pleasant experience instead.

As we stepped into the classroom, another lesson unfolded as each individual became more accustomed to prints of other animals.  Georgia Educator Sarah Collman presented a footprints-themed activity as a way of demonstrating the general relationship between the forest and its animal inhabitants.  A footprint on a painted landscape represented an animal’s niche, a place of purpose for an organism. In essence, the kids learned through different observations how we, as responsible stewards, are a part of a larger element by identifying with the animals that surround them.  We were all better able to understand and appreciate our time in nature and increase our respect for the gift of our natural world.