Are you looking for a quick to prepare activity to stimulate your student’s curiosity about their environment?
The OBIS Envirolopes Activity is a short adventure in outdoor exploration. It is essentially a treasure hunt to find natural objects that fit into a legal sized envelope. Some of the challenges involve collecting seeds, looking at grasses, or discovering evidence of animals. At the same time students are discovering a special place, they begin to notice the plants, animals and the physical space that exists there. They begin to ask questions and introduce themselves to the biodiversity of a site. Envirolopes has been used with adults, teens and elementary-aged children and always produces interesting finds.
Elementary-aged students are eager to complete their tasks and they always find the coolest unexpected things. They run over to show you what they’ve gathered, tell you what they know about stuff and are quick to ask you questions about what an object is and how do it get there? One time, students discovered an ant trail leading up a tree to a bird’s nest, there was a lot of discussion and questions about why the ants were headed up to the nest.
Envirolopes can be used with either children or adults in different ways. It can be an icebreaker activity to meet colleagues on a team, as an exploration of the schoolyard, to discover wildness clues on a city street, or to introduce city dwellers to a hike in the hills. Be ready for explorers who have never hiked before and make sure that if there are special needs for the group, you try to accommodate them. On one hike in the spring, the treasure hunters found unexpected wildflowers, weird plastics, and even a newt. They opened up to the sounds of the breeze, insects and birds, and water running in the creek. They experienced the feel of gushy mud and saw animal footprints.
Asking the hunters to find a strange or unusual object always stimulates various questions. Teachers might want to list interesting questions their students ask to explore at a later date. Maybe the students will decide ways to observe a particular location over time during the different seasons. You can utilize other OBIS activities to learn more about a place. Extend the Envirolopes activity by creating a permanent record of the activity by making a “Sunprint” or a temporary exhibit by making a “Nature Carpet” from the group’s collection.
Good luck seeing what you discover!