Hiking on an Ant Trail It’s time to imagine you’re a tiny ant What would a garden look like to you In this activity you will choose one spot in the garden and get to know every nook and cranny of it just as an ant might 30 minutes Any Season Outdoor EXPLORING THE GARDEN
Hiking on an Ant Trail LET’S GATHER piece of string about 3 ft 1 m long magnifying glass optional paper and pencil optional LET’S GET STARTED 1 Have a look around the garden for a place you really love and want to explore 2 Use your string to create a small trail something a tiny ant might follow You can place your string over changing terrain going up and over plants under fallen leaves or even in a patch of grass 3 Stand back and look down at your Ant Trail to see what it looks like through human eyes Search for plants animals shadows and so on 4 Now lie down on your belly next to one end of your string and imagine yourself shrinking to the size of an ant 5 Look at your Ant Trail again but this time look at it through an ant’s eyes It should seem enormous You probably can’t even see the end of it 6 Start following the trail through the eyes of an ant using a magnifying glass to help if you want What do you see and feel Is anything in the way Are there cold or warm spots Damp or dry spots What animals do you see What are they doing Do you see any animal homes Do you see any food Where might you make your own ant home 7 Gently lift stones and twigs that you come across What do you find under them Tip When you’ve finished you can write a story or draw a picture of your journey along the Ant Trail
Magic Spot A great way to get to know a garden is to have your own Magic Spot where you can go to enjoy all the changes that happen throughout the seasons As you sit quietly you may see the garden come to life with animal and insect activity 30 minutes Any Season Outdoor EXPLORING THE GARDEN
Magic Spot LET’S GET STARTED 1 Go to an area in the garden where you especially like to spend time taking your paper and pencil with you Find a place to sit down 2 Rearrange things to make it really comfortable You can place some things around your spot so that you’re somewhat hidden but make sure that you can see out in all directions Create a place where you feel relaxed and content 3 This is your Magic Spot As you sit here use your senses to explore the garden 4 Listen carefully How many different sounds can you hear List them all 5 Feel the wind on your skin and the ground beneath you What do they feel like LET’S GATHER paper and pencil 6 Look in all directions Look at what’s closest to you and continue looking further out as far as the eye can see Don’t forget to look up at the clouds and down towards the soil Do you see anything you haven’t noticed in the garden before 7 Breathe in and smell What does the garden smell like Can you smell the soil Any scented plants 8 Return to your Magic Spot regularly Each time you visit your Magic Spot look listen feel and smell how things have changed since your last visit
