Animals of all shapes and sizes leave evidence of their presence. Have you seen a lone feather on the ground? Felt gnaw marks on a tree? Smelled some fresh scat?
One of the most common clues to animals’ whereabouts are the tracks, or footprints, they leave behind. What are those tracks trying to tell us? Consider a few questions to get started.
Answering questions like “Which animal do these tracks belong to?” and “Where was it going? Why?” have been an important skill set for people for hundreds of years.
Do you think you can be an animal tracker? Make a game out of it!
What you need
People. Ask a family member, neighbor or friend to join in. (Bonus if you have multiple people willing to help!)
An open space such as a driveway, yard, park or preserve.
Wet or snowy weather conditions. Animal or human tracks can be spotted easiest in just fallen snow or mud.
How to play
Decide who will be the tracker and who will be the one leaving the footprints.
The tracker closes their eyes while the other makes a footprint trail. This can be a straight line, but for more of a challenge, make a trail that loops and maybe even backtracks over old steps.
After the trail has been made, the person who made the footprints will hide.
The tracker opens their eyes and scans the open space for the tracks. Once located, the tracker will follow the tracks. If they follow the tracks correctly, they should be able to find the other player!
For an added challenge, try playing with multiple footprint makers! Follow these directions:
Have multiple players leave tracks at the same time. Have the track trails cross over one another and lead to different locations. Each player hides.
The tracker then must find footprints, guess who made the tracks and follow the correct path.
Did you guess correctly? Were you able to follow the right tracks? Remember, animals live all over our county, not just in the preserves. Try this game in different locations. Is it easier to track in the snow, in the mud or along a dusty road? Do all your players have the same size feet? Different shoes?
Once you feel confident in your abilities to track humans (or even if you don’t), try tracking animals by keeping an eye out for the clues they leave behind.
Best of luck, and happy tracking!
____________
Follow Willy's Wilderness on Facebook for more kid-friendly nature stories and activities.