Education Resources

The following sound resources and activities can be used in parks and schools to educate students and people of all ages on soundscapes. For introductory materials on the Natural Sounds Program, visit our Additional Information page.

Young Sound Seekers Curriculum

Young Sound Seekers offers a collection of listening activity lessons that promote the value of natural and cultural soundscapes―for human wellness, wildlife communication, habitat health, and storytelling. Through sensory learning, these lessons give educators and park interpreters a deeper understanding of how listening can impart information about diverse habitats, cultural history of local lands, and how ecology and health are influenced by sound.
Click below to visit the universally-designed activity lessons – Great for a wider audience including those with accessibility needs and sensory sensitivities.

Lesson 1: Listen Pair Share
Participants learn to perceive layers and distinguish components of the soundscape around them, while focusing attention completely on the task of listening.
Lesson 2: Good Vibes
Participants are introduced to qualities of sound that affect the health of all living beings, such as the stressors of noise pollution, and the benefits of a balanced soundscape.
Lesson 3: Echoes from the Past
Participants explore the natural and cultural history of their location and contemplate the evolution of local sounds.
Lessons 4-10: Coming Soon

Soundscape Curriculum

Powerful World of Sound Curriculum [1,348 KB PDF]
A lesson plan including background information about natural sounds and impacts of noise, as well as two activities designed to help students learn about the powerful world of sound:

• Layering Sounds (25 min)
• Communicating Sounds in the Wild (25 min)

Soundscape Activities

• Create a Windsock [307 KB PDF]: Introduce the idea of the "acoustic environment"
• Communicating in the Wild [799 KB PDF] (Download sound clips needed for this activity.): Demonstrate how unnatural sound conditions can affect animals' ability to communicate and survive
• Guess That Sound [34.8 MB self-contained website with sound files, spectrograms, and photos]: Test skills in identifying sound sources
• Silent Hike/Silent Sit [.98 KB PDF]: Invite participants to listen and communicate without talking
• Sound Appreciation [427 KB PDF]: Foster appreciation for parks' acoustic environments
• Sound Bingo [192 KB PDF]: Listen for and reflect on the experience of hearing particular sounds

• Ways to Enjoy Natural Sound [720 KB PDF]: A series of tips on ways to enjoy and protect natural sounds

Soundscape Interpretive Programs Used in Parks

• Power of Sound Interpretive Handbook [2MB PDF]: An interpretive handbook that aims to
  • increase understanding of the acoustical environment as a park resource
  • increase understanding of soundscapes as an important part of the visitor experience
  • promote interpretation of soundscapes and acoustic resources in NPS units
  • provide a reference for learning more about natural, cultural, and historic sounds in NPS units
  • and provide interpreters with tools for developing programs that will connect visitors to park soundscapes and acoustic resources.
• Capitol Reef's Voice [571 KB PDF] (Download sound clips needed for this content.)
• The Dark Side of Shenandoah [481 KB PDF]
• Voice of the Desert [499 KB PDF] at Canyonlands National Park

• Listening to Muir Woods After Dark [106 KB PDF]