Explore and draw

You’ll need

Pens or pencils
Clipboards
Compass
Paper with six large boxes drawn on

Before you begin

Plan a trip outside as part of this activity. You could turn it into a walk, doing drawings as you go, or you could choose one area to explore. You don’t need to go far – you’ll be able to find things to draw in a local park or even in the space around your meeting place.
Choose an appropriate area or route, away from any roads. Remember when conducting a risk assessment that there’ll be extra safety considerations if you’re going anywhere near water, and that the group will be distracted from their surroundings by the activity.
Make sure you’ll have enough adults to support the activity.
If you’re meeting at a different place to usual, make sure parents and carers know exactly where you’ll be, when to drop people off, and when to collect them again.
Make sure everyone knows to come dressed for the weather. Don’t forget to check the forecast and be prepared for it to change.
If it’s difficult to get outside, you could do this activity indoors and bring in items for the group to draw.
Put a piece of paper on each of the clipboards ready to go and have a bag of pencils to take with you.

Sammy was a squirrel, but he wasn’t an ordinary squirrel.

Sammy was a squirrel who dreamed of going on a big adventure. He did like the safe little garden that he lived in, with the brick wall, white fence, beautiful flowers and green grass, but he couldn’t help but think that there was more out there for him to discover.

One ordinary Tuesday, Sammy was sitting in the shade of a leafy plant by the fence when another squirrel scuttled past. Sammy was used to seeing other squirrels, and sometimes even dogs on leads, walking past his garden – but this squirrel was different. You see, this squirrel was holding a map and carrying a bag. Where could the squirrel be off to?

Sammy waited all day for the squirrel to scuttle back past him. Eventually, he heard the rustling of the map and the pitter-patter of feet. Sammy jumped down from his shady spot in the big oak tree and stuck his nose through the gate.

‘Hey!’ he called. ‘Excuse me!’

‘Hello,’ replied the other squirrel. ‘Can I help you?’

‘Yes,’ Sammy said. ‘I couldn’t help but notice you hurrying past this morning with your map and your bag, and I wondered where you were going. You see, I love this garden, but I want an adventure. And you seem like a squirrel who knows how to have one.’

‘I most certainly am!’ the squirrel replied proudly. ‘I’m Shay, the great squirrel explorer. I’ve been exploring the park today, but tomorrow I’m going down to the woods by the lake.’ She pointed at the green shape on her map.

‘Oh, that sounds like fun! Please take me with you, Shay. I’ve only ever been in this garden, and I would love to find some new things,’ Sammy pleaded.

‘Sure. Be at the gate tomorrow morning and we’ll have the biggest adventure together.’

That night, Sammy couldn’t sleep. He was so excited. Finally, the sun started to rise, and the moon began to disappear. Sammy ran to the gate and waited for Shay. She appeared in no time with her map and bag.

Sammy cautiously opened the gate and stepped outside. As he took a deep breath of fresh air, Shay handed him something. It had a handle and a round piece of glass on the end. What could it be?

‘This,’ said Shay, ‘will mean you don’t miss a thing. It’s time to explore!’

Now it’s time for us to join Shay and Sammy on their adventure. We can use our own magnifying glasses to see things more clearly, our ears to hear the sounds of the outdoors, our noses to sniff and smell the world around us, and our fingers to feel smooth and spiky things in nature.

By Kathryn Thurston

Time to explore

The person leading the activity should explain that the group will be going to walk around the local area to discover different animals, plants and local landmarks. Everyone will stop at six different places and draw something they can see.
In small groups, everyone should look at a compass. Everyone should talk about the directions and how they can help you find your way.

When everyone is ready, head out on your walk. While walking, give everyone the opportunity to use or look at the compass to help understand which direction you need to go in.
At different locations on the walk, everyone should stop and spend a few minutes drawing something. You can plan these stops in advance or choose them while you are out.
Everyone should make sure they have filled in each box on the piece of paper.
Once the group is back from the walk, everyone should talk about their drawings and what they remember seeing. Think about what the colours were like, what something might have smelled like, where on the walk they saw it, and if they remember what else was around the object they drew.

Reflection

Story time

Is there somewhere you feel safe?
Where would you like to go on an adventure?

Time to explore

What do you remember about your walk around your local area? Were there any sights or smells that you liked or didn’t like?
You had the chance to learn about compasses. Do you remember what directions you learnt? How did they help you find your way?
You spent some time drawing what you saw. How easy was it to draw some of the items? Would you draw something different next time?
How did it feel talking to everyone about your drawings? Did you help someone else? How did that make you feel?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Visits away from your meeting place: Complete a thorough risk assessment and include hazards, such as roads, woodland, plants, animals, and bodies of water (for example, rivers, ponds, lakes, and seas). You’ll probably need more adult helpers than usual. Your risk assessment should include how many adults you need. The young people to adult ratios are a minimum requirement. When you do your risk assessment, you might decide that you need more adults than the ratio specifies. Think about extra equipment that you may need to take with you, such as high visibility clothing, a first aid kit, water, and waterproofs. Throughout the activity, watch out for changes in the weather and do regular headcounts.