Try making tracking signs

Before you begin

• Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Additional help to carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
• Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
• Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help if you’re short on helpers.

Setting up this activity

• This activity can be run outside or indoors. If you’re running this activity outside, or away from your normal meeting place, there are some extra things you should think about and plan, including:
  • having an InTouch system
  • checking the weather forecast and sunset
  • clothing and footwear
  • telling people where to meet and drop off/pick up area
  • lighting
  • roads and traffic
  • appropriate boundaries and no-go zones
  • accessibility of the venue and terrain
  • toilet access
  • drinks and snacks, including allergies and dietary requirements
  • having activity consent forms
  • having appropriate supervision
• Print out or create different tracking signs and symbols and put them on the ground. 
• Gather together some sticks and stones, as well as other natural materials, for people to use during the session.

Introducing the space

1. Everyone should head out to the outdoor space or meet at the chosen venue.
2. Explain the boundaries of the playing area and where the no-go zones are. You should set rules for where players can go and where they can’t, making sure that the terrain and spaces are accessible for everyone to use.
3. Remind people how they can use the space respectfully to nature and other users. They should be calm and quiet, try not to disturb wildlife, take litter home, replace things from where they were found, and not pick any flowers or plants. 
4. If playing in a public space, young people should be paired up so no young person is left alone and they should run or move together.
5. Tell everyone where adults will be around the site and what people should do if anyone in their team needs help. This should include setting memorable spot where an adult will stay at all times.
6. Explain the signal to stop play and how long the activity will go on for. A long blast on a whistle works well as a signal to stop.

Running this activity

1. Gather everyone together and tell them that you’re going to be learning about tracking. Ask if anyone knows what tracking is. It means using of signs and symbols to leave a trail for other people to follow.
2. Explain that good tracking means you have to be observant and pay attention to your surroundings. People to look around them and observe, as some of the symbols or signs might not be obvious.
3. Ask everyone to get into pairs or small groups. Each group needs a sheet to help them identify different tracking signs and symbols.
4. Using the sheet, each group should work to identify what all the signs and symbols on the floor mean.
5. Once everyone has finished, people should get into groups of four. One pair should plan and create a simple trail for the other pair to follow. You could give pair something to put at the end of the trail, so people know when it’s been completed, such as a cone or beanbag.
6. Everyone should think about what they could use to make the signs, such as chalk or sticks. 
7. Each pair has ten minutes to lay out their simple trail, before testing it to see if they can follow the route.
8. Ask each pair to swap over, so they each are stood in front of the other pair’s trail. They should be ready to follow it.
9. When everyone’s ready, ask the pairs to start following the trail. the pair laying the trail now get the chance to follow a trail.
10. At the end, gather everyone back together. Ask everyone what natural track signs could be, which might help show us where something unexpected has happened or where someone’s been before we got there. For example, this could be something out of place, flattened grass where an animal has disturbed something looking for food, or where a plant has been crushed by a foot. Everyone should look for a natural track or sign, then try to work out what caused it.
11. You could also set up a longer tracking trail for the whole group to try and follow - you could even put a prize or reward at the end.