Junior Ranger

Sounds Explorer

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

1*
Become a Sounds Explorer

explore

learn

protect

As a Sounds Explorer, you will...

sounds you hear in parks;

the science of sound, and why sound is important to parks; and 

sounds you hear in parks and at home.
Let's Get Started

- Listens to and records sounds in parks.

- Helps reduce noise in national parks.

- Studies the sounds of wildlife.

- Shares tips on how to enjoy sounds in nature.

Each activity is rated by difficulty.

Do as much as you can

as best as you can.

Ask a ranger or an adult

if you have questions.

 

Ages 5 and up

Ages 8 and up

Ages 10 and up

Look for the arrowheads throughout

the book. Choose the activities that

are right for you!

For more info go to https://www.nps.gov/nsnsd 2
How did this sound make 

you feel? when you heard this sound? What did you think 

 Hello, Sounds Explorer!

Follow me, Lucy the Listening Owl, and explore the

exciting world of sound. Remember: keep your ears

open, you don't want to miss anything.

Listen for a few seconds. Draw a picture of your favorite sound.
Many

words describe

sounds. Draw

a line from

the sound makers

below to their

matching

words.

Sound maker:

Anything that

produces a sound.

t

Talking Drip

Ribbit

Whoosh

Howl

Crackle^

Vroom

}

*

Tweet

Rattle

Ring

Buzz

o

J

4

Sound Maker Matching
Setting Your Soundscape Scene

Soundscapes are made

up of all of the sounds in one place.

Soundscapes are like a band. They include

many different sounds made by different

sound makers. Some sounds are quiet;

some are loud. You can learn a lot

about a place when you

listen quietly.
Find a place outside where you will not be distracted by activity or other people.

Draw or write about your spot.

Sit quietly. In the box below, "X" marks where you are sitting. When you hear a

sound, mark its location compared to where you are sitting. Use words or draw

picture to show what made the sound!

X

If you can, return to the same spot at night. What different sounds did you hear?
Those vibrations make sound. Sound

vibrations move in waves. When sound

waves run into an object, they bounce

back, slow down, or even stop.

Sound begins with a vibration. fl¡^

Put your hands on the front of your W

neck and hum. Do you feel the vibration? W

Pull on a very tight string or rubber band. H.

Then let go. I

Can you see the vibrations? fl

What is Sound?
Help the coyote find her way to her pack. Watch out for dead ends.

Mountains, rain, thunder, thick forests, cars, and airplane noise will stop her

from hearing the sounds of her pack. If you run into one of these, you will

have to try another way.

8

Moving Sound
Can sound travel through

solids?

yes no

TRY: Find something solid

around you like a tree, rock,

table, or door. Put your ear

against it and tap the solid

object. Now tap the object

with your ear away from the

object. What difference did

you hear?

I Can sound travel through I I

I liquids?

yes no I I

I TRY: Find two objects to hit I I

I together. Either in the sink, I I

I bath, a lake or river, tap the I I

I two objects together

I underwater. Tap them

I together above water. I

I What difference did you I

I notice?

9

Lets explore how sound travels through solids, liquids and gases

 Villa y Try the j

H activities a

,.H below! JH

I Can sound travel in space? I

yes no

I Yes, but we can't hear it!

Sound travels through air I

| by making air molecules I

I vibrate. In deep space there I

I are very few molecules to I

I vibrate. Scientists can use I

I instruments to see the I

I sound waves, but we can't I

I hear them. So, for our ears, I

I space is silent.
How Loud Is It?

Look at the picture.

Circle three sound makers. Order the sounds from quiet

est to loudest. Draw or write them in the boxes below.

Quietest —Loudest

«<>>>

In a soundscape,

some sounds are loud and some

are quiet. Listen carefully!
\

Great work so far,

Sounds Explorer! Let's look closer

at sound waves. Sound has two parts,

volume and pitch.

Volume - The height of the sound wave

tells you how loud the sound is. Volume

is also known as amplitude.

Tall wave = loud Short wave = quiet

Pitch - The number of waves in one

second. Pitch is also known as frequency.

More waves = high pitch sound, like a squeak

Fewer waves = low pitch sound, like a boom

Match the sound wave with the correct sound makers.

Ambulance siren

Loud,

high-pitched

Mouse squeak

Quiet,

high-pitched

Cello

Quiet,

low-pitched

Thunder

Loud,

low-pitched

11

Science of Sound
Animals and humans

use sound for many reasons. Some

animals use sound to communicate.

Some use it to find their way at night

Others use it to find prey

Match the sound makers on the left with the descriptions on the right.

PI I use sound to tell predators not to attack me. If you get too close, I rattle my

Q tail and hiss to say, "Stay away!" I do not have ears. I use my jawbone to feel

ÉÉ sound vibrations. That is how I hear what is around me.

PI I live in the desert. I spend most of my days underground! To communicate

£ with my friends, I thump my big feet on the ground. This is called "foot

p| drumming." Sometimes foot drumming will scare away predators!

Pi I travel with my friends. I use whistles to communicate with my pod.

Q I also use high-pitched clicks that echo back to me. The echoes tell me

Kgf what is around me and help me catch fish.

■r

FS I can be very loud. American Indians use me in different events. I also help

keep the beat in your favorite music.

I use my sense of hearing to locate prey above and below ground. I can

hear a mouse squeaking away. I use sound to communicate with

my friends. I have 28 different barks, growls, whines, cackles, and howls.

J

 

330 feet 12

Sounds in the Soundscape
Animal ears have evolved

to hear sounds that are important. Most of

the time, predators have ears that face

forward. Prey have ears that can move around

in different directions. Owls like me have

excellent hearing for

hunting at night.

Try the activities below. What do you notice when your ears are like different animal ears?

To hear like me, cup your hands behind your ears. Move around

quietly to hear all the sounds around you.

To hear like me, roll up pieces of paper into a cone. Place the

smaller end over your ears. Do not stick them in your ears!

To hear like me, cup one hand behind one ear to hear sounds in

front of you, and one hand in front of the other ear to hear sounds

behind you.

', Milii sgii « fg * « ail» ||i wasg

Make your own ears! Experiment with different shapes and sizes of

paper, or by using your hands in different ways!

13

Animal ears
Earthquakes are waves of

motion in Earth's crust. They

create low-pitched sounds we

usually can't hear. Scientists 

have to use special equipment

to hear an earthquake.

Dolphins use echolocation,

too. High-pitched clicks help

them find food.

Ultrasound:

High-pitched sounds we can't hear.

Infrasound:

Low-pitched sounds we can't hear.

Did you know

many animals make sounds

we can't hear? Let's read

about a few.

Blue whales use infrasound to

communicate over long

distances, up to 1,000 miles!

Sound We Can’t Hear

Just like dolphins, submarines

also use sound to find their

Bats use echolocation to fly at

night and find food. Their

sound travels quickly until it

hits an object. The sound then

bounces back to the bat. It

tells the bat what food is out

there and where it is.

Sound We Can’t Hear
own.

 

Many parks share American Indian culture and history.

American Indians tell stories of the environment, traditions,

and spirituality. They use objects such as stone carvings, shells, rugs,

or pottery to tell stories. Read the story and create 

Story of the Drum

It is said that when Creator was giving a place for all the spirits to dwell

who would be taking part in the inhabitance of Mother Earth, there came

a sound, a loud BOOM, from off in the distance.

As Creator listened, the sound kept coming closer and closer until it

finally was right in front of the Creator. "Who are you?" asked the

Creator. "I am the spirit of the drum" was the reply. "I have come hereto

ask you to allow me to take part in this wonderful thing." "How will you

take part?" Creator questioned. "I would like to accompany the singing

of the people. When they sing from their hearts, I will too sing as though

I was the heartbeat of Mother Earth. In that way, all creation will sing in

harmony." Creator granted the request, and from then on, the drum

accompanied the people's voices.

Throughout all of the indigenous people of the world, the drum is the

center of all songs. It is the catalyst for the spirit of the songs to rise up to

the Creator so that the prayers in those songs reach where they were

meant to go. At all times, the sound of the drum brings completeness,

awe, excitement, solemnity, strength, courage, and the fulfillment to the

songs. It is Mother's heartbeat giving her approval to those living upon her.

It draws the eagle to it, who carries the message to Creator.

The Story of the Drum is a story of the Western Abenaki Tribes.

The Western Abenaki tribes originally inhabited all of Vermont and New Hampshire

and parts of western Maine, southern Quebec, and upstate New York.
What sound is an important part of your life?

Create a story using pictures or words to tell the story of that sound. Share what you

created with your family.

 
 

 What did it sound like in the past?

Soundscapes have changed as new inventions 

became part of our lives. Let’s travel back in 

time to imagine what our homes and national 

parks used to sound like.

Time Machine Time Machine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abraham Lincolnwas president(1861‐1865)
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Write your age: ________________. 

Ask your parent or an adult what year they were the same age as you. Circle the year on the timeline.

What sounds did they hear as a kid? ________________________________________

Ask your parent or an adult what year their parents (your grandparents) were the same age as you.

Circle the year on the timeline.

What sounds did they hear as a kid? ________________________________________

What did Abraham Lincoln hear when he was president (1861-65)? 

___________________________________________________________________________

Ask a ranger or look at a park’s website to fnd out when the park was established.

What sounds were in that place at that time? _______________________________

18
 

145

We have heard

many great sounds

We have also heard some sounds

that do not belong in a park.

Read below to learn how too

much noise is a problem

for animals.

Noise makes it hard to communicate. Sometimes I change my song to

adjust to the noise, but this song is not attractive to my mates.

r

Noise, like ship motors, interrupts my

communication, making it hard to find

mates and to hear predators.

[

Noise makes me stressed, so I change

my call and sometimes my skin color.

This makes it hard to attract females.

Noise interrupts my echolocation,

making it hard to find food and my

way at night.

Noise makes it hard for me to hear predators. I could be caught

and eaten.

J

What are some things that make it hard to hear sounds in parks?

What are two things you can do to hear these sounds better in parks?

19
W v *

Wow! You have done

a great job exploring, learning,

and listening to sounds! Let's see all that , you learned by creating your J

own soundscape. ^2

(/V J

lz V V

Draw your perfect soundscape.

Do you want birds singing, a rushing river, or rustling leaves? Use sounds you have heard

during your visit or when listening to nature near your home.

20

Your own soundscape
Want to exploré more junior ranger programs?

You can earn badges and patches at parks all across the country,

junior ranger programs are also available online:

http://www.nps.gov/kids/jrRangers.cfm

You have learned a lot about park soundscapes.

To protect them, all you have to do is practice being quiet. In return, you will

hear the sounds of the park, see more wildlife, and experience your world.

We hope you share what you have learned and continue protecting

important sounds in our national parks and at home!

To become a Junior Ranger Sounds Explorer:

Check your answers at nps.gov/subjects/sound/juniorrangersound.htm

Have a parent or guardian sign your certificate.

Show off your Junior Ranger Sounds Explorer stickpr.

And, email us at soundscapesupport@nps.gov with a picture of a completed

page for a digital high five. J?

Awesome Exploring!
has successfully completed the requirements to be an official Sounds Explorer

22

Sounds Explorer Certificate of Achievement

signature date
National Park Service

Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division

This book was created through an agreement between the U.S. National Park Service and Colorado State University.

Colorado State University Content | Grace Fullmer, Graduate Student, Conservation Leadership through Learning.

Illustrations, Layout, and Design | Kris Barz Mendonca, Communication and Creative Services.

NPS Subject Matter Experts | WASO Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate

Emma Brown, Megan F McKenna, Sara Melena, Kathryn Nuessly.

NPS Reviewers | Interpretive staff at Dinosaur National Monument and Sitka National

Historical Park; WASO Interpretation, Education & Volunteers Directorate staff;

Council for Indigenous Relevance, Communication Leadership and Excellence (CIRCLE) | Karen Wilde, Alisha Deegan;

David John Goldstein, Tribal and Cultural Affairs-Northeast Region.

Junior Ranger Reviewers | Talia and Nate DiDonato, Kylie and Drake Perez.