Where's That Sound?

Purpose: This activity will provide students with experience in recognizing where sounds are coming from.

Materials

• children
• blindfold

Procedure

1. Ask for a student volunteer.
2. Gather students in a circle on the floor.
3. Place blindfold on volunteer.
4. Have the volunteer stand in the center of the circle of remaining students.
5. Have the students take turns making a quiet sound, such as the snapping of fingers.
6. The child in the center of the circle has to locate from which direction the sound is coming.
7. Vary the loudness of the sound.
8. Discuss the difficulty of locating the sound. Does loudness help locate the sound?
9. Repeat with several different volunteers.
10. Are some people better than others at locating the source of the sound? Why?

People can hear sound within a range of frequencies from about 20 hertz (20 vibrations per second) to about 20,000 hertz. As we grow older, our ability to hear very high-pitched sounds decreases.

Extension

1. Place a cotton ball in one ear of each volunteer to see if the cotton makes it more or less difficult for volunteers to pinpoint the source of the sound. Why and how?