Tracking animals is a great activity and an important skill for naturalists. However, tracking in the wild is always a hit-and-miss activity and is extremely difficult for groups larger than a few children. At Kirchenwald, we have a series of activities that help campers to experience tracking more easily. When beginning these activities, emphasize that one part of a naturalist's job is to read the book of nature and tell nature's story. Tracking is a really good way to do this because through tracks we have a direct record of events that might have been disturbed if a human were present.

Begin by taking your group over to the pool deck or a soft, muddy area. Have the campers dip their feet in the pool two at a time and do some action on the pool deck such as a dance while the rest of the group closes their eyes. After the campers finish, have the rest of the group try to interpret the tracks and the various steps each person took. Help them to notice that a running person leaves tracks much further apart than a walking person.

Move from this activity directly to animal tracking by having the campers create and try to figure out each others' animal stories in a sand box. The Nasco™ series of rubberized animal feet are really great for this purpose, although simpler plaster casts will also work but much less effectively. Use these feet in a sandpit where campers can create models of how animals might move and interact. Younger age groups often enjoy these two activities a great deal, so don't rush the campers through them. This sandbox time is a good stage to talk about plaster casts and perhaps demonstrate the technique for the campers. You might also briefly describe the process of fossilization which preserved some ancient footprints up to the present.

The next stage in the progression involves some substantial preparation on your part, but the results are very good and the educational value is immense. Find an old canvas tarpaulin measuring maybe 15 by 20 feet. It is acceptable to have holes in the tarp, because buying a new one is prohibitively expensive for most pocketbooks. On the tarp, lay out a number of animal stories for the campers to interpret. Paint the appropriate tracks onto the tarp being very careful to place them in such a way as to illustrate whether the animals are walking or running. For instance, you can have a fox trying to kill a pheasant, a deer running from a hunter, a hunter getting sprayed by a skunk, and so on. Be creative. Add props to the tarp as needed, such as a trash can for a young bear to investigate or a tree for a squirrel to run up (just mount a large branch on a plywood base).

Spread the campers out around the outside edge of the tarp and ask them not to stand on the tarp itself, because these tarps take a good deal of wear and tear without cameprs tramping on it. Distribute tracking guides made from photocopying pages out of the Nasco™ guide or by creating your own fieldguide. Help the campers to first identify the tracks and then help them to put the tracks together to tell a story. Ask leading questions, such as, "Did the pheasant get eaten by the fox?" to help the campers reflect on the evidence. Have the campers tell each other the story of their own part of the tarp, helping the campers to develop their own skills as nature detectives.

For older groups that are still interested in tracking, or perhaps as an activity on its own, take the campers on their own tracking hike. Dismiss half of the group with a counselor to go off in the woods and leave a trail so that the trailing half of the group can find them. Provide some type of marking device for the leading group (ie flour) so that they have a clear way of marking a trail. Encourage other creative markers as well, such as arrows out of branches and piles of rocks. After giving the hiding team a substantial lead (at least well out of ear shot) start off after them and demonstrate tracking technique. Never leave one sign of the group or an animal until the next sign has been found, lest one fall off the trail very early. Move quickly in pursuit, but carefully point out any cues that you notice that the campers might not. After the seekers find the hiders, switch roles and play again.

Less Active Nature Studies