Go on a penny hike — head off on a walk with a sense of adventure and an open mind…
Navigating your Penny Hike
At each junction, decide which way to go by flipping a coin — heads or tails for left or right.
What if there are more than two paths? If there are an even number of paths, flip for the left pair or right pair, then flip again for paths within that pair. If there’s an odd number, flip for left pair v. right, then paths within the left pair.
Investigating the world around you
Keep your eyes and ears open for new things you may not have noticed before. Take photos as you go, or do sketches of the things you see.
Carry on until you have gone a long way from your starting point. You may be lost, or fed up of going around in circles! Or maybe you have come back around to somewhere you’ve been before. What have you seen on the way? Plants, wildlife etc. Is there any litter or pollution? Write down what you find in the notebook.
If you find yourself walking further and further away, you will need to make a decision to turn back at a suitable point so that you don’t disappear completely.
Home from your Hike
When you get back from your penny hike, draw a map of your walk, or colour it in on an existing map of your area.
You could also think about:
- How observant would you say you are?
- Did drawing / noting / taking photos make you look more closely?
- What things did you see which you wouldn’t normally notice?
- Would you see different things if you did your hike at a different time of day? Or time of the year?
- Is the area more interesting than you thought?
- Why should we take the time to look at our environment?
- What can we do with the information we find out (e.g. arrange a litter pick, write to the paper etc, display a photo exhibition)?
Take it Further
If you enjoyed the penny hike you might also like to try out a Colour Walk or explore the History Gap in our streets.
