Laying a Trail

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SOMETIMES you may want other people to follow where you have been. Maybe you got lost or separated from others and want them to be able to follow you and find you. Or maybe you are leading the way for others. In this sort of situation you want to lay a trail.


These are signs others can follow

You can use all sorts of things for laying trails. Just remember to tell the people following your trail, what signs they are looking for.

If you are in the bush you can use things you find along the way (like some of the signs shown below).  Remember only use what is on the ground don't break branches off trees, and return everything to where you found it.

Always break up a trail when you have finished so as not to confuse others who may be using the same tracks as you at a later time.

When laying a trail you can use any materials around you to help make the signs. Remember not to make the signs easy to see by anyone, but easy to recognise by those you want to follow your trail.  You should be able to see the next sign from the last one.

You can also lay trails with confetti, or flour. A very old game is called "Hares and Hounds". One person is the hare, and runs off, leaving dots of flour from a bag with a small hole. They leave a trail behind them, and they are allowed to double back over their path to confuse the hounds if they like.

They get a head start of 5 or 10 minutes, so they are out of sight, and then the "hounds" take off after them, following the trail wherever it goes, running as fast as they can to see if they can catch the hare before they get safely home again!

Why don't you choose the fastest runner in your class to be the hare, and try this for a fitness activity? It could be a lot of fun!

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