Close your eyes for a moment. What can you hear right now? A chair scrape? Voices in the corridor? Wind at the window?

Keep your eyes closed and listen for three mystery sounds. What made each one?

If you hear a beep in the corridor, what is the source: the wall, or a phone that is beeping?

On our hunt we will use two quick labels as well. Natural means nature made it, like a bird. Made by people means we made it, or something we use did, like a bell.

Loud means a strong sound, like the school bell. Quiet means a soft sound, like a clock tick. You notice a quiet sound when you really listen.

Now make your own string that sings. One of you stretches an elastic band between your thumb and first finger, and plucks it with your other hand. Your partner looks closely. Then swap.

• What do you hear?
• What is the band doing?
• Now touch the band to hold it still. What happens to the sound?

Then watch the string on the board. It wobbles slowly enough for us to see it. What is making the sound: the board, or the string?

We are going on a short sound hunt. First, stand with your partner and take one clipboard between you.