18th August Science Week Part 2 Noise and sounds

In 1998 ABC Science built the first National Science Week website to provide information to event holders and audiences, they have conducted an annual online participatory science project since 2000 and promote the week widely across their networks.  The 2023 school theme is Innovation: Powering Future Industries, but the ABC has taken 'noise' as their focus and they want people  to eavesdrop on the animal kingdom and  explore the wonder and science of bioacoustics.

Listening in all facets of life is important but it is wonderful to be able to go outside, be still and just listen. What will you hear? Hopefully some natural noises, such as cicadas, frogs, birds, running water, waves.

As background to going on a listening walk you could use one of these books as provocation:

• What Can You Hear Today?  by Louise Bladen and angela Perrini

• The Listening Walk  by Paul Showers and Aliki

• Listen to Our World  by Bill Martin Jr and Melissa Sweet

• Listen to the Rain  by Bill Martin Jr and James Endicott

And after your walk and comparing lists you could follow up with books about some of the sounds:

• Cicada Sing Song by Pat Simmons and Kate Dreiling

• Cicada Symphony by Sue Fliess and Gareth Lucas

• Noisy Bug Sing-along  by John Himmelman

• The Dawn Chorus  by Suzanne Barton

• The Forgotten Song  by Coral Vass and Jess Racklyeft

• Sounds all Around Us  by Ryhia Dank

• Sounds All Around  by Susan Hughes and Ellen Rooney

• The Sounds Around Town  by Maria Callucio

You could just read a couple of favourites about noise such as:

• Noisy Night by Mac Barnett and Brian Biggs

• Too Much Noise  by Ann McGovern and Simms Taback

Or you could segue to the winning Early Childhood Book Where the Lyrebird Lives  by Vikki Conley and Max Hamilton and talk about mimicry because lyrebirds are masters of mimicry.

Lyrebirds are capable of imitating almost any sound. As well as their own calls, clicks and song, you will usually hear them mimicking loud clear sounds made by other birds and mammals, including humans. They have been heard to mimic the sounds of chainsaws, horns, alarms and even trains.