Observer Honor

Recreational Activities

Requirements

1. Locate, observe, and identify:
   • Four different animals;
   • Four different models of automobiles;
   • Two different types of airplanes;
   • Four different things from the plant kingdom;
   • Four different birds.

   Answer: With an adult, go out to look carefully and write down what you find: 1) Four animals (e.g., dog, cat, cow, horse). 2) Four car models (e.g., hatchback, sedan, pickup truck, van). 3) Two types of airplane (e.g., a small propeller plane and a big passenger jet). 4) Four things from plant nature (e.g., tree, flower, grass, leaf). 5) Four birds (e.g., pigeon, great kiskadee, thrush, hen). Tip: bring a little notebook and draw or write the name of each one. — Observing calmly trains your eyes to notice the details of the world around you.

2. Observe the following people in their professional uniform and the work they do:
   • Police officer.
   • Firefighter.
   • Nurse.
   • Mail carrier.
   • Driver.
   • Traffic officer.

   Answer: With an adult, look at each worker (on the street, on TV, in books, or on a visit) and notice their clothing and what they do: the police officer takes care of people's safety; the firefighter puts out fires and helps in emergencies; the nurse cares for those who are sick; the mail carrier delivers letters and packages; the driver drives the vehicle, carrying people or cargo; the traffic guard organizes the cars so no one gets hurt. Tip: talk about how each one helps the city. — Getting to know these jobs helps you respect and thank those who take care of all of us.

3. After observing your home and the School or Church buildings, point out ways they could be improved, and what your part would be in these improvements.

   Answer: With an adult, look closely at your house and your school or church and think about what could be better (e.g., a cleaner corner, plants, a tidy place, a well-made bulletin board). Write down 2 or 3 ideas. Then say how YOU can really help: tidy up your toys, pick up the trash, water a plant, help put things away. Agree to do at least one of these helpful things. — Observing in order to improve shows that you care for the places where you live and spend time.

4. Make a drawing or description of the space you occupy at home and the place where you keep your belongings, noting the date it was made. (Keep it in a folder.) After that, carry out improvements in the appearance and cleanliness of this space, making a second drawing or description without looking at the first one. At the end, compare both works, highlighting the differences observed between one and the other.

   Answer: Step 1: draw (or describe) how your corner and where you keep your things look today, write the date, and put it in a folder. Step 2: with an adult, organize and clean that place. Step 3: make a new drawing or description of the tidy place, without looking at the first one. Step 4: compare the two and tell what changed (it got cleaner, tidier, prettier). Tip: do it carefully and keep both works together. — Comparing the before and the after helps you see how much you improved through your own effort.

5. Memorize an unfamiliar collection of objects by looking at them for one or two minutes. Then list them, in order, but without seeing them.

   Answer: Ask an adult to gather a few objects you have not seen yet (e.g., pencil, spoon, ball, key, eraser) and place them in a row. Look very carefully for a minute or two, trying to keep each one and their order in your memory. Then close your eyes or turn your back and say, in the same order, all the objects you can remember. Tip: start with a few objects and add more to train. — This memory game makes your eyes and your mind more alert and trained to observe.