Do you notice animal tracks in your backyard? When you go on a hike do you wonder what animals made those tracks?  Well,It is not surprising that you see animal tracks all around you. In all, Maine has 58 species of wild mammals that currently live within its borders. After your hike or backyard track, let’s create a flip book of tracks that lead to an animal or use the tracks in another imaginative way. Your animal can be either real or imagined. It’s up to you; your imagination is the only limiting factor.

Use your nature notebook to record your observations. Draw the tracks or take pictures of what you see, then use a guidebook to identify the animals. Where are the animals going? What do they seem to be doing? Use a guidebook or the Animal Tracking Pocket Guide.

Let’s get started by using your daily observations to make the tracks come alive in animation.

Materials needed:

• Scissors
• Paper
• Stapler
• Drawing utensils: I recommend pencil, so you can erase easily.

Step by Step Directions:

1. Cut 10 pieces of 3×3 inch cardstock.
2. Staple the paper stack together along one side.
3. Choose the tracks you have observed from your backyard or outdoor hike.
4. Use the first page for the outside cover.
5. Draw the track on the first piece of paper near the unstapled edge.
6. On the next page draw the track again on the second page.
7. Continue drawing the tracks on each page moving the tracks slightly to show that they are moving then draw the animal on the last page where you would expect to find the animal.
8. After 10 pages, flip through your paper stack which will show the tracks in motion leading to your animal!

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Porcupine_tracks.png