These Are Children's Favorite Sounds
Everyone can hear, but listening is a skill that must be learned. Both are essential for children’s healthy development. The Zuhören Foundation is dedicated to promoting exactly that through various projects. Today we’re introducing: The Listening Clubs.
Listening is the key to successful learning, communicating with one another, and understanding others. That is why the Zuhören Foundation has set itself the goal of promoting listening, language, and media education for children throughout Germany. We’ve also reported elsewhere on the project centered around Lilo Lausch, the elephant—a hand puppet with big ears. Another exciting project from the Zuhören Foundation is the “Hörclubs,” a concept for teaching listening skills through play. There are now such “Hörclubs” in more than 2,000 educational institutions throughout Germany—depending on the age group, whether in kindergarten or school, the focus of the “Hörclubs” varies, and they also offer materials for children with special educational needs.
Sonos’ Colorful World of Sound at the 1st Conference of the Hörclub Children
The Hearing Club’s mascot is Sono, the little sound wave. When she’s on the move, we can hear something. At the same time, she makes it clear what it’s all about—namely, listening and hearing one another. To represent the many noises, sounds, and tones, Sono can transform into different colors and shapes. For example, the little sound wave is light and narrow when the sounds are soft and delicate. And dark and bold when the noises are loud and disruptive.
In mid-November 2017, more than 100 students from Bavarian listening clubs gathered at the Bayerischer Rundfunk broadcasting center in Munich for the first conference of the listening club children. In various workshops, the children explored a wide variety of sounds under the guidance of children’s radio journalists. In addition to everyday sounds, the sessions also focused on Sonos’ sound adventures. In one workshop, the kids even performed a scene from Harry Potter, learning how to use sounds effectively in a radio play.
Roaring tigers or the howling wind—children’s favorite sounds
Another highlight of the first Hörclubkinder conference was a list of favorite sounds. What do children especially love to hear? For the event, about 100 students told the foundation which sounds they’d most like to hear: At the very top of the list of favorite sounds are animal sounds such as purring and meowing cats, singing whales, or roaring tigers and lions. In second place are nature sounds such as the sound of the ocean, splashing water, and the howling wind. Third place goes to sounds made by people or technology, such as the rustling of books, a soccer ball being kicked, or a rocket launching. Curious? You can listen to the audio files here.
To ensure your children can hear these favorite sounds without any trouble, you need to keep a close ear out—especially since very young children can’t yet tell you if they can hear something. Learn about potential risks early on and find out here how to recognize hearing loss in your child and what you can do if you suspect your child has hearing problems.
