Self-guided activity: Our environment

What will you need?

1. A place where you can sit comfortably and draw, and a table or hard, flat surface to put the paper on.
2. A piece of paper and a pen or pencil.

Step by step

Start by sitting somewhere where you are comfortable and have a clean, flat surface to put the paper on.

Have your paper and pen or pencil ready.

1. In this activity you will draw a map of the household where you are staying right now.
   Your “household” might be a house, an apartment, a tent, or another type of shelter.
   Start this activity by imagining that you are looking down at your household from the sky. You can also imagine that you are looking at your household from above, as if you were looking at a map (or floor plan) of a town or building.
2. What are the outer boundaries of your household? 
   They may be a fence outside your house or building. Or, they may be the walls of your house, apartment or tent.
   On your piece of paper, draw the boundaries of your household, as if you were drawing a map.
3. What are the different spaces/rooms inside your household?
   Add to them to your map by drawing the different spaces where you and others spend time and do daily activities and tasks. You may draw walls and figures that show different rooms, beds or mats, stoves or fire pits, or other important items in your house.
4. Where in your household do you spend time doing things you enjoy?
   Add words or drawings to your map to describe activities you enjoy doing in the spaces of your household. For example, if you like to sleep, you can write or draw about this next to the place where you sleep.
5. Where in your household do you spend time doing things you don’t like so much?
   Add words or drawings to your map to describe activities you do not like doing so much in the spaces of your household. For example, if you do not like to wash dishes, you can write or draw about this next to the place where you wash the dishes.

Create more

• Keep adding to your map, with more drawings or words, or by adding images you cut and paste from newspapers and magazines.
• Imagine how a simple change could make a space in your household more enjoyable or comfortable for you and others. Draw a picture of what the space in your household would look like if you made this change.
• Invite others from your household to draw a map of your household. Share and discuss your maps. Discover what you learn as you see how your maps of the same household are similar and different!

Share

Online:

• Send a photo of your map, and anything else you created to the chat group. Watch for your friends’ and peers’ maps and anything else they created!
• Look for more messages from the chat group to see what the other adolescents have created. Participate in a discussion!

Everyone (online and offline):

• Keep your drawing somewhere where you can look at it every day. For example, you might hang it on your wall.
• If you want, show your map to other people in your household. Explain your drawing to others, invite them to tell you what they see or ask you questions. Do not feel that you must share your map with others if you don’t wish to.