Getting Started

Animals on the Trail is a temporary environmental installation that brings delight and educate children on animals they don’t normally interact with in a fun, local outdoor setting. It consists of life-size animal silhouettes drawn on the trail.

Animals on the Trail allows elementary age kids to run along the length of a python, compare their jump to that of a kangaroo’s, and step in the footprints of an elephant.

Research

Through secondary research, I found that as children have experiences with animals, they learn about differences, similarities, and needs (such as for food, shelter, water and space). Learning about animals also allows a child’s compassion and empathy to grow.
To fully deploy this project, I was given permission from a board member of the Village of Pewamo and the Trail Commissioner of the Fred Meijer CIS trail, which includes the Pewamo section of the Rails-to-Trails.

Creative Process

The creative process began with measuring the trail, which I found was 10 feet wide. I needed to be sure the animals I used would fit onto the trail.
Researching animals came next. I wanted the animals chosen to be small enough to fit on the trail, but large enough to be entertaining and exciting to kids.

While deciding what animals to put on the trail, I talked with a few kids to gauge their interest on the animals chosen. If they seemed excited or surprised about facts I told them, I placed the animal on the trail; if not, I took it off the trail. This lead me to have nine different animals, with silhouettes or footprints that fit on the trail and of interest to children.

In order to use my time on the trail most effectively, I wanted to create templates I could use to paint an accurate silhouette of the animal. I used parchment paper to create these templates as they have a water-repellent coating. This allowed me to use the water-based paint directly on the template without it falling apart.

This was my process of creating the parchment paper templates, with my friend laying on top of one for scale.

To test the effectiveness of the paint and template, I mixed up a small batch of paint and cut out a silhouette of a Goliath Birdeater tarantula, an animal I planned for the trail. It is approximately 11 inches across.

The paint I planned on using was a homemade sidewalk chalk paint. It consisted of a 1:1 ratio of water and cornstarch with food coloring to dye it. These are the results of my “test paint,” with the initial paint, 30 minutes later, and then again when completely dry.

With the success of the test paint, I created templates for all nine of the animals, which ranged from 7 inches long to 10 feet long.

In order for children to further interact with the animals on the trail, I created a map with the animals and more facts about them. Maps are endlessly intriguing to children and are far more entertaining to them than a brochure.

These maps were made available at the Depot in Pewamo for anyone to take.

Installation

On the day of installment, it was very windy. Therefore, the templates were not going to stay down long enough to paint over top of them.

Instead, I taped the templates down onto the trail long enough to trace the outline of the animal in sidewalk chalk. This allowed me to have an idea of where the animals were without the hassle of blowing paper.

After tracing the animals, a halt was put in my plans. I received a call from the board member of the Village of Pewamo saying that the Department of Natural Resources did not approve of the homemade paint I was going to use on the trail. I could, however, use plain sidewalk chalk.
After a quick change in plans, the animal silhouettes on the trail where then filled in using sidewalk chalk, and the results were just as effective.