Foot Sensation Trails

People who organize open air events should not miss the chance to provide a foot sensation trail as a central attraction! A little barefoot park at a suited location is not much effort but lot of fun for the visitors.

As an example, let's have a look at the City of Munich. A paved space between triple traffic lanes on each side would not appear a good place for going barefoot. But twice a year the road is closed, and for a weekend, the dead traffic island turns into a lively barefoot park. This is accomplished by a short dozen of helpers within two hours and will motivate up to 10,000 people to take off their shoes and enjoy barefoot life for some ten minutes or even longer.
 

Foot sensation trails can also be placed on

sports grounds,

 
school yards, 

 
even in class rooms,

and can be adapted to any sports, school, church, town, children's event. For a better impression please have a look at the
foot sensation trail slideshow! ( 2 min)

Instructions for assembling a foot sensation trail

The easiest way is to place the materials on fleece webs, which are about 1.5 meters (5 ft) broad. This is practicable on lawn as well as on hard floor and ensures easy removal after the event.

Basics

The fleece webs are placed according to the space available and pinned down with stones (on lawn) or twin-sided adhesive tape (on pavement etc.). A V-shaped arrangement with a total path of 20-30 m (65-100 ft) is practical. In summertime, the surrounding grass should be cut before making up the trail. This helps to keep off bees, which might be attracted by flowering clover.

Be aware that materials tend to spread out during use of the barefoot trail! Therefore keep some distance to the sides and about 1 m  (3 ft) between the different materials. This initial gap will be disappear within a short while. 

Materials

• Sand, mulch from bark or wood, round gravel of small to medium size, hay and straw can -- if not obtained for free -- be bought in zoo or garden shops
   
• Fir cones offer a fantastic foot massage. The quantity for about 3 m (10 ft) can be collected within half an hour. The cones should be moistened one day before use to make them smooth. If placed in the sun, water them at times during the event!
   
• Pieces of bark can be found where trees have been felled.
   
• Perhaps your neighbor comes from cutting his hedge and leaves you the waste?
   
• Leaves of various trees or the soft needles of the larch can be collected in autumn.
   
• Be creative and find out lots of further materials like moss, peat, various seeds, wood pellets etc.!
   
• And don't forget: going barefoot on broken glass is gorgeous! 

Suited glass can be purchased as recycled material

Remaining materials can be stored in boxes or jute bags. Plastic bags are only suited for dry materials.

Wooden variations

Pieces of tree trunks for balancing exercise shall not wobble.

Alignments of half-round timber may not only serve as garden bed borders, but even more to connect the fleece webs of barefoot trails!

Balancing and vitality

A balancing stem may round out the foot experience trail. It needs to be blocked against rolling.

Everyone can find his own way to practice his sensory skills. Visitors, especially children, may like to feel the different materials with closed or blindfolded eyes. They may be guided by hand or walk in a line with the hands on the shoulders of the foregoing person.

Others will walk, run, jump, enjoy foot games or even dance -- let them stay on free feet!