Nature Discovery – Organize a Scavenger Hunt

Nature Discovery – Organize a  Scavenger Hunt

Nature Discovery – Organize a  Scavenger Hunt!! Now that summer is here, it’s a perfect time for some nature discovery. One way to do this is to organize a spring scavenger hunt for your children and their friends to enjoy.

What? You’ve never been a part of a  scavenger hunt? That doesn’t matter – with these ideas, you’ll soon be a professional scavenger hunt organizer. Your children will love you for it. Of course, you may find that your children’s friends want to spend more time at your house than their own, especially on the days that you’re having a scavenger hunt, no matter what season it is.

Basically, a scavenger hunt includes a specified area, hunters, and a list of items that need to be found. You can do this by asking the hunters to physically put the objects into a bag, ask them to take digital pictures of the objects, or by asking them to take a video of the object. Consider the children who will be doing the hunting when you decide which type of proof you require.

You may want to go out to your backyard or the local park a day or so before the planned hunt to make your list of items. Find items that are already there like a particular tree leaf, a dandelion, or a blue jay feather. These items can easily be put into a small bag. Some items you may want to include will need to remain where they are, such as a bird nest, ant, or some other insect. The point is to create a list of items that can easily be found.

Decide if you will have each child find the items on their list alone or if you will have teams hunting together. Of course, if you’re in a wide open area like a local park, you won’t want small children running around by themselves. If your children’s friends are joining in the fun, you may want to ask their parents to help keep an eye on them.

Here’s a list of items you may want to include in your nature discovery scavenger hunt:

* Acorn
* Leaves (choose one or more, an evergreen and deciduous, simple and compound)
* Various insects
* Clover
* Seeds (any kind)
* Ladybug
* Feather from a particular bird

You can also include items that aren’t supposed to be in nature. Ask your children to pick up any trash they find and either put it into any garbage can they find, or have them carry a garbage bag with them.

Summer is a great time to help your children discover nature by organizing a spring scavenger hunt. This will encourage your children to spend time in the beauty of nature, allow them to get much needed sunshine  and help them learn about the habitat they live in. All in all, a nature scavenger hunt is a win-win activity.