Nature Scavenger Hunt

Earlier this summer I organized a scavenger hunt for my mom's group at a local park. This was the second of its kind for our group as I organized a similar hunt in May that was successful enough to merit a second round. I didn't want to have to purchase a lot of items, and the kids were very young (ages 1-5) so the hunt had to be very simple yet fun. So, I decided to utilize the park's existing resources and do a nature hunt with the kids.

I created two different scavenger hunt lists, one for kids ages 0-2 and one for kids ages 3 and up. The 0-2 list was a little shorter and the items were a little easier to find. My son, along with the other 0-2-year-olds, had to find things like a rock, grass, tree bark, a leaf, and a bug. I focused on nouns they might already have in their vocabulary. The list for kids ages 3 and up included additional items like a feather, a web, and a seed. Their list was also a little more specific in that it included adjectives. For example, instead of just finding a rock, they had to find a smooth, gray rock. Both lists included pictures next to the words, so even though the moms were walking along side them helping check off the items, the kids could help check the list.

At the end of the hunt, the first child in each age category got a prize. Everyone else who participated also got something small, like bubbles, to take home. And, since we were already at the park, we had a picnic lunch followed by some play time on the playground when the scavenger hunt was over. Overall, it made for a fun morning with the kids and moms.

A screen shot of part of the list for kids 3+

Beginning of the scavenger hunt

Baby Bear decided to take our list and go do the hunt on his own, lol. He whipped through it in no time, so I think the next hunt will have to involve colors, numbers, shapes, and letters. :)