A Nature Walk Scavenger Hunt + Free Printable
Don’t you just love days when you don’t HAVE to do anything? That’s how our Sunday was. We got up, went to church, came home to a nice lunch and then decided we wanted to go on a hike at the lake. We live a couple miles from our local reservoir where we can utilize the hiking trails. The temperature was in the upper 60’s, so it was definitely a good day to be outside!
Since we’ve been trying to focus more on exercise lately, a hike was the perfect way to get a little more exercise while spending time together as a family! We chose to add in a little bit of fun by making it into a scavenger hunt this time.
Daddy had the baby strapped on his back and the baby thought that was some great fun! Who wouldn’t want to ride like that?
We had tried to put our 3 year old in the backpack but soon figured out she was way too big for it. She’d have to walk. That later resulted in her tripping and hitting her face on the ground. She had been so proud of herself for being able to walk by herself and then right after that, she tripped over a big root sticking out of the ground. It took her a while to recover:
Here’s what we were looking for:
- Tree Stump
- Walking stick
- Moss
- Leaf
- Nuts (black walnuts, acorns, pecans, etc.)
- Snail Shell
- Tree Bark
- Rock
- Fallen Tree
- Juniper Berries
- Pine Cone
- Bird’s Nest
- Flowers
- Mushrooms (and/or tree fungus)
- insect
- bird
- squirrel
- Hole dug by an animal or insect
- Hollow log
- Trash – (talk about why we shouldn’t leave our trash out there)
We did pretty well, considering it’s still winter. We didn’t find any living creatures like birds, squirrels or insects, but we found most everything else on our list. It was fun to be a little more aware while we were walking and checking out God’s wonderful creation. We love these springlike days!
If you’d like to download your own checklist for your hike, feel free to do so here:
Did you spend any time outside this weekend? What’d you do?
Jenni says
Great idea! I adore hiking… Thanks for linking up to Mommy Monday! 🙂
Sidetracked Sarah says
You're welcome Shari. 🙂
Sidetracked Sarah says
Thanks Jami Leigh, they did have a blast! Yes, I love that look on his face, lol. He gets so excited!
Sidetracked Sarah says
That sounds like a blast Kasey! Kids love anything that involves a hunt, don't they? 🙂
Linda says
We went to a near by State Park and built birdhouses which are going to a tornado ravaged area. My kids were disappointed when I told them we weren't going hiking (it was 40 degrees and very windy) but they had a great time building and having hot cocoa.