Keep kids engaged on your next walk through the forest with this free forest scavenger hunt printable. Can they find everything on the list?
No matter what time of year it is, your kids will love keeping their eyes peeled for rocks, sticks, feathers, and more with this fun printable scavenger hunt for kids.
I love finding new ways to encourage my kids to get outside and connect with nature. Scavenger hunts are a great way to encourage outdoor time.
Forest Scavenger Hunt Printable
Most kids I know love exploring nature. Those who don’t, will usually enjoy it with a purpose. That’s where a scavenger hunt can come in handy.
Many kids these days would rather stay inside and play video games or watch television. They may be reluctant to go outside because “there’s nothing to do”.
Give them something to do! Print out this fun nature scavenger hunt, and go exploring in the forest!
This particular scavenger hunt is perfect for all ages. Older kids can search for the items individually and race to be the first one to find everything on the list.
Younger kids can pair up with a buddy who can read to find all of the objects on the list. This is also a good time to work on counting and color recognition.
If you’d like, bring along a small backpack to collect all of the objects they find. Add them to your nature table when you get back home.
Variations
After searching for and collecting the items on the list, add some science to the mix. Have your child use a field guide to identify the leaves or seeds they collected.
Kids can sketch their favorite finding in their nature journal. Choose a tree, flower, or plant to research.
There are so many ways to have fun and learn with this forest scavenger hunt printable!
BOOKS ABOUT Nature
Fill your book basket with a great collection of books about nature. Most of these books can be found at your local library or used bookstore.
If you have a hard time finding them, you can order them through my Amazon affiliate links by clicking the images below.
• Exploring Nature: Activity Book for Kids – Encourage young nature lovers to get outside and track, explore, discover, and create. This book is filled with hands-on, educational outdoor activities that kids will love to learn from, like crafting bird feeders out of fruit, pressing flowers, or creating sundials.
• Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt – Up in the garden, the world is full of green—leaves and sprouts, growing vegetables, ripening fruit. But down in the dirt there is a busy world of earthworms digging, snakes hunting, skunks burrowing, and all the other animals that make a garden their home.
• Curious Kids Nature Guide – Curious Kids Nature Guide is filled with full-color illustrations and fun facts about the natural wonders of the Pacific Northwest, encouraging kids to discover and explore nature in their own backyards and beyond.
Round Out Your Unit with These Activities:
Kids will love learning all about apples with this engaging apple unit study for early elementary grades.
This wooden leaf matching game is perfect for homeschooling and classroom use. Children loves to see different shapes of leaves and learn about their names. These wooden cards are durable and long lasting.