Sharing Nature with Children Part 2: A Late Summer Scavenger Hunt

Posted by Sandy Beverly September 9, 2008 at 9:26 p.m.

Sharing Nature with Children Part 2: A Late Summer Scavenger Hunt

I like to take my boys for a stroll in the neighborhood a few mornings a week. My five-year-old usually protests, though he often has a good time once we're out. Sometimes I think to create a "scavenger hunt" for him. He's not reading yet, so I draw very simple pictures on an index card. We talk about what they are (because I'm no artist!), then off we go. He gets a great sense of accomplishment when he finds something on the list and puts a check mark in the empty square beside it. Today, we hunted for an acorn, a yellow leaf, an apple, a flower gone to seed, a cloud, a squirrel looking for nuts, an orange butterfly, burrs (those seeds that leap out and grab your clothes when you walk by), some bark, and a mushroom. (These last two were Simon's suggestions, added to the list after he spotted them, but after more than five years as a parent, I'm learning to be flexible!) While we were walking, I made mental notes about seasonal items for our next scavenger hunt: a walnut, an orange leaf (maples are turning), orange berries, a grasshopper, a yellow flower, a hedge apple, and the moon. It's surprising, but even something as simple as planning a scavenger hunt can help me pay more attention to the natural world.By the way, on this morning's hunt, we spotted everything on our list but the cloud. It was a spectacular, cloudless, late summer day. Ain't life grand?

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femail (Linda Hanney) says…

Your boys are fortunate to have a parent who loves nature. How about adding a pinecone to your list.
September 10, 2008 at 6:02 a.m.
liggyon (David Lignell) says…

Sandy,What a creative twist...a treasure hunt that educates and awakens a sense of wonder. Good for you!
September 10, 2008 at 7:07 a.m.
Bladerunner (anonymous) says…

In this town........you should ad an empty beer can to your list.
September 10, 2008 at 11:56 a.m.
justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…

Sounds like a lot of fun, Sandy! We will be having a soggy couple of days in the near future.Do you make the leaf man, or woman, out of leaves with your children? It is fun and cute. One leaf with points facing up for the head, one bigger leaf with points facing down for the body. I usually tear small pieces of a leaf and glue them on for the eyes. Then you can write a story about where the wind takes your leaf person. Leaf art can take a couple of weeks between ironing over them for sun catchers with wax paper, coloring over them with paper and crayons for a rubbing - shredding them and using the mix of colors for a perfect textured pumkin, etc.
September 11, 2008 at 10:05 a.m.