One of the best ways to get kids interested in the garden is to introduce the garden to them in fun ways. An excellent way to do this is to give your kid a list for a nature scavenger hunt in the garden.
On a piece of paper, neatly write or print (from your printer) a garden scavenger hunt list. Below we have posted a sample list for a nature scavenger hunt in the garden. You do not need to use all of the items on our nature scavenger hunt list. Choose as many items as you feel are appropriate for the kids’ age levels.
You may also want to give the kids a basket, box, or bag to hold the items in while they hunt and a pen or pencil to mark items off their list.
Sample List for Nature Scavenger Hunt Items
- Acorn
- Ant
- Beetle
- Berries
- Butterfly
- Caterpillar
- Clover
- Dandelion
- Dragonfly
- Feather
- Flower
- Frog or toad
- Grasshopper
- Insect or bug
- Leaves of different trees you have in your yard
- Maple leaf
- Moss
- Moth
- Mushrooms
- Oak leaf
- Pine cone
- Pine needles
- Root
- Sand
- Seed (learn how to make seed balls)
- Slug or snail
- Spider web
- Stem
- Tree bark from fallen branch
- Worm (such as an earthworm)
You can add any items to this garden scavenger hunt list that you think will get your kids looking at the garden and the yard in a new way. Giving your kids a list for a nature scavenger hunt can be fun as well as educational by discussing the items before or after locating them.
