Nature Scavenger Hunt – Free Printable

It’s summertime and that means you should be getting outside and exploring. We created this fun nature scavenger hunt for you to take out on your next outdoor adventure.  I’ve also included some information about some great programs and ways that you can get outside with your family!

This Nature Scavenger Hunt is simple and kid-friendly with pictures to help even the littlest of explorers to enjoy. I suggest printing it out on cardstock or even taking it to your local print shop to have it laminated. Then you can reuse it countless times without using paper. Use a dry erase marker to mark them off! Plus, if you come across some rain or a stream you won’t have to worry about it getting wet either. Click on the image below to open the file in a new window. Print or save it from that window.

We are big fans of Nature’s Path – Envirokidz brand and the quality organic products they make. Not to mention 1% of all Envirokidz sales support animal habitat conservation and education programs around the world. They also have a great program called the ecokeepers program that is about getting kids outside and discovering the world around them to develop a life-long relationship with nature. Numerous studies show that kids who spend time outdoors are:

• happier and less stressed
• see a boost in classroom performance
• have enhanced problem-solving skills and imagination
• are leaner
• can experience a reduction in ADHD symptoms, and
• better understand the need to nurture nature and how animals, plants, and people are tightly connected

Discover something new!

Grab some snacks and water and head to a new park to discover new things in nature. Check out local, state, and national parks that you haven’t visited before. Some of the parks are historical sites that offer another level of learning during your visit.

Looking into how kids play, Nature’s Path survey, which polled 525 U.S. moms (ages 25-45) with children under the age of 13, revealed that:

• Today, 81% moms indicated that their kids have adult supervision when they play outside compared to 37% of moms when they were kids
• 54% of moms say their kids spend more time playing in front of a screen than playing outside, while 11% say their kids are not interested in playing outside and 11% said their kids would prefer to play on an electronic device
• 35% of moms cite fear of letting kids play outside alone, 22% are too busy juggling other priorities and 15% say they do not have the time to supervise outdoor play
• When they can, 58% of moms do try regularly get their kids outside to discover nature; however, 94% agree it’s important that schools also help kids to discover nature

What is geocaching?

Geocaching is a modern-day treasure hunt that uses a free geocache app on your smartphone to find caches hidden in nature trails to city centers. There are more than 2 million geocaches hidden around the world.  Those who find the geocache mark as found on their app, sign the journal and can leave and take a tradable trinket. Many times, trackable tags or coins are in the caches for people to take and move to other hidden caches around the world where the owner can watch where it travels online.