Scavenger Hunt List for Hiking With Kids

Getting outdoors is a great way to discover the beauty of Mother Nature. It can also be an opportune time to teach your children about the environment while letting them have fun at the same time. A scavenger hunt during a hiking trip helps children make their own hands-on natural discoveries while hunting for the various items needed on the list.

  1. Alphabet Hunt

    • If your children are younger, then you may want to categorize the items in your scavenger hunt to begin with each letter of the alphabet, starting with "A" and proceeding all the way to "Z." The items for the hunt could represent a variety of things and animals found in nature. For example, "A" could be for acorn and "B" could be beaver. To plan this scavenger hunt, log on to the website for the state or national park or trail that you plan on visiting and see what is naturally found in the habitat.

    Leaf and Flower Hunts

    • For older children, try organizing the scavenger hunt in order to find more specific items. For example, have the children look for certain kinds of leaves or flowers that are available on the hiking trail. Help them to identify plants native to the area. These kinds of hunts will be particularly interesting to take in the spring and fall when the leaves and flowers are in transition. Another good idea is to take an example of each item you find and start a leaf collection.

    Photo Hunt

    • Another kind of hiking scavenger hunt involves taking pictures of the items you seek. This hunt is less intrusive to the environment and allows the children to take home memories of the outing. A few items to place on the scavenger hunt photograph list may include a bird in a nest, butterflies, squirrels, a sunset, animal tracks and waterfalls. Invite the children to also take their own photographs of things they found interesting, like an unusual tree or a beautiful flower. Allowing your children to get creative for this hunt will make the activity that much more fun and enjoyable.

    Other Hunts

    • A variety of other scavenger hunts can also help children get involved into Mother Nature's surroundings. For example, instruct your children to find heart-shaped rocks or a creature flying high in the sky. Have them find more abstract items by having them look for four things that are green. You could also base a hiking scavenger hunt on what can be found through the five senses. Stopping and listening could help them hear a frog over by the lake. Smelling could be a batch of wildflowers. The sense of taste is best to use for a picnic lunch, for safety reasons.

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