Here are some fun activities you and your family can do together. Have fun getting out while the weather is warm. Don’t forget to take along a pencil, notebook, or clipboard to record your findings. Take a paper bag on your journey. You never know what nature treasures you will find. Include a magnify glass on your search for the following suggestions.
Write it Down
Create a list of things you expect to find or make a list of things you come across.
Write it Down
Now, let’s get started…
Feel the Great Outdoors
Touch the different leaves and plants. Are they smooth? Rough? Brittle?
This is also a great time to talk to your kids about plants in your area that are not safe or risky to touch such as, poison ivy.
If you see a plant like this with three clusters of leaves…
Smell the Great Outdoors
Do the morning hours smell different than the evening hours?
Stop and sniff different flowers and plants. Record your findings.
(Remember, be careful to make sure those plants are safe.)
Listen to the Great Outdoors
In the morning, do you hear different sounds than in the evening? How are they the same? How are they different?
Do you hear more birds in the morning than in the evening?
Look for All Shapes of Leaves
Summer and fall are great times to explore the leaves and their many shapes and colors.
Collect different leaves and trace them on a piece of paper to color later.
Do the old fun trick of rubbing a crayon on a piece of paper with the leaf underneath.
Cut them out to make a fun display or decoration.
Look for Critter Tracks
Look for animal tracks in your backyard, the woods, or a nearby park.
Can you guess which animal left them?
Look for Insects
Snap a photo of them if you can, so you can do more research on them later. For those that love to draw, make a sketch of them.
Explore Ponds and Lakes
Can you find different types of fish? How about looking for toads or frogs? Do the ponds or lakes attract different kinds of insects?
What activities would you suggest for exploring nature in the summertime? Write us a note to tell us of your discoveries. We’d love to hear from you.
If you like search and find books, don’t forget to check out my two titles. There’s over a hundred items to find in each book, along with a fun story and extra activities.
Click on the photos below to find out more on these stories.
Happy Searching and Reading!
Rosie
Wonderful piece, Rosie! I am working on some Nature Scavenger Hunt things for each season coming up. Well done! I never will forget how excited my boys were when I took them up by the Missouri River when young and showed them the deer, raccoon, and other tracks. They all became instant trackers! 🤠
Thanks so much James! Scavenger Hunts are so much fun. I bet your guys loved seeing the tracks of different animals.
I can’t wait to see your piece you’re writing about.
Thanks again!
Beautifully put together Rosie, great suggestions. You can tell you were a teacher. It may not be summer here, but I still take our little grandson out for walks around our yard. I am already teaching him to smell the different types of eucalyptus leaves on our range of gum trees.
Hi Sandra, when I wrote this, those feelings of when I was a teacher did come back to me. You know how it is. Asking all those questions for them to consider.
I love that you are taking your little man on walks. We’ve done the same here on cooler days. It’s getting pretty hot here but I’m trying very hard not to complain.
How fun it would be to smell eucalyptus leaves and see your gum trees.
Thanks for your note and have a great week.
Rosie
Great ideas for kids! And not a bad list for adults either…..stopping to look at the beauty right in front of our noses that we take for granted.
I agree Cat. It’s fun to look a little closer and become more aware of what’s out there in our nature world.
Thanks for always sharing your wonderful photos of the things you find in your area. I will always remember those beautiful trees you have there in N.C.
Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend.
Rosie