Free Printable Scavenger Hunts for Kids

An easy way to get kids active and learning outside is to go on a scavenger hunt. My daughter loves doing nature walks and observing things (here’s one we did in the fall that includes seeing, hearing and collecting items as you go). They’re sutiable fo all seasons and can be adapted for wherever you live, depending on what you’re likely to see when you go out.

Buggy and Buddy has a great list of more than 30 printable scavenger hunts, so you’re sure to find something that will suit your needs. There’s a wide range of ideas here, including:

color hunt
sound hunt
hiking scavenger hunt
night scavenger hunt
bug scavenger hunt
airplane scavenger hunt
beach scavenger hunt
zoo scavenger hunt
Christmas scavenger hunt

It’s pretty easy to make your own scavenge hunt checklist, too; I made mine in Word with a little clip art and some squares to make checkboxes. And you can always do a nature walk without a printable and just write down or draw pictures of things you observe. Count trees and squirrels in the city or collect a great rock, and kids will have fun walking wherever you are.

Do you like to do scavenger hunts? I’d love to hear about what you go looking for!

[Photo via Buggy and Buddy.]

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Summer Outdoor Activities for Kids

There are so many fun things to do with fall leaves, which is a good thing because they are everywhere. We have more than a dozen trees in our yard so I would always try to do some leaf crafts when my daughter was younger. We made rubbings and preserved leaves and did a ton of jumping in leaf piles, but if you’re looking for more activities to do with leaves, read on.

If you have a lot of different kinds of trees in your yard, on the playground or at the park, you can make leaf mandalas like these from Red Ted Art. They’re inspired by Andy Goldsworthy, who makes temporary art with natural materials (learn more about him at the link).

Leaves are art all by themselves, but you can make them an even lovelier display by combining leaves with other natural materials in a collage. Or make a little natural weaving loom like this one from Woodlark to hold a bunch of leaves and other fall pretties in a way that can continuously be changed.

Another way to turn leaves into art is by using markers or pens to trace the veins on a leaf. This idea is from Go Science Kids, and it’s a simple thing that makes really pretty leaves to display while also giving you can chance to talk about why leaves have veins and what is happening when leaves change colors.

Kids Craft Room has a great idea for making leaf luminaries, which would be fun to decorate the table from now through Thanksgiving. The best thing about these is that you don’t have to use any glue, so it’s easy for kids to make (with some supervision since cutting is involved).

This one does use glue, but it’s so cute it’s probably worth the potential mess. Our Kid Things shows you how to make an adorable hedgehog with fall leaves using their printable template and a paper plate.

I also love this fall in a bottle project from The Crazy Outdoor Mama. It’s like a snow globe with leaves and has the added cuteness of a kid’s photo inside. This would be a fun one to make at school to give to parents or grandparents, and it’s so easy and cute!

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