As the end of Summer draws near, that means our adventure “season” is just beginning! We typically slow down on activities during the heat of Summer and cold of Winter. We aren’t huge fans of battling mosquitoes and getting frostbitten although we do have our fair share of outdoor time during those seasons as well. It’s just SO much more enjoyable in the Fall and Spring. Since we were getting a bit of cabin fever over the long Labor Day weekend, we decided to head out so the boys could burn off some energy to Tuckahoe State Park. For some added motivation to get the boys excited, I decided to try out a nature scavenger hunt this time. I am rather picky about the pre-made versions but I didn’t have the time or energy to make my own just now, so I used this great one from “Make and Takes” that worked perfectly for my 3 and 6 year olds:
I needed one with pictures since my 3 year old can’t read and I wanted him to be able to do it as independently as possible. I also made sure it was going to be realistic to find all these items where we were going so they wouldn’t get frustrated. I selected a scavenger hunt that was practical yet age appropriate enough to provide somewhat of a challenge for them. Surprisingly, the hardest thing to find was a pine cone!
We did the Lore of the Land Nature Trail at Tuckahoe, as we were looking for something short and sweet. We hiked for about an hour and especially enjoyed the creek there. Despite being eaten alive by mosquitoes (still scratching!) and dripping with sweat, the boys had a great time and didn’t complain once during our hike. The only issue we had was that our 6 year old is rather competitive and wanted to turn the hunt in to a win-or-lose game against his brother where he had the obvious advantage considering he’s a bit older and more experienced at spotting things. We had to referee a bit between the two, but that’s par for the course with brothers!
Since this scavenger hunt was such a hit with them, I promised we would do another one soon and I plan on changing up the hunt list to keep things exciting. If you have older kids who need more of a challenge, or would like to have a longer scavenger hunt here are some Buckit Blog Bonus finds to add to the list of things to search for:
- A worm
- A red leaf
- Lichens
- An amphibian
- A beetle
- A yellow leaf
- Water (puddle, stream, pond, etc.)
- A reptile
- A bird
- A mammal
- A vine on a tree
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