How to Have an Outdoor Scavenger Hunt in Spring
Are you ready to have a fun outdoor scavenger hunt in the spring to get some fresh air and fun into your homeschool days? Read on for ideas and a free printable to get you started!
As the weather starts to warm up, moms everywhere are looking for more ways to get their kids outside and off of electronics. Kids don’t necessarily pile outside willingly, so I’m here to tell you there is no shame in enticing your kids with fun activities. In fact, it’s good for all of us to get outside. Nature study could be a hike, or a park day, or any number of things but one of the best ways to get your kids out into the fresh air is to have an outdoor scavenger hunt in Spring.
You can also add in themed ideas like this Mother’s Day scavenger hunt.
How to have a fantastic outdoor scavenger hunt
First, you need to decide on a good day to have a scavenger hunt. Check the forecast and pick a nice Spring day. Depending on where you live, it may be hard to avoid rain, but that’s okay. Also, you can have an outdoor scavenger hunt in the rain in the Spring. In fact, it’s only fitting. Just be prepared with towels and a place for muddy gear. Once you’ve picked a day, invite your kids’ friends to join you. If you want to have a socially distant Spring scavenger hunt, you could plan an event where everyone participates from their own backyards, using the Marco Polo app or Zoom.
Second, you need to get everything ready before the day of the outdoor scavenger hunt. Be sure to print one copy of the scavenger hunt for each team and mount them on cardstock to give it a little durability. Provide colored pencils, crayons, or writing utensils so that teams can keep track of their progress. You might also want to have a clipboard for each team, like these in cute Spring colors.
- Pack of 6 Assorted colors transparent clipboards – One of each – Blue, red, orange, pink, green and purple
- 9 Inches x 12.5 Inches – Letter size – Strong and sturdy hanging loop
- Durable, polished metal, classic clip with sturdy long-lasting spring
Plan to have snacks and water available for participants since running around looking for all of Spring’s treasures will make them thirsty and starving. You can even have some Spring-themed snacks if you want! Keep it simple or get creative, your choice. Decide if you will have prizes, and what your budget will be for prizes. If you want prizes, make sure to order or purchase those ahead of time. You could even give out slinkies since they are “Spring-y” toys.
The day of your scavenger hunt
On the day of the event, gather everyone in one place either in your backyard, a local park, or via a Zoom call, and provide instructions and rules as needed. You might need to have boundaries, a time limit, an adult with each group, etc. Decide on a method for winners to announce if they’ve completed the entire scavenger hunt (text a group, shouting, Marco Polo, returning to the winner mat, etc.), or meet back at a specific time if no one completes the whole list. Make this work for you; you get to decide how this goes down. You can even choose to do an outdoor scavenger hunt just with your family, take the printable with you on a hike and look together, or just send the kids outside to figure it out on their own.
What to look for
Do what works for you. If you want to get even more elaborate, you could do some of these Spring activities and make an afternoon of it all. Here are some of the things you can look for in our outdoor scavenger hunt printable. You can add even more things, based on where you choose to have your scavenger hunt and what you know about your area. Just tack on a second sheet of paper with a written list if you want to make this a little more challenging.
- Bird
- Fence
- Butterfly
- Sunshine
- Ladybug
- Cloud
- Garden Tool
- Watering Can
- Flower
- Seedling
- Worm
- Kite
- Bird’s Nest
- Buds on Branches
- Seeds
- Snail
- Bee
- Sprouting Seed
- Bunny
- Tulip
Why you really want to have an outdoor scavenger hunt with your kids this Spring
Having an outdoor scavenger hunt in Spring will be so much fun. You will be making fun memories for your kids and getting them outside in the sunshine and fresh air at the same time. Your kids will benefit so much from a childhood filled with time outdoors and a shared appreciation of the treasures of nature God has given us. Song of Solomon 2:11-12 says “For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.” This is a beautiful Bible verse to share with your kids and friends as you celebrate the beginning of Spring together.
You may also like our Scavenger Hunt for Winter, because any time is a good time to have an outdoor scavenger hunt!
Don’t forget to grab your free scavenger hunt printable by clicking on the image below:
You can find more fun spring ideas from my blogging friends here:
- Homeschooling Through the Holidays: The Relaxed Approach - November 18, 2024
- Thanksgiving Mad Libs for Kids - November 15, 2024
- How Can Music and Movement Be Used in OT to Engage Kids? - November 14, 2024
