Use your eyes, brain, and body on your hike to practice observational skills

Scavenger Hunts!

Create a scavenger hunt for kids based on:

1. Local flora and fauna (hike in the space ahead of time to see what you may find)

   -You could do a focused scavenger hunt only on seeds or birds or leaves..

2. Children’s interests (this can even be fantastical, for example- find a stick that looks like a fire hose or find a troll’s home)

3. Academic skill (color, shapes, letters, numbers, etc.)

Children LOVE scavenger hunts, it doesn’t need to be fancy or pretty- any challenge is exciting to kids!

Fundanas:

Purchase a fundana to have an easy game ready at all times in your pack! Simply spread out the bandana on the ground in a space along the hiking trail. Each player can select a natural object as their ‘game piece’ and place the object on one of the game squares to begin. Each square has the player attempting to locate an object in nature or make an observation. Play one round and then have the group come together to discuss their findings or observations. Players move their game piece for the next round and follow the directions. This is a fun, easy compact way to travel with a ready-made hiking game.

Be sure to check out more hiking games for spatial awareness & cognitive development- here.