Also known as a nature scavenger hunt.
I've said before that sometimes the daily activities I have planned for the girls (when we actually have something planned) go over like carrots without ranch dressing. And other times you would've thought I'd handed them chocolate cake.
Today was a chocolate cake kind of day. They ate this one up, and then came home and asked for seconds.
Nothing groundbreaking here. I gave them each a clipboard, crayons and a chart I made this morning. I'd drawn pictures of items I was pretty sure we'd find at the park, and then told them to look for the items and either color them in, check them off or circle them when they spotted them.
The girls--Bo, especially--completely bypassed the playground when we arrived and started working on their scavenger hunts. In fact, Bo started checking off things as we pulled up in the car. We didn't treat it as a contest, but you could.
It took us about 30 minutes to find everything. OK, it took me about 5. It took them 30.
The butterfly and the squirrel proved most challenging--should've just stayed in our own backyard if we wanted squirrels. But what a thrill for them once everything on the chart was checked off (they had no patience for coloring in the pictures in the heat of the hunt, but I printed off extra copies when we got home and they painted them).
At the risk of revealing my pitiful skills as an illustrator (the girls swore the ball was really a pumpkin, and I'm not sure about the breed of the dog--what sort of dog has a teeny tiny head and a big barrel chest?), here is our park scavenger hunt worksheet, in case you'd like to try this at home:
Download The park scavenger hunt
Here's Magpie looking for a squirrel in the trees, yelling, "Squirrel! Squirrel! Come out!"
Again, here's the PDF:
Download The park scavenger hunt
Let me know if you have any trouble with it. Otherwise, happy hunting.
Super cute and I know my boys would loooove this activity!! Maybe I need to it with them to get a break from my own little crazy world=)
Hollie=)
Posted by: Hollie Eastman | August 24, 2010 at 01:28 AM
Such a great idea! And congratulations on your new blog design, it looks really good!
Posted by: Elisa | August 24, 2010 at 07:09 AM
What a darling idea! You are so clever! We are so lucky to have such a lovely park for a scavenger hunt.
Posted by: kate | August 24, 2010 at 11:18 AM
Which park is this?
Posted by: Jenn Schlich | August 25, 2010 at 12:06 AM
Love this idea. I suspect we'll be giving it a try in this last week before school starts...
Posted by: michaela | August 25, 2010 at 07:32 AM
Thanks, guys! Let me know how it goes if you end up doing it with your kids.
Jenn, it's Manito Park. Duncan Gardens (within Manito) is a sure bet for bees and butterflies.
Posted by: Megan | August 27, 2010 at 09:44 PM
I figured out the park and went yesterday, I had only been to the duck pond/playgound area before. Loved it! My daughter had a ball...plus good coffee at the Rockwood Bakery (while she slept in the car and some random/nice 11 yr old watched to make sure no one kidnapped her!). Good day!
Posted by: Jenn Schlich | August 27, 2010 at 11:32 PM
LOL. I once invented a business in my head in which teenagers are paid to stand in parking lots and babysit cars while parents run into stores to take care of quick errands. Parenting is lovely and all, but lugging a baby carrier and a toddler into Shopko so you can buy a box of tampons is the pits.
Rockwood Bakery is one of my favorites. Next time you go, order a pumpkin muffin. Best ever.
This is fun. What else do you need to know about Spokane? I've been planning on writing a guide to my favorite places. Glad you liked the other parts of Manito Park. It's a gem. Did you go inside the Japanese Gardens? Gorgeous! It took me way too long to discover that (I moved here in 2001 from Boston via Portland via Bellingham).
Posted by: Megan | August 27, 2010 at 11:57 PM
We just moved here from Bellingham 9 months ago!
Posted by: Jenn | August 28, 2010 at 03:45 PM
Fun, Jenn! Welcome to Spokane. Wait a sec. Is this a different Jenn than Jenn Schlich? I'm getting confused.
I grew up in Bellingham and my family still lives there. Love it. Miss it.
Posted by: Megan | August 28, 2010 at 03:55 PM
Yes, same one...
Posted by: Jenn Schlich | August 28, 2010 at 08:25 PM
wow what a great mom you are!! i really dont do anything fun with my kids... i mean we play at home... but nothing like this!
how old are your girls??
Posted by: Holly | September 15, 2010 at 12:28 AM
Oh, Holly, I do my best, but I'm no supermom. A big part of the reason that we do all the crafts and activities is that it satisfies the inner crafter and teacher in me (I used to be a teacher). So, see, I'm just being greedy. ;)
I firmly believe that free play is the most important thing. I'm a big fan of Lawrence Cohen's book Playful Parenting.
My girls are almost 3 and just turned 5. How about you?
Posted by: Megan | September 15, 2010 at 01:02 AM
Oh, that's a challenging game for her! She even had to call the squirrels to come out! LOL! But she learned from that activity, indeed! And she has good coloring skills! :)
Posted by: Kylie Capshaw | September 14, 2011 at 01:47 PM
Thanks for sharing! This is such a cute idea. Fun!
Posted by: Michelle | April 03, 2012 at 01:39 PM
This will make for a fun afternoon. Thanks!
Posted by: Colleen P | April 17, 2012 at 03:02 PM
I am so glad I found this! (again) i did this with my kids a while ago and never made an extra copy and have been searching for your site for a while.Kids loved it (me too). Nice job with all the pics.
Posted by: Jen | May 31, 2012 at 02:14 PM