Learn Outside with a Nature Scavenger Hunt

Help your kids burn off some extra energy, spend time outside and learn about the nature around them by encouraging them to partake in a nature scavenger hunt. While these scavenger hunts are a useful tool to help children learn, teens and adults can learn just as much by supervising or joining in as well. Ben & Annie’s Trees For Tomorrow recommends the below scavenger hunts, organized by the Texas Tree Foundation to include the native plants, nonliving and living organisms that can be found in your own backyard or neighborhood. 

Abiotic Factors

Not everything worth looking at in nature is a living creature. Abiotic factors are nonliving things that have an impact on the living things around them. Examples include dirt, manmade materials like brick or concrete, flowing water and more. 

Creepy Crawlies

Bugs may not be everyone’s favorite thing to find, but they’re vital to the health and conservation of our ecosystem. Insects and other biota help break down decomposing matter and return it back to nature so it can be used to grow more plants. Bugs also provide food for birds, mammals and other crucial members of the ecosystem.  

Native Flowers

Flowers aren’t just beautiful, they play a huge role in the natural surroundings and help the Texas ecosystem flourish. Flowers native to Texas have adapted to high heat and minimal rainfall, meaning they can thrive year round in the unique climate. 

The Senses 

Spending time outside allows kids to use every one of their senses, and this particular scavenger hunt can help younger children identify what impacts every sense. Sight, sound, touch and smell all aid in nature observation, and can all be used throughout your backyard or neighborhood—feeling textured leaves, smelling flowers with strong scents, hearing the sound of a woodpecker. 

Trees 

The team at Ben & Annie’s Trees for Tomorrow obviously have a soft spot for the native trees that grow around Texas. A scavenger hunt can help kids understand the various stages of a tree’s life, the different types of trees and identify what birds, insects and animals are spending time in the trees near their homes. Additionally, it can give adults the opportunity to do a tree check for unhealthy or dying trees, or identify ones that have been infested by invasive species. 

When kids start learning about the nature that surrounds them at an early age, they grow up with a true appreciation for it. With activities like this downloadable outdoor scavenger hunt, learning doesn’t have to feel like a chore—it can feel like an exciting adventure that they’ll remember for years to come. 

At Ben & Annie’s Trees For Tomorrow, we’re dedicated to the promotion of sustainable development throughout Central Texas. Trees are extremely important to our ecosystem, and we want to help Texans of all ages learn how to better appreciate and conserve the nature we live amongst. For more information on our mission, or to find more resources for children and teens, contact us online today.