April is Earth Month, and these challenging Scavenger hunts will keep kids of all ages busy searching for all-things-nature! Before you start, make sure it’s safe to go outside, make sure you’re dressed properly, and have everything you need. You might want to print out the scavenger hunt lists and use a writing utensil to check things off as you find them. Or you can look at the lists on your device, and just “air check” things off as you find them.
You will definitely want to practice using all your senses before you begin. Humans rely heavily on our sense of sight, but you’ll want to take on the heightened senses of these animals, to help you find everything on your list.
> Owl Eyes – Open your eyes REALLY wide, and look straight ahead. Hold your arms out to the sides and wiggle your fingers. Without moving your head, just move your eyeballs until you can see your wiggling fingers. Move your eyeballs to the left – can you see your left fingers wiggling over there? Move your eyeballs to the right – can you see your right fingers wiggling over there? Now hold your arms straight up in the air and wiggle your fingers. Without moving your head, move your eyeballs up – can you see your fingers wiggling up there? Hold your arms down toward your legs and wiggle your fingers. Move your eyeballs down – can you see your fingers wiggling down there? Good job!
> Deer Ears – Make the letter ‘C’ out of your hand and cup it behind your ear. Now your ear is BIG like a deer, and can capture sound so much better! Do the same with your other hand, and cup it behind your other ear. Now you can hear everything in front of you! Rotate your hands so the cups are facing behind you. Now you can hear everything behind you, too!
> Dog Nose – Have you ever noticed dogs sniff around A LOT! A dog’s sense of smell is 40 times better than a human’s! Their noses are wet to absorb scent particles in the air. So, all you need to do to put on your Dog Nose is to lick your nose! Go ahead, try it! Oh … you can’t lick your nose? Me neither. … Try licking your hand and then wiping it on your nose. Now you can smell what you ate for lunch! Gross!
> Fox Feet – Foxes can sneak perfectly silently, avoiding detection by their prey! Try tip-toeing silently backwards and forwards. But! You must be able to FREEZE instantly! If you are too loud, or go too fast, you might miss things and accidentally scare animals away. If you are slow and silent, you’ll see so much more!
> Taste – We’re not going to practice tasting, because you should never taste anything from nature unless you are with an expert who says it’s safe!
Ready? Set? SEARCH!
Sensory Scavenger Hunt | preschool – early elementary school
Can you find something spiky or smooth? What about something quiet or repetitive? Or how about something stinky or tall? Use your Owl Eyes, Deer Ears, Dog Nose, and Fox Feet to find as many of these Nature Sensory items as you can!
Spring Scavenger Hunt | preschool – early elementary school
The first day of spring is on the spring equinox – March 19, 20, or 21 in the northern hemisphere. Now, every day gets a little longer, which gives plants and animals more hours of sunlight. See how many signs of spring you can find!
Habitat Scavenger Hunt | elementary school
All animals need food, water, shelter, and suitable space. This bilingual scavenger hunt incudes items that animals can use as one of those resources, or maybe more! With each item from the list you find, discuss whether it could be an animal’s food, water, shelter, space, or more than one!
Bird BINGO | elementary – upper elementary school
Get the whole family involved using the four BINGO cards, each with different arrangements of birds and other plants and creatures that can be found in Maryland. See who gets BINGO first, or try to find everything on your card!
Climate Actions Scavenger Hunt | upper elementary – middle school
See how many of these individual energy-saving actions you can find in and around your home. Want to push it even further? Take a pledge to reduce your Carbon footprint by taking one (or more!) of the actions listed in this scavenger hunt.
