Part scavenger hunt, part outdoor exploration, this activity will get kids looking at the nature around them. This is a fun activity to do with a group of four or more, so try it at a nature-themed birthday party. Kids start the activity by thinking about what they will find and make small signs to set in nature. Then they go in search of those objects and create a sort of treasure map for others to follow.
You can even end the exploration with a storytelling activity that is based on the discoveries that the kids make.
Materials for Kids’ Activities
You’ll need large craft sticks (like tongue depressors), one or two for each player. You’ll want ten-to-fifteen craft sticks for the game. If you have a large group, you can break them into two or three teams during some of the activities. For the craft project, the kids will need another stick.
Get a collection of inexpensive nature stickers – bugs, leaves, birds, clouds, and other things that the kids might see during their exploration. Avoid things like aquatic or African animals unless you have an imaginative group that would like to add a fantasy element to the activities.
To make the story stick craft you will also need white glue and 1/8” ribbon in different colors, cut to 12” lengths.
Scavenger Hunt with Kids
Before heading out on the scavenger hunt, have kids predict some of the things they think they might see. Give each child one or two craft sticks and set out the nature stickers. Tell the kids they can put one sticker on each craft stick.
Now go outside and explain the boundaries for the game to the kids. You will stand in one spot to watch them and you should be able to see them (and they should be able to see you) during the activity. If you have other adults with you, ask them to stand at posts around the area to keep the kids safely within the boundaries.
The kids will look around the area and select a likely spot where they think the objects illustrated on their craft sticks could be found. The kids will insert the stick into the ground at those locations (even if the object may be found in the tree or in the sky over the stick). Players now roam around the area, stopping at the sticks and looking for the items indicated on the stickers.
Storytelling with Kids
Gather the sticks and have the kids discuss how many things they found. How accurate were the predictions of the players as to where things in nature could be found? Set the sticks in a paper bag and have the kids sit in a circle. Pass the bag to one child who reaches her hand in and pulls out a stick. The child looks at the image on the stick and starts a story about that nature creature.
Continue passing the bag around. Each child reaches in, withdraws a stick, adds a few sentences to the story, incorporates the item illustrated on the stick, and then passes the bag to the child beside them who will do the same thing. The final child to take the bag must conclude the story.
Story Stick Craft for Kids
Give each child a fresh craft stick. Glue three pieces of ribbon near the bottom of the stick for a decorative touch. Now, give the kids the stickers again. They will place the stickers along the front and back of the craft stick. Tell the kids to put the stickers in an order that would tell a story; each sticker introduces a new element to the tale.
If you have just a few kids, or you didn’t do the group storytelling activity, you could have the kids tell their nature stories as illustrated on the craft stick.
A few craft sticks and some nature stickers can be used for a nature scavenger hunt and two different storytelling activities. These activities incorporate observation skills as well as testing kids’ imaginative abilities.
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