I wanted my kids to savor and enjoy nature like I do. So every spring we would have a scavenger hunt.

We each had a piece of paper with natural objects to find like:

·       Robin’s egg

·       Yellow flower

·       Frog or tadpole

·       Turtle

·       Red winged blackbird

·       Bumble bee

·       A tree just starting to bud

·       A snow drop or crocus

·       Cherry blossoms

·       Nest

·       Puddle

·       Rabbit

·       Feather

·       Butterfly

·       Cloud

·       Duck

I’d tweak the list depending on whether we are out in early spring or late spring. A few empty lines at the bottom would be added to the list in case they ran across something interesting like a deer that they wanted to capture.

Sometimes we would have a scavenger hunt in other seasons as well.

Lists and pencils in hand, we would set off on a nature walk. We’d walk the trail together enjoying the beauty of the woods. 

The first person to see the object in nature got to check it off. A delighted voice of, "Look everyone there is a …." accompanied it. We would revel in what was seen, silently taking in the view. 

We usually didn’t find everything on the list, but no one seemed to care who won anyway. We all got to notice nature and experience it’s nurturing.