Yard scavenger hunts are one of those activities that you can throw together in just a couple minutes, and it will keep the kids busy for a while. It will also get them outside away from the electronics, as well as leave them with no excuse to utter “I’m bored”.
To get started, create a scavenger hunt list for them with items that they will find in your yard. Then give them the list, a pen or pencil, and a basket to hold what they find; and send them on their way.
What to Put in the Scavenger Hunt
Anything you can find in your yard is fair game for the scavenger hunt list. You can also make it as easy or as hard as you want to depending on the group of kids you are doing this for.
For example, if you are doing this for younger kids, one of your clues may be for them to find a red flower. For the older kids, the clue for the very same item could have them looking for a flower with 9 petals. To find scavenger hunt items, take a walk around your yard and take inventory of what is there. You can use items such as:
- Garden tools
- Specific rocks
- Flowers
- Different shaped or colored leaves
- Garbage
- A soft item
- Something that can be recycled
- Something that can be eaten
Making the Scavenger Hunt List
The actual scavenger hunt list itself can be as artistic or as simple as you want it to be. I recommend at least typing it out, so that your kids can read them. Nothing frustrates a kid doing a scavenger hunt more than not being able to read what they are supposed to be looking for. Then they lose time trying to figure out what you wrote down, as well as having to take the time to find you and ask what it was.
The list can be made as just a straight list of things in
a word document. Then, as the kids find items on the list, they can just cross off the item. You can also make a list with check boxes next to them if you want to get really fancy.
