Nature Scavenger Hunt for Kids and Little Explorers! [Printable]

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Fall doesn’t have to be just waiting for winter… enjoy it with this nature scavenger hunt list for kids!

Fall has always been a difficult time for me – it’s an in-between kind of season for those who live in the north that doesn’t really have anything amazing to do. It’s too cold for camping and such, but there’s no snow for winter sports.

With kids, that becomes even more difficult because I spend 30 minutes dressing them up just to bring them in 20 minutes later because their hands get cold and they’re bored!

Anyways, that’s why I have focused on creating activities to keep them occupied during fall. My preschooler LOVES everything having to do with playing in the water, looking for bugs, and wearing minimal clothing, so I knew I had to make something fun because none of that was going to happen!

So I thought I’d make a scavenger hunt!

Not only would he be occupied, but I would be too! I’m sort of embarrassed to admit, but I have to feel like going outside too if I am going to get all the kids ready. Preparing for summer weather and enjoying it is easy – put the kids outside as is (no need for special warm clothes) and I generally get to sit in a lawn chair, read a magazine, or work on my garden! They love being outside so much that they would pretty much entertain themselves!

This scavenger hunt could honestly be used any season – I call it a fall one because it doesn’t have typical easy summer only stuff on it like tufts of green grass or such.

As with anything else, if you don’t have something on the Scavenger Hunt / BINGO sheet, just sub it for something you do have!

outdoor activities for little kids with binoculars
Trying to spot birds! You’d think because all the leaves were gone this would be easy, but the cold weather has already made quite a few leave!

P.S. I wanted you to know that I am an Amazon Affiliate and do make a small commission should you purchase anything through my links. I also received the Kidventure kit as part of a sponsored post!

How to play Fall Scavenger Hunt / Nature bingo

So I made this format a little different than a typical scavenger hunt (though I labeled it as such because that is what most people think of and search for!).

I created a BINGO styled sheet so that it could accommodate both little kids and older kids!

For younger kids (like mine!) the goal would be just to find everything in one row. Most of the rows have a “give me” that’s pretty easy, and I made the sizing of the BINGO card so that the horizontal rows are only 3 across. This makes it WAY easier for tiny attention spans!

For older kids, they could use the BINGO sheet as a typical scavenger hunt list and just find everything!

Encourage further exploration with this fall scavenger hunt printable using fun tools!

You might not have noticed, but on some of the squares, there are tiny symbols that represent an easier way to find that object!

There are binoculars, a magnifying glass, and a flashlight!

While normal scavenger hunts are cool, I found my kid got a giant kick out of being able to use his “explorer tools” to help him find things!

fun games for kids outdoors scavenger hunt for fall
My guy was pretty excited to see things up close and all the little details!

For example, we were able to use binoculars to find a bird in a tree since we couldn’t find any near us (most of the birds have left by now!)

It isn’t necessary, but it’s just something fun that you should add to your outdoor set up if you enjoy going out with the kids.

I got a Kidventures Explorer Kit, which includes a magnifying glass, binoculars, whistle (perfect for talking about safety when lost!) a compass and cutecarrying bag!

 I love how having these tools have allowed us to talk about how different things look up close, how much more we can see from far away, as well as safety and directional convos!

(Being real though, I am going to be learning about the compass at the same speed at him. I’m unhealthily dependent on google maps to get me anywhere! =0 )

I can’t wait to use this stuff next camping season!

printable scavenger hunt for fall kids activity
Even if they don’t complete the scavenger hunt, it’s just something fun to keep little ones engaged and help them notice what’s around them!

Print out your fall nature scavenger hunt below!

Click here to download the PDF of the fall nature scavenger hunt!

outdoor scavenger hunt for kids
Don’t forget to laminate this guy to make it last a little longer!

Looking for more cool outdoor stuff to do with your kids?

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