Discovery Play Activities with Your Young Child: Nature Scavenger Hunt
Description
Going for a walk/hike is not just a great opportunity to get exercise, but a great way to give your children a STEM lesson. Tell children that they will make observations in the environment before the walk. Ask open-ended questions during the walk and get them to talk about what they are seeing. You can also take photos with the phone, and let children draw and sketch the observations when they get home.
Environment
- Wear sunglasses/hat if sensitive to bright light and going outside for the scavenger hunt
- Allow your child to wear gardening gloves or something similar if they are sensitive to different textures
- Place nature items within reach
- Start walking in the backyard or short distance, then gradually increase walking distance
- Have your child wear headphones if they are sensitive to sound/noise
- Choose an area that you know will have a lot of different nature items to observe
Materials
- Have child’s assistive technology ready and available, including augmentative & alternative communication (AAC) device and/or power wheelchair
- Add additional material(s), such as self-adhesive tape, to pencils and crayons to make it easier to grasp, lift, turn, and draw with
- Label nature items to help children notice them
- Show your child nature items that differ in size and color so they can differentiate the collected items
- Bring visuals that represent items that may be observed on the walk to support the child finding them.
Instruction
- Simplify the activity beginning with only two nature items
- Use a variety of methods of communication (e.g., sign language, gestures) to meaningfully engage children
- Provide visual prompts to help the child communicate
- Provide hand-under-hand support to help the child find nature items
- Provide the child with the plan for the scavenger hunt before you leave so they know what to expect. Pair the plan with specific visuals to search for if helpful.