In a couple of weeks, The Little Explorer will finish his first year of school. He’s learned his ABCs and 123s and isn’t afraid to use them. In fact, just a few weeks ago, I took his kindergarten class on a fun adventure in the school garden to put their skills to work. We went on an ABC nature scavenger hunt.
An ABC nature scavenger hunt is a walk focused on finding natural items that begin with each letter of the alphabet. For example, dirt for “D,” tree for “T” and so on.
You can do this activity in your own backyard, around the neighborhood, at a park, at the beach, while hiking or camping – wherever you might find yourself in a natural setting.
You don’t necessarily need to prep for this activity, since most school-age kiddos will be familiar with the alphabet.
But if you’ve got kids who like to be thorough – and I’ve got two – you can always jot down the letters of the alphabet in list form in a notebook or on a piece of paper, leaving room to write in what you find during your hunt. This way you can track which letters you’ve accounted for and which are still missing. Then grab something to write with and head outside.
Recommended age: 5 and up
To play:
1. Look for the first natural item you see. What letter starts its name? You don’t need to search for items in any particular order, though that’s one way to approach the game.
Another idea? Try picking one area and using your observation skills to find as many items in that space as you can before moving on. For example, how many words can you find just by looking at a tree? A flower? Under a rock?
2. Write down each item next to the corresponding letter on your list. Your child may want to try writing words out by him or herself, too. This is great practice for beginning readers.
3. Continue with your ABC nature scavenger hunt until you have found an item for each letter – or until you have played for a certain length of time.
How many items were you able to find? Did any of the letters give you trouble? Were others easier to find natural items for?
If you need a few more ideas for taking the ABC learning fun outside, check out my series on outdoor literacy over at Childhood101:
It's such an exciting stage of learning, isn't it? I love being able to take that learning outside & into nature. Enjoy, Mae!
Love this idea. My son loves letters and coming up with words that start with the same letter.