Nature Walk Ideas

Have you ever taken a nature walk with your children and then wondered what to do with all the STUFF you bring home?  Twigs, leaves, rocks, butterfly wings, and grass strewn about the house.  I know I’ve personally had to threaten to throw out acorns if I stepped on any more!  The solution?  DO something with all those bits of nature from your walk!  I’m going to give you some great ideas for things to do with your pieces of nature, but first, here are some great ways to conduct a nature walk.

Nature Walk Ideas

There are several different ways to take a nature walk.  Here are a few of my favorites!

1. Do an A, B, C walk.  Search for something that begins with “A”, then “B”, and so on.  Don’t get discouraged if you don’t find something with a certain letter.  Try to think of something in nature that starts with that letter and then move on!  (Obviously you’re not going to find a Zebra, but talking about how Zebra begins with the letter “Z” is still great learning!)  You can also just find things that have the letter IN the word!  For example, if you’re stuck on “C”, instead of trying to find something that starts with “C”, find an aCorn and talk about how you can hear the “C” sound in the word.
2. Do an “I Spy” walk.  You “spy” something and tell your child what you see.  Let them go find it and bring it to you.  Take turns “spying” different nature items.
3. Do a color walk.  Search for only green items or only yellow items.  You could also find all your items and then sort them by color when you get back.
4. Don’t have a theme!  Just go out and let your child explore and collect whatever they want.
5. Set a timer and tell your child to collect as many things as they can in five minutes.  Then look at each item closely when they bring them back.

Nature Walk Display Ideas

1. Make a nature jar.  Place your child’s nature walk findings in a small mason jar put a decorative lid on top.
2. Make a bookmark.  Have your child place thin leaves or flowers on a sheet of contact paper cut the desired size.  Press between two layers of contact paper.  Punch a hole in the top and tie yarn through the hole for a pretty, unique bookmark.
3. Make a window hanging.  Cut two pieces of contact paper in 8×8 squares.  Peel the backing off one sheet and allow your child to stick his/her findings on the paper.  Then peel the backing off the other sheet and place on top.  Seal it tightly so that leaves and flowers will be preserved.  Hang in the window.
4. Make a wreath.  Cut a piece of cardstock in the shape of a leaf.  Allow your child to glue their findings onto the paper.
5. Make a nature walk sensory bin.  Place your findings in a tub and get out once in a while to allow your child to play with their findings.

What are some things you’ve done with your nature walk findings?