Easy Scavenger Hunt
I learned through experience that scavenger hunts for beginner outdoorspeople and city-people need to assume that participants have very little knowledge of the outdoors.
Wander the park, take your time! Please use different plants/animals for each question. Have fun!
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Name as many plants in the park as you can (try for 4)!
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Close your eyes: describe 2 different noises you hear. Without looking, what are they?
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Find 2 flowering plants. Draw their flowers here.
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Come to me and ask for an edible plant. What does it taste like? Compare it to something you have eaten before.
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Find a plant with a hairy stem or hairy leaves. What do the hairs feel like (soft, prickly, etc)? What do you think the hairs are for?
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Find an insect. Draw its eyes here.
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Find 2 kinds of plants that smell good when you crush them. Describe their smells.
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Take a few minutes and watch a single bird that is in the park. Follow it carefully without scaring it. Take note of what it’s doing. Write down some questions you have about its behavior.
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Come back to the backpacks. Lay down on the grass and close your eyes. What can you smell from that level?
NOT So Easy Scavenger Hunt
My first attempt at a scavenger hunt for beginners was a huge fail because it was far too complex. So if you have some more advanced naturalists (not super knowledgable, but also not beginners), try this one on for size.
