After a long winter, sometimes getting the kids re-engaged into the outdoors can be difficult. Or maybe even nature-loving kids don’t want to get out into the heat. Regardless of how old or why a child doesn’t like going outside, there are always fun ways to get kids to spend time in fresh air and learn to love nature more. And one of our favorite ways to spend an afternoon that the kids are not so keen on going outside is to do a nature scavenger hunt slime activity.
How to pull off a successful nature scavenger hunt regardless of where you live
Our family lives in Boston. So city life can sometimes be limiting in how much time kids spend outside and exploring . Even so, there’s so much nature that can be found. Therefore, one of the best ways to start off your scavenger hunt is to think of how to get your kids most closely engaged with nature and exciting their sensory systems?
“Can you find something teeny-tiny-itsy-bitsy?”
“What can you find that’s hard?”
“Do you see something multi-colored?”
It’s easy to go on a walk even in a crowded neighborhood and find a plethora of options. But regardless of if you live in an urban environment, suburbia, or way out “in the sticks”, a great activity would be to make a different scavenger hunt slime based on the area you’re exploring.
One day, a walk in the park or neighborhood, another in the woods, and maybe another along a riverbed.
Each one can take anywhere between 30 and 90 minutes to explore the area, find the ingredients, and talk about your findings. (Meaning not only do they get to learn about nature and make a fun nature slime recipe, but they also get to actually spend quality time outside interacting with their surroundings).
Want more ideas to get your family more engaged in nature and your kids outside more? Learn about our free online workshop.
A few ideas to get you started that most locations have:
- Acorn tops
- Small deciduous leaves
- Pine needles
- Blades of grass of all different textures
- Find flower petals of 3 different colors
- Can you find 2 different kinds of berries?
- Something fuzzy
- A flower with multiple colors
- Some seeds
How to make nature slime
There are two main ways to make it and it depends on what your ends goal is. Clear slime will allow the kids to see everything inside of it. But if you do a white slime, then it’s like a search and find once the items are added.
We typically choose white because after we’re done, we dye it.
Related: Homemade Berry Slime Recipe
For white slime simply mix 1/2 cup of water with 1/2 cup white glue. Mixing thoroughly until completely combined and then add 1/4 cup liquid starch.
After it’s made, add in your nature scavenger hunt treasures and start kneading.
Stretch, pull, bend, let hang, and more… let the kids explore all the things they found on their nature walk.
Find more ideas to get kids outside all year long
My friend Thena and I run an online workshop to help families of all backgrounds and outdoor experience levels find fun, new ways to explore the great outdoors. It’s completely free and fun for the whole family! Simple choose an option below and enter your email address to be a part of our “Families Back to Nature” training.
Average time your kids spent outside per day
More resources on getting kids excited about nature
Kara is an author and advocate for positive, grace-filled parenting. She is homeschooler to her 6 children living on a farm in New England. She believes in creative educational approaches to help kids dive deeper into a rich learning experience and has her degree in Secondary Education & Adolescent Childhood Development. She is passionate about connecting with and helping other parents on their journey to raise awesome kids!
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