This scavenger hunt was originally featured in the Fall 2021 issue of Living Education.

For an activity the whole family can enjoy together, try a scavenger hunt. You can make a list of items to find and have people pair up to see which team can find everything on the list first. Or you can make it a more cooperative game by having everyone work together to find the list of items. If you have pre-readers, you can draw simple pictures of what to find or cut out photos and create a Bingo-style card. Check off each item as it is discovered.

Create your scavenger hunt list based on your locale and the season. If you live in the forest, your list will look different than if you live in grasslands, desert, city, or near the ocean shore. Depending on the items you choose, you might have players collect items, which you can later use for craft projects or decorations. You might also have scavenger hunts based on living things that players need to search for and check off the list without disturbing the plant or animal. Another option is to bring a camera and take pictures of each item found.

This is an excellent activity to do when taking a walk or hike. It can be done in a familiar area or when you are exploring somewhere new.

Here is a nature-based list of possibilities for your Fall Scavenger Hunt that you can tailor to your environment.

• Pine tree
• Something orange
• Interesting rock (this is open to interpretation!)
• Tree with a hole in it
• Feather
• Dried seed pod
• Bird
• Squirrel
• Ant
• Stick shaped like a Y
• A sapling taller than you
• A hole in the ground made by an animal
• A tree with a trunk too wide to reach your hands around (or for two or more people to reach around holding hands)
• A rock large enough to stand on