Outdoor activities
Observe, discover, and learn on your own — perfect for kids, families, and school groups.
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Scavenger Hunts | Creative Activities | Observation & Sensory Games
The Three Ds: Dead, Down, & Detached – A Sustainable Way to Harvest from Nature
Overview
In this adventure, we will sustainably collect items to build a fairy house! Every single part of plant has an important job to do, so we want to leave living plants in the Arboretum as they are. But you can still collect fun nature items from the Arboretum by looking for items that are dead, down, and detached.
Gear
Basket or bag (optional)
Find these!
Dead
We want to find items that are not living. Talk with your adult about items that are dead/not living that humans should not touch. Working with your adult, along the main path to the Backyard Garden and point out 5 things that are not living. What did you find?
Down
Down means items that are down on the ground. Walking past the Horizontal Garden and Nativar Garden, point out 5 things that you see down on the ground. What did you find?
Detached
Detached means not connected to anything else. Talk to your adult about which items are safe to collect. Walking along the Native Plant Walk, co
Time to play with what you have collected! Take your collected items to the top of the Viewing Mound by the Fibonocci water feature, use your collected items to build a tiny house designed for a tree fairy. Listen to the water and be creative. Share your artwork with your adult. After you’re finished, take down your construction so that other people and animals can reuse the materials. What materials exist where you live that you could use to build? How do animals use items that are dead, down, and detached?
Nature’s Colors
Overview
In this adventure, we will use colors from the Arboretum to create a work of art! Did you know that people have been using natural materials like plants to make dyes for thousands of years? What colors are available here at the Arboretum?
Gear
White Paper (you can use the back of this sheet!) Camera (optional)
What colors are available in different areas of the Arboretum? Let’s go on a color hunt along the Master Gardener Garden- what kind of colors do you find? Use a camera to take photos of at least 3 different colors you notice. Don’t have a camera? Frame the shot with your hands and take a “mental snapshot”!
Once you have taken your three photos (or mental snapshots), let’s get harvesting! Collect 5 different items from along the trail that you want to turn into paint. Items might include: grass, leaves, mud, flower petals, fruit, etc. Consider how you might break down the item. Can you crush it easily with your hands? Do you need some rocks to help smush it up? Talk to your adult about which items are safe to collect, and would be least damaging to the plants at the Arboretum. Use the Three Ds activity for some ideas!
Crush up the materials using your hands or some rocks and apply them directly to the paper by smearing them across it. Make sure you’re smushing them enough to release any liquids that may be inside of them.
Create a work of art using your new dyes! How do the colors look different on your paper than they did before you harvested them? Share your artwork with your adult! What materials exist where you live that could be used to paint?
SEED EXPLORATION
Overview
In this fall adventure, we will explore a variety of seeds covering the park! What does every plant start as?
Gear
Plate, tray, or basket (optional) - Magnifying glass (optional)
1. There are so many different seeds here at the Arboretum. How many can you find? Head over to Japanese Maple Grove to start your seed hunt!
2. Decide how long you would like to search for seeds - 5 minutes? 10 minutes? Set a timer, or search until you feel done. Try to find as many different types of seeds as possible. Not sure if it’s a seed? Ask your adult for their opinion! Talk to your adult about which items are safe to collect, and only collect seeds that have already fallen on the ground. Use the Three Ds activity for more helpful hints about harvesting from the Arboretum!
3. Now, let’s take a closer look. Place all the seeds your group found into a container, or find a clear space on the ground to place your stash. Using your magnifying glass, take a really close look at the seeds you found. What do you notice about them? Observe their colors, textures, shapes, and more. What do you wonder about your seeds? Sort the seeds into groups with similarities. Seeds are all around us. What do these seeds remind you of?
4. Think like a scientist! Scientists gather information to answer questions that they have about the world. Why do you think different types of seeds look different? What can the appearance of these seeds tell you about them? Use the seeds you gathered to provide evidence for your ideas. Why do some seeds have spikes, while others have wings, or super hard shells? Talk with your adult about what functions you think those special qualities (adaptations) might serve, and why they’re important for the seed. What special qualities help you live in your community?
SUPER STEWARDS
Overview
In this adventure, we’ll explore some of the signs of human presence in the park and discover how we can be a super park steward! The Arboretum is a really fun place for humans to visit.
Gear
Writing utensil and Camera (optional)
1. Let’s go explore! Start walking from the front entrance at the front blue pillars. What things do you see around the path that were made or put there by humans? HINTS: a. This was built by humans to protect the grass and other plants from being stepped on: __________________ b. This was built so that humans could safely walk up to the Viewing Mound and not fall or step into the Alpine Rock Garden __________________ c. This is a place for humans to sit so that they don’t accidentally sit on a fragile plant: __________________ What other evidence can you find that humans have been to this park?
2. Ready for a challenge? Spell out your name, then try to find something made or put in the park by humans that starts with each letter of your name. For example: SAM; S - Sidewalks, A - Automobiles, M – Maps. The Arboretum features plant species from all over the region. How did these plants get here? In what ways have humans shaped the “natural” areas of the park?
3. Not all human presence is great for the park. What are some things you see around the park that might be hurting the plants or animals that live here? What actions can you take to help the park?
4. Stewards are people who take care of things. How can you be a good steward of this park? How do you help take care of your home? Come up with three things you can do to help take care of this space.
TINY TREK
Overview
In this adventure, we will go on the world’s tiniest trek to see what things we might be overlooking along the trail! Big hikes are fun, but there’s more hanging out on the ground than you might imagine.
Gear
Measuring tape (optional) Magnifying glass (optional)
1. Pick a place in the Arboretum that’s slightly off the beaten path. Try a mulchy area in the Japanese Maple Grove, or a shady spot in the grassy area of the Backyard Garden. Measure out about 3 feet on the ground. This is your new trail. If you don’t have a tape measure, use the full length of your adult’s arm.
2. Let’s get down to a bug’s eye view. Kneeling down at one end of your trail, use your fingers to comb through the grass, mulch, leaves, etc. What is something you see that you didn’t expect? Continue along your trail, looking carefully to notice as many things as possible.
3. Use your magnifying glass to take a closer look. What living things made their home on this trail? What is the most unique shape that you found?
4. How did your other senses help you explore? Describe something you heard, something you felt, and something you smelled. What tiny things might you be overlooking near your front door?
FAVORITE COLORS
Overview
You have a favorite color. Do you think birds and insects do too? Did you know that Hummingbirds are attracted to red and pink flowers while Goldfinches prefer yellow flowers. Color as well as flower shape will attract birds and help in the transfer of pollen from flower to flower by birds and insects. While most bright colors are attractive to birds, the color white can signal alarm, danger, and aggression to some birds. Although white flowers may not be interesting to birds, they do attract moths. After dark, moths and bats take over the night shift for pollination. Plants with pale or white flowers, heavy with fragrance and lots of nectar, attract these pollinating insects.
POLLINATION is the process by which pollen grains from an anther, the male portion of a flower, are transferred to a female part in the flower, known as the stigma. Once pollinated, the plant makes fruit. Birds and insects help the pollination process.
Gear – Before your walk in the Arboretum, visit a paint store to get a handful of free paint chip samples. Bring crayons, white paper and stiff board to draw on- camera (optional)
1. Let’s go on a color hunt along the Master Gardener Garden. Use the paint chips to match colors as you walk. How close is the color on the paint chip to the matching plants? Is it brighter, duller, warmer or cooler? Can you find other flowers with similar colors? What’s your favorite color? Can you find flowers that a hummingbird, a goldfinch or a moth would be attracted to? Use your camera to take photos of at least 3 different flowers you like. Don’t have a camera? Frame the shot with your hands to take a “mental snapshot”! Don’t have color chips samples? Make your own with crayons on white paper.
2. Find a spot in the Arboretum where you can sit and draw. Use your photo, your mental snapshot or sit right where the flower is to draw a picture. Share your artwork with your adult!
Take it home: What flowers grow where you live that would attract birds or insects? What flowers would you like to grow? Is there a place near where you live where you could plant a flower that would attract a bird or insect, maybe in a pot or the ground?
Creative Activities - Materials needed
Nature Bracelets
Benefits of this Activity: Making nature bracelets is a simple child-led multi-sensory outdoor activity that your children will really enjoy. Kids love creating art and exploring and being outside. This activity will get your child out in nature, exploring and using all their senses as they find items to decorate their bracelets with.
Materials:
Painters tape, Masking tape, duct tape, scissors
Small natural items (leaves, grass, twigs, fallen petals, seeds, acorns, feathers)
Instructions:
Prepare the tape: Tear off a piece of tape long enough to go around your wrist. Wrap it around your wrist with the sticky side facing out, securing the ends to form a bracelet.
Collect treasures: Go on a nature walk or explore your yard to find small, interesting items.
Decorate the bracelet: Gently press the collected natural items onto the sticky surface of the tape.
Repeat and create: Continue adding items, exploring different textures, colors, and sizes to fill the bracelet.
Tips:
Observe: Use this activity to encourage observation of nature's details, such as smells, textures, and shapes.
Ethical collecting: Collect only fallen items or things found on the ground.
Make a Nature Journal
Benefits of this Activity: Nature journaling—sketching and annotating observations about natural phenomena—builds crucial cognitive and processing skills like close observation, technical illustration, attention to detail, critical thinking, and the ability to organize and categorize information. These connections reach across the disciplines to make learning more cohesive and increase overall brain development to improve learning in multiple areas of the curriculum.
Materials:
Several sheets of paper (blank, lined, or mixed media for painting)
Two slightly larger pieces of cardboard or thick cardstock for the covers
A hole punch
Small stick, Twine, yarn, or ribbon, rubber bands for binding
Scissors
Optional: crayons, colored pencils, watercolors or markers for illustrating
Instructions:
Cut the pages and covers. Ensure your paper pages and cover material are cut to the same size and are square or rectangular. The covers should be slightly larger than the pages to protect the edges.
Stack and punch holes. Carefully stack your pages inside the covers, aligning them as evenly as possible. Punch at least two holes along one side of the stack, about an inch from the edge. For larger journals, punch three holes.
Bind the book. Place the stick by holes. Cut a length of yarn or twine for each hole. Thread the yarn through the corresponding holes in the covers and pages, then tie a secure knot or bow to hold everything together to the stick Using a shoelace knot will allow you to untie it easily to add more pages later. (See illustration)
Decorate the cover. Personalize your journal by decorating the front and back. You can draw, paint, or glue on natural items you've collected, like pressed leaves or bark.
Ideas for your journal entries:
Your journal can be as creative or as structured as you like.
Written observations: Record the date, time, and location of your entry. Note the weather and the things you see, hear, or smell.
Drawings and diagrams: Sketch plants, animals, clouds, or landscapes. Focus on details like shape, size, and color to sharpen your observation skills.
Leaf and bark rubbings: Place paper over a leaf or piece of tree bark and rub a crayon or pencil across it to capture the texture.
Collected specimens: Tape or glue small, pressed items like leaves, flowers, or feathers onto your pages.
"I Notice, I Wonder, It Reminds Me Of" prompts: The BEETLES Project suggests this framework to guide your observations. Write down what you notice, the questions it makes you wonder, and what it reminds you of.
Photography: Take photos of interesting finds and print them to add to your journal.
Creative writing: Write poems, stories, or thoughts inspired by your time in nature
Nature journals are super easy to make with a just a few materials you likely have around the house. All you need is some paper, thin cardboard or a thick paper
Bark/Leaf Rubbings
Benefits of this Activity: Bark and leaf rubbings are a great way to keep track of all the trees and shrubs you observe. What is your favorite tree or shrub? Take a walk through the Arboretum and look at all the different trees. Bring a guide book with you or use a phone app or the internet to help you identify all the trees and shrubs you see.
Materials:
Plain white paper
Clipboard, hardcover book, or other hard surface
Crayons with the wrappers removed
Instructions:
Feel the bark: Close your eyes and feel the bark of the trees. How does it feel? Which one is the smoothest? The roughest? Place your paper flat against the bark of a tree in an area with no branches. Bigger trees are easier to get rubbings.
If you can, find a leaf (or needles, which are the leaves of evergreen trees) from the tree. (Make sure you have permission first!) Or find one on the ground. Put the leaf against a hard, smooth surface (your clipboard), put the paper over it, and on a blank spot in the paper, rub over the leaf with the side of your crayon. You will see a leaf print appear. Try to do this on the same paper with your bark print, so you have the bark and leaf print of the same tree.
Record the name of the tree or shrub on your paper.
Start a notebook to keep track of your nature observations.
Additional ideas:
Make a Crayon leaf rubbings with a crayon and then paint over the crayon with watercolors
Adopt a Tree - Find a tree, do bark rubbing, collect a leaf and seed, paint, write a story, measure width with your body, draw the tree
Count Tree Rings - At Tree ring patio, talk about clues what rings close together and far apart tell you. How old is the tree?
Focus through Photography
Benefits of this activity: Children are naturally curious about their outdoor surroundings. Using a camera or iPhone encourages them to look more closely at the details of their environment. When they focus on capturing images of budding flowers, insects crawling on wood, worms in puddles, or patterns in tree bark, they learn to slow down and observe with enhanced observation. This mindfulness contributes to children noticing subtle changes in nature, such as the way a raindrop clings to a petal or how a bird constructs its nest. Such observational skills lay the foundation for scientific thinking, critical reasoning, and problem-solving while adding to their connections to their environment and environmental stewardship.
Materials:
Camera (phone, digital, slr)
Suggested Activities:
Experiment with different viewpoints by photographing subjects from above or below, find shapes and patterns in nature, and use their photos to make a collage or map of their environment.
Nature Photo Scavenger Hunt: Create a list of specific things for kids to photograph, such as "something red," "an interesting texture," or "a bird's nest".
20-Step Nature Photos: During a walk, have kids stop every 20 steps and take a picture of a nature-related item around them.
Nature Map: Ask children to take at least 10 photos of natural features in the Arboretum then use the photos to create a map on paper.Seasonal Photos: Encourage children to take pictures of the changing seasons, from spring blossoms to colorful fall leaves.
Focus on Details: Challenge kids to photograph close-ups of leaves, bark, insects, or water droplets to capture textures and shapes.
Color Wheel Nature Hunt
Benefits of this Activity: Playing a color wheel nature hunt encourages outdoor exploration, develops STEM skills through observation and sorting, sparks curiosity, and provides an engaging way to learn about the colors of nature. It promotes a connection with the natural world, fosters mindfulness, and offers a creative, screen-free activity that can be adapted for various ages and seasons
Materials:
Simple Color Wheel (download ours), or paper plate glue and construction paper or crayons, (Optional) clothes pins, tape or paper clips
Instructions:
Print out the color wheel, or create a simple color wheel by gluing various colors of construction paper to a paper plates or piece of paper. Use different colored crayons on the paper plate to create a handmade color wheel! Head Outside! Go explore the natural environment! Discover colors in nature that match the color wheel. Work as a team to find an object that matches each color on the wheel, or hunt at your own pace in this open-ended activity.
If you have tape or a clothes pin you can collect fallen colors and attach to the color wheel.
Additional ideas: Find your Favorite Color. Do you know that Birds have favorite colors? Download and read the Pollinator Sheet. Can you find birds favorite color? Help your friend find their favorite color.
Observation, Imagination, and Sensory Activities – No materials required
‘I Spy’ With My Nature Eye
Benefits of this Activity: Animals use their sense of sight for taking in information about the world around them. Humans are no different! Practice your observation skills in this fun game that can be played anywhere in nature.
How to play:
You need at least two players.
One player starts the game off by picking an item in nature that can be seen from the spot the players are seated. They should not reveal what the item is, the other players need to guess it!
Once the player has selected an item, they start by saying “I spy with my nature eye something _________” filling in the blank with whatever color the item is.
The other players take turns guessing what the item is by looking for objects that color. Players should not need to move to find the object. It should be visible to all players from the same spot.
Example:
Player 1: I spy with my nature eye something red.
Player 2: Is it the berry growing in the tree?
Player 1: Nope, guess again.
Follow Up Questions
What was the most common color when you played?
Was it the most difficult thing to spot, why?
Cloud Gazing
Benefits of this Activity: Cloud watching with kids fosters creativity, reduces stress, and connects with nature. Enjoy imaginative outdoor fun. Cloud Watching is a game of inspiration and wonder that aids in the development of visualization, storytelling, and a love for nature.
How to Play: Lie in grass on your back, look up. What do you see? Start spotting: Look up at the clouds and find one that catches your eye.
Identify and describe: Take turns pointing to the cloud and sharing what you think it looks like, such as an animal, a building, or a familiar object. You can start by offering a suggestion, like, "I see two round ears—that cloud looks like a bear!".
Tell a story: Imagine what that cloud animal or object is doing. Where is it going? What is it doing in the sky?.
Get creative: You can expand the activity by:
Drawing: Have your child draw the cloud shape and write what it looks like.
Guessing: Share your drawing with family members and see if they can guess what the cloud was.
Matching feelings: Try to find cloud shapes that represent different feelings. Want to sneak in a little learning? (Of course you do; it’s your superpower.) While you’re cloud gazing, talk about the different types of clouds. Your kids don’t need a meteorology degree… just some fun names and cool facts.
Here’s a quick cheat sheet:
Cumulus: Big, fluffy, and white. They’re the ones that look like cotton balls.
Stratus: These are flat, blanket-like clouds that cover the sky like a gray sweater.
Cirrus: Wispy and feather-like, way up high.
Nimbus: These bring the rain! Dark, thick, and moody.
You can even challenge your kids to “forecast” the weather based on what they see. Are those towering cumulus clouds getting darker? A storm might be on the way!
Suggested Reading: Little Cloud and the Magic of Rain by Jonathon Adams, Shapes in the Sky: A Book about Clouds by J. Sherman
Sensory Challenge Nature Games
Benefits of this Activity: Playing sensory challenge nature games is important because it helps develop skills, such as problem-solving and working memory, while also fostering a deeper connection to the natural world by engaging all five senses.
How to play:
Games for developing Sound recognition:
Gather natural items like pinecones, leaves, and rocks. Make a noise with one item while someone with their eyes closed tries to guess what it is.
Bird Song or Animal Sounds:
Walk and focus on listening for specific natural sounds, such as birds chirping or leaves rustling or water running
Games for Developing Smell:
Scent Hunt: Walk through the Arboretum, look for and identify different smells, like the sweetness of flowers, the mustiness of dirt, or the scent of pine.
Flower Perfume Test: Smell different flowers to see which have the strongest or most pleasant scents.
Games for Developing Touch:
Nature Touch Hunt: Create a list of items with distinct textures, such as smooth stones, rough bark, soft moss, or spiky pinecones, for participants to find and feel.
Barefoot Exploration: Take off your shoes and walk barefoot in the grass to experience the feel of the earth, grass, and dirt.
Tree Feel: Explore different parts of a tree, such as the bark, leaves, and branches, to feel their unique textures
ABC Nature Walk
Benefits of this Activity: A simple game that encourages your children to explore their surroundings and discover new items, which can help them connect with the natural world.
How to play: Start at the Blue columns, have your child look for natural objects that begin with each letter of the alphabet. For example, find an acorn for "A," a butterfly for "B," and a caterpillar for “C,”
Suggested Reading: one of Mrs. Peanuckle’s Alphabet Book series for preschool children.
Slow Down & See Like an Owl
Benefits of this Activity: Looking deeper helps us appreciate the small wonders in nature that we often miss! Owls have incredible vision, allowing them to spot the tiniest movements in nature. Can you see like an owl?
How to play:
Find a quiet spot in the Arboretum.
Sit for 1–5 minutes and observe the world around you.
What small details can you notice? A bee hovering over a flower? The way the wind moves the leaves? The patterns in a butterfly’s wings?
Choose one object—a tree, a flower, a rock, or even a patch of grass—and observe it for 1-5 minutes.
What small details do you notice? Are there tiny bugs crawling on it? Patterns in the bark? A hidden bird’s nest?
Take turns describing what you see, then continue your adventure with fresh eyes!