Nature Bingo: A Kids Nature Activity

Looking for a fun activity for your children to do in nature? Have you tried Nature Bingo? Nature Bingo is a fun and easy activity that is suitable for preschoolers through elementary ages children. This fun nature activity will have you kids busy searching for items in nature. It is like a nature scavenger hunt but when you find something you simply draw a picture of it and leave it behind for others to enjoy.

First, follow the link and print this page or make your own to suit the natural items you might find in your neck of the woods.

Then take your children to any natural area and send them out hunting for the items. When they find something on the page like a special rock, a pine cone, animal tracks, or a certain flower then have your child draw what they found right on the page.

Just like Bingo, if you get any four in a row you win. If you get four in a row then try and find as many more as you can.

This activity makes an afternoon in nature more fun and kids will learn more about the items they find and you can discuss what these items are doing in nature. Then my kids always enjoy looking over their drawing on the car ride home and talking about all the fun things we found. Drawing really makes the items come to life your your child's eyes and helps them remember more of what they experienced.

Go ahead, give it a try. Use mine or make your own.

Another option with younger children is to use pictures or clip art in the boxes and just have them search for items and check them off. For young children identifying items in nature is plenty fun but if the child can draw I recommend doing as described as above.

Have fun!

Print my game card here.

Make your own here.

A Great Day in Nature: Follow Your Child's Lead

This weekend we were planning on a quiet day around the house. My girls were playing with a couple girls from the neighborhood when they came running into my office screaming, "Daddy, Daddy, can we have a picnic at the park?"

I wanted to get out and enjoy the nice weather but I wasn't quite prepared for a picnic. I thought I gave some general answer like most parents do just to put them off a bit. Something like, "Maybe later." The girls went in the kitchen made peanut butter sandwiches for all the kids, grabbed some strawberries, and found some girl scout cookies.

I was shocked to walk into the kitchen to see 4 girls holding a bag full of their packed lunch, a blanket, and a plastic ball and bat. They all had sunglasses on and were ready to go. Who was I to hold them back from their day in the sun. I grabbed the dog and followed the girls to the park.

I spend a lot of time planning hikes, snowshoes, camping trips, and other outdoor activities. I carefully assess the weather and pick the best trails and open spaces depending on the conditions. But I must say, it was a blast to just go along for the ride. The kids made the plan, picked the activity, picked the destination, and led the way.

I quietly sat in the grass as the girls played on the playground, ran around playing a 'dolphin tag' game, played Simon Says, ate a picnic lunch, and laughed till it hurt. When they were ready to go home I followed them back.

This was one of the most fun days we've had in a while. All I did was stay out of the way. I learned that sometimes you just have to let the kids take charge. If I had said we are going to the park for a picnic they probably would have moaned and said they didn't want to go. But when it is their idea it is all smiles and good times.

Ideas for Keeping Kids Excited about a Day Outside: Bring a Friend

The best way to get a child excited about doing something in nature is to bring a friend. This is also the best way to prolong a day in the wilderness. One child or even a child with their sibling is much more apt to whine and want to go home than a child with a good friend.

Just like an adult brainstorming exercise, a group of people together can come up with much greater ideas than one person can on their own. Ideas seem to run wild and children take one idea and build upon it until soon they've spent ours playing in nature and still aren't ready to go home.

This past weekend our family of 4 met another family of 4 at Rocky Mountain National Park for an afternoon of snowshoeing. We all had a blast and heard much less complaining about the cold from the kids than if we had gone alone.

There are times when it is great to spend time alone in nature with your kids but it is also very important for your child to share the experience with other children. Sharing your favorite natural places with your friends also helps other get out more often. If we are going to have a real impact on the future generations we must get as many kids as possible into nature. So the next time you head out, grab the neighbor kid or invite an entire family to join you.

Winter Fun

A massive winter storm has blanketed the country with deep snow and freezing temperatures. Many people have settled inside with the television or a book to sit by the fire. But what about those wild kids and their high energy. Children need to burn energy whether it is warm or cold outside. It doesn't take a lot of time to get some fresh air and burn some energy. You probably wouldn't want to spend all day outside but if you bundle up with hats and gloves you can make a stroll around the block enjoyable. The promise of hot cocoa usually keeps my kids walking.

The truth is there is some much to do in the winter. Just playing in a back yard leads to snow angels, snowball fights, icicle eating, snow fort building and so much more. My kids even like helping shovel the driveway which is always a big help.

Don't forget sledding, skiing, and ice skating for winter sports too. Once you get started everyone will have so much fun that they won't want to stop.

I took my 6 year old daught ice skating at a local outdoor mall a few weeks ago and we skated for 3 hours. She didn't want to stop. She just wanted to go around and around. It was special time for her and her dad to do something together.

So think outside the house and get your family outside this weekend.

Things to try:

1. Make snow angels
2. Follow animal tracks in the snow
3. Make a snow fort
4. Have a snowball fight
5. Make a snow man
6. Go ice skating
7. Go snowshoeing
8. Go sledding
9. Take a winter walk in your neighborhood
10. Put food coloring and water in a spray bottle and make designs in the snow

Feel free to add any other winter outdoor activities in the comments.

Ideas for keeping kids excited about a day in nature

Sometimes parent need to have a few tricks up their sleeves to keep kids engaged in nature. While most children have fun exploring the outdoors they do lose interest and get tired of hiking. One thing that we do in my own family is to give the kids each a nature journal.

In the car on the way to the trail head the kids can have a small journal or notebook and a pen. We often ask the kids to draw pictures of what they hope to see out on the trail today. My girls usually draw giant trees, rivers, birds, and deer or sometimes they draw the things they hope not to see such as bears and snakes.

Once we are out on the trail the girls keep their journal and pen easily accessible in their own backpack. Whenever they complain about being bored or tired we ask them if they have found anything they would like to draw in their notebook. Every once in a while we will take a break to write or draw in our journals.

The nature notebooks not only give the kids an activity to keep them motivated but it also allows them to create memories of the things they find in nature without taking the natural object home. We have traced leaves and rocks then left them in nature for others to enjoy. This matches the Leave No Trace ethics which I think is very valuable for kids to learn and understand.

At the end of the day your child has had a great hike, learned about new things, created memories, developed their art skills, and has created a special journal of their own. Chances are your child will have had so much fun that they may ask when they get to go hiking again.