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20+ Outdoor Nature Scavenger Hunt Ideas

We love all of these nature scavenger hunt ideas.  Scavenger Hunts are a great way to keep kids busy during the summer months!  Whether you have toddlers or teenagers there is sure to be something here for them.

Awesome ideas for nature scavenger hunts.

Today I have rounded up a listing of over twenty Nature Scavenger Hunt Ideas!  Be sure to go to the original source to download a printable version of many of them. 

I love finding ways to incorporate nature into fun learning activities for kids!  Be sure to checkout our 20+ Nature Crafts for Kids and 20+ Boredom Busters for Kids too.

Our nature scavenger hunt ideas round up

Check out this Camping Scavenger Hunt Printable with free PDF!

Scavenger hunt photos of items found in nature such as ladybugs, flowers, pine cones, and rocks.

A Nature Photo Scavenger Hunt makes an awesome nature treasure hunt for younger children.

Checklist style nature scavenger hunt printable.

This Nature Hunt Checklist is perfect for school aged older kids!

Camping scavenger hunt for preschoolers with photos of feathers, leaves, pinecones, and flowers.

These camping scavenger hunt printables look awesome! Photo scavenger hunts are a fun way to create a list of items for young kids.

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Some of our crafting essentials for kids

A scavenger hunt kit with a bag, scissors, camera, notebook, and small containers to put things in.

Island Scavenger Hunt 

Scavenger hunt cards with photos of nature items such as pine needles, a rounded leaf, and a leaf.

Saltwater Kids has this great outdoor scavenger hunt idea that includes things from the ocean! Kids can explore their environment in a whole new way.

A collection of items found during a nature scavenger hunt.

Bring Joy shares a lovely nature scavenger hunt complete with visuals.

An egg carton with nature scavenger hunt images for each slot.

I love this idea of using a recycled egg carton to collect scavenger hunt items in!  A pail or bucket would work too.

Outdoor Scavenger Hunt Ideas

  • Set time limits to make the game more challenging.
  • Give items a point value, the most points wins!
  • Mix each age group for a great team building activity.
  • Enjoy the fresh air and time spent outside!
A laminated nature scavenger hunt list that can be used with a dry erase marker.

The Taylor House shares how you can laminate the list and mark nature items off using a dry erase marker.  A brilliant way to create fun memories!

A nature scavenger hunt with items for the colors of the rainbow.

The Crafty Crow has a very colourful way of collecting scavenger hunt items using double sided sticky tape. This simple hunt is the best way to incorporate color recognition in this activity!

Paper bags with nature scavenger list lists and twig pencils.

Angenuity shares these fun outdoor hunts that would make the perfect activity for a child’s birthday party. Team members simply collect different items in a paper bag to complete the outdoor scavenger hunt list.

Hiking scavenger hunt with images of bugs, leaves, rocks, flowers, and different trees.

Make and Takes has these scavenger hunt printables that look like a great time!

Number scavenger hunt, six small rocks, two crawling bugs, one pine needle, and four leaves.

Fun at Home With Kids kept things simple for younger children.

I Spy nature scavenger hunt checklist, take an photo of each item found.

Confessions of a Slacker Mom has a more detailed scavenger hunt list that would be great for older children.

Nature scavenger hunt checklist with images and check boxes.

No Wooden Spoon shares this fun photo scavenger hunt. I’m not sure how the kids would feel about collecting a spider web! The great thing about these activities is it pushes children to really explore their surroundings.

A detailed nature scavenger hunt with  44 different items to find.

This is How You Play provides a simple check list rather than having children collect scavenger hunt items. This detailed list looks like so much fun!

A nature scavenger hunt that encourages the use of sight as well as the other senses, search for something smooth, smells sweet, and sounds loud.

The Jenny Evolution shares this summer nature hunt.

A scavenger hunt that you can color in each item found.

Babyccino Kids has this adorable printable.

A simple scavenger hunt with images and a checklist.

East Coast Mommy has a great simple scavenger hunt.

A nature scavenger hunt with images of birds, mammals, frogs, leaves, and trees.

Kinda Granola has another very visual scavenger hunt.

Scavenger hunt with 20 different items found in nature.

Highly visual nature scavenger hunts are perfect for toddlers!

We also have this great indoor scavenger hunt printable that is great for virtual scavenger hunts. Home scavenger hunts can be fun too! Or post one of these on social media for an online scavenger hunt that can be enjoyed by the entire family.

Nature scavenger hunt with a checklist.

Seven Thirty Three Blog includes a free printable scavenger hunt.

A scavenger hunt checklist is attached to a paper bag.

Fun Family Crafts

Kids are touching rocks and trees with this sensory scavenger hunt.

Encourage the kids to use all of their senses while searching in nature with this good scavenger hunt idea.

Checklist style scavenger hunt with items to touch, shapes, and colors.

How To Nest For Less shares this colorful scavenger hunt.

Simple scavenger hunt perfect for toddlers.

Intentional By Grace has a cute scavenger hunt for toddlers.

Scavenger hunt images of bugs, feathers, pine cones, and different leaves.

This outdoor sensory scavenger hunt is another great option!

Awesome ideas for a nature scavenger hunt.

My favorite are the scavenger hunts with photo visuals because then they can be used by children of all ages.  The buddy system works great for written scavenger hunts when you pair up an older child who can read with a younger one who cannot.  We’ve done this before at family reunions and it works great!

Clearly the nature scavenger hunt ideas are endless you guys!! Have you taken your kiddos on a scavenger hunt yet?  I hope that I have inspired you to get out and explore…

about heather

Hello, I’m Heather!

I'm an active mom of twin boys who is always looking for opportunities to inspire creativity through fun crafts, do-it-yourself projects and delicious recipes. This blog has been an integral part of supporting my little family and I am so grateful to have you become a part of our journey! Let's create together... Read more...

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I absolutely love these. What a fun way to get outside and explore.