Monday, March 19, 2012

A 'Scavenger Hunt' for the wee ones

A NATURE HUNTING WE WILL GO! 

What a fun, all be it cold, morning.  While someone was cranky and possessive for a while, we did warm up and begin to make new friends and explore a bit of the Snake Lake Nature Center area.

Lesson Objectives: 
  • Quiet tones to not scare the animals
  • Discovery of habitats
  • Observation skills
  • Listening skills
  • Following directions



  • All in all we had fun.  I am hoping after I get a few of these going a couple other moms will help as well.  Planning once a month.  Last month we went bird watching.  Sarah made a new friend.  I was happily surprised by the turn out.  It made it even more fun to explore.  The age range was great too.  I think the oldest was roughly 10 and the youngest were 2.  Nice spread of ages.

    So we started the hike around Snake Lake looking for the items listed on our scavenger hunt list.  I geared it more toward the preschool and kindergarten ages, but it was easily fun for the older ones as well as the younger crowd.  You can view our Scavenger Hunt List Here.  Feel free to print it out!

    Afterwards we played in the Discovery Pond and then ventured inside for a while where we visited turtles, tadpoles and pretended to be beavers, river otters, blue jays, great horned owls and more.  This is where the moms got to chat a bit. 

    It was fun and encouraging to visit with moms that have been homeschooling a while yet still new enough to it to remember what its like to be faltering in the waters of uncertainty.  It further cemented that Child Led is the direction we need to go with Sarah. 

    What kind of natural adventures have you been on recently?








    4 comments:

    1. What a wonderful field trip! I just love hands-on learning! :-) We are blessed to have a nature center nearby that we like to visit. A friend has scheduled a homeschool visit there in a few weeks. After seeing all of your pics, I am definitely looking forward to it. :-) Thank you so much for visiting my blog and for your kind comments about my son. He is feeling a bit better and we are just so thankful to now have a diagnosis and a treatment plan. Many blessings, Lisa

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      1. Being outside, even with the threat of snow like we have been having all week--excuse me Mr. Weather Man, we live near Seattle--nature walks are always fun and it gives us a chance to pratice listening skills and observation. We are still too little to journal, but we have fun nonetheless.

        Again, thank you for stopping by.

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    2. Well, we went to a a different state park on Sunday and played near/in the ocean for a while, but tomorrow we're going to our nearest state park (along with our school work) and spend the day just soaking up the rays! It's supposed to be 76 degrees! Summer in Maine! (Only it's still winter! LOL) Thanks for stopping by! Looking like your outside adventures were lots and lots of fun!

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      1. 76 degrees! We are 40! LOL I have spent a lot time in Maine, what a wonderful place to live. Where abouts are you?

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    Thank you for taking a few moments to share your comments with me. It means a lot. Thank you!