Nature Collection Activities Your Kids Will Love
Fall is the perfect time to encourage your kids to take a break from their devices and soak in the crisp, fresh air.
Need help getting them out the door? We’ve got some simple ideas to get kids excited about abandoning their screens. The best part is, most of these ideas are completely free!
Create a nature journal
A nature journal offers endless room for creativity, and encourages your little adventurers to get outside more regularly. Plus, it sharpens their observation skills, encourages curiosity and deepens their connection to nature.
Here’s just a few ideas:
- Collect treasures in a paper bag
- Use crayons to make leaf rubbings
- Document nature findings (animals, weather, plants, etc.)
- Sketch animals and insects
- Write a story or poem about your outdoor adventure
Rock weaving
Rock weaving is a great activity for helping kids develop their motor skills. Take a walk and have them search for a large rock (but not so large that they can’t carry it).
Then, give them some colorful rubber bands to wrap around the rock. From there, they can collect outdoor materials to weave between the rubber bands on the rock. The rock serves as a canvas, and the pieces of nature they collect are the paint.
At the very least, it will allow them to burn off some energy running around!
Personalized magic wands
What kid hasn’t waved a stick around pretending it was a wand? Nature gives them the perfect chance to put their own whimsical touch on it!
Send them off to find the perfect magic wand stick and use nature as a way to personalize it. From flower petals to leaves to blades of grass, there are plenty of creative ways for them to make it their own.
Rock collections
There are thousands of different rocks out there. Have your kids start a collection of different colors, shapes, and sizes. Rocks are easy to search for, and if you want to do additional activities with them, the sky is the limit.
Some kids love to stack rocks while others want to draw on them. Allow nature to be their canvas and go all out!
Grab a polaroid and go outside
Have an instant-print camera on hand? Head outdoors and hand it off to the kids. Ask them to take pictures of interesting things they see along the way. From trees to rocks and streams, you can build a beautiful collection of outdoor photos from your child’s perspective.
Then you can take it home and create a fun collage or photo book from the journey. Or, you can even share it with the community by posting your pictures with the hashtag #ColumbiaWildlife. CA may just feature your find on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages!
For more family-friendly tips, check out the CA Parents’ Corner blog.
