| Activity 1 Woodsy's World Scavenger Hunt! Take a scavenger hunt to explore how the sun, air, water, and all living things are all parts of the natural world.
What you need Time |
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Get Ready!
Become familiar with the area where children are going to hunt. Prepare three groups of
index cards labeled "Air," "Earth" and "Water."
| 1 | Get Started by telling children that they are going on a nature scavenger hunt. Talk
about what they might find in the air, on the ground, and in the water; list these
elements on large paper or chalkboard. Then, write each of these elements on the
appropriate index card from one of the three groups - one item per card. Here are a few
examples: Air - clouds, birds, butterflies Tip: An excellent resource to review before any activity is Sharing Nature With Children, by Joseph Cornell (California: Dawn Publications, 1979). |
| 2 | Now have children cut out photographs from magazines of the air, earth, and water items and paste them onto the cards. Or, have them draw a picture directly on the card. |
| 3 | Divide the children into Air, Earth and Water groups and give them the corresponding
scavenger hunt cards. Now, go hunting! Using a crayon, children can write a mark on the
index cards of the items they find. Without disturbing the environment, allow children to
place a few samples in the backpack or jar such as dried leaves, twigs, and stones. Tip: Try to have three adults on the walk, one to help with each type of card. |
| 4 | Now make a Woodsy's World mural or collage that includes everything you found on the
scavenger hunt. Children can share and compare what they brought back from the hunt, or
even paste things directly onto the mural. Tip: Bring extra cards with you for unexpected finds! |
| 5 | Close by talking about the Woodsy's World you've made. Challenge the group to think of
ways things are connected to one another. For example, a bird might be connected to a tree
where it can build a nest. Tip: Remind children that they might not find everything they listed. |
| Scavenger hunt around the world. Older children can make sets of scavenger hunt cards for the desert, the ocean, or a rain forest. They can play a game where each player is handed a card and has to guess whether it is a desert, ocean, or rain forest card. Try following this activity with activities 4 (A Single Patch of Earth), 5 (Catch the Wind), and 6 (Explore Woodsy's Food Connections).
Words to Know! |
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