Rainbow Scavenger Hunt Hike in the Woods

Can you find all the colors of the rainbow in the woods?

We go on hikes and nature walks almost every weekend and love to find ways to keep things fresh for the kids. A themed scavenger hunt can turn your walk in the forest into a learning adventure. With younger kids, you can begin by looking for a rainbow.

Red Trail Marker

Red Fire Thorn Berries

Orange Mushrooms

Orange Lilies

Yellow Black-Eyed Susans (plus Violet Cone Flowers)

All the greenery that surrounds us!

Blue Dragonflies

Indigo Stripe on Mama Mallard Duck’s Wing

…and Violet Lupine Flowers

With older kids, you can try to find something for most of the letters of the alphabet (all is quite a challenge unless you have xylophones or zebras hanging around in your forest but give it a try).

You can also try to find things based on the way they are moving (hopping, flying, slithering, crawling) or try to find different types of organisms (mammals, reptiles, insects, arachnids, flowers, fungi, birds, etc.).

What do you spy with your little eye?
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This post is part of the Smart Summer Challenge–we’re encouraging you to beat the summer vacation slide with fun, everyday learning activities! You can take just 10 minutes a day to find the educational opportunities all around us or get as elaborate as you like! Whatever you do, we invite you to share your experiences each week in our linky, which goes up every Friday during the challenge and stays open through Thursday.

Find out more about the Smart Summer Challenge and grab our free calendar of summer learning ideas, and “like” the Smart Summer Challenge page on Facebook.

Find more great ideas from your hostesses, Candace of Naturally Educational (that’s me!), Amy of TeachMama.com, and MaryLea of Pink and Green Mama!