If little children are going to be among your guests for Thanksgiving
this year, I have an idea as to how to keep them busy while dinner is getting ready. Why not try a nature scavenger hunt? The preparation for the hunt can be done well in advance and it will get the kids out in the fresh air, providing you have good weather that day. If the children are very young, they will need an adult to help with the reading and the searching. Usually you can find a dad or grand parent to volunteer!
Here is a list of materials you will need:
Shopping or tote bags
Checklists
Pens or pencils
Kid snacks
A simple prize for all participating children
If you are really industrious, a magnifying glass
First,...the checklist:
For research, go in your yard ahead of time and pick items that are somewhat readily available for the hunt. Also, look for some things that might be a bit more challenging to find. Kids are quick and the goal is to keep them entertained for a while.
I created this checklist on my computer. I used the Clip Art function to find images of each item on the list. The visual is nice and it helps the children who don't know how to read yet to realize what they are looking for.
My computer skills leave a lot to be desired but, if you don't have time to create a checklist of your own, contact me and I will e-mail you this document. It actually looks nicer in person.
Next,...the bags for collecting the treasures:
I had some white bags left over from another event so, I decided to use them for this purpose. I simply traced leaves from the yard onto construction paper and cut them out. I used a glue stick to glue the leaves to the bag. Real leaves tied to the bag handle give the bags an authentic look. (Add the real leaves the day of the hunt. Otherwise, the leaves will dry up and wither and not look very pretty.)
In addition, a fun snack is always welcome for kids and adults alike. I found this easy and neat "acorn" recipe on Pinterest. The recipe can be found on the six in the suburbs blog- Sixinthesuburbs
Since there are only three ingredients, this recipe is super easy to make.
Aren't they cute?
So, now the kids are all set to go on their scavenger hunt. They have the checklist, a pencil, a bag and a snack. And, maybe an adult friend. (And, yes, I realized I had spelled scavenger wrong on the checklist after taking this photo. I quickly fixed it but it was too late for the photo, unfortunately!)
Here are the treasures found on the day of our scavenger hunt. Not bad! The end result was that everyone had fun. The goal I was aiming for!
Finally, don't forget to have some sort of prize for all the kids. My "go to" often seems to be candy. I know that's not always the best choice so, go with what you know your kids will like. Any little prize will do.
Happy Hunting!
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