Nature Games and Activities

Sound Maps

What kinds of noises do you hear outside? Sit quietly in one spot and listen carefully. Mark the sounds on a map.  The X on the map represents where you sit. The location of the mark should indicate the direction of the sound and if it is near or far from you. Just use simple marks such as a wavy line for wind, a V shape for a bird calling in flight, etc. 

• Do you think you will hear the same sounds at home as you do in the park?

• What sounds might you hear next to a river, or forest?​

• Do you think the sounds would be the same in the morning as in the evening?

• What sounds were the most familiar to you?

• What sound had you never heard before? Do you know what made the sound?

• What sound did you like best? Why?

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Map Making

Map making helps tune up your observation skills and understanding of where you are in relation to the world around you. We have two very different map making activities:

Treasure Maps

Draw a simple map of your yard. Hide a penny or small toy and mark it on your map. See if someone else can find it. 

• What symbols could you use to show things like a tree or veggie garden?

• How can someone tell which way the map is facing.

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3D Mapmaking

 Instead of simply drawing a map of your yard, make a 3D map using items from outside or inside your house. Use small pebbles to make a rock wall or pine needles to make grass. You could also create a map of your house with blocks, legos, or recyclables. Be creative!

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ABC Walk

While on a walk, try to find something that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Try to do this in ABC order. You can also challenge yourself to do this inside or in your backyard.'

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Color Walk

How many colors can you find? You can try to search for a rainbow, or even pick some crayons out of a hat and try to find those colors in nature.

Parents can ask at the hardware store if they have old paint chips so that your children can match colors in nature with paint chips. 

You can also try inside each room of your house. This is a great way to test your observation skills.

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Nature Words

Do you have a favorite nature item? A rock, a leaf shape, an animal? Choose one natural item and write a descriptive paragraph about it without naming it. Be very detailed. Give your description to someone else and see if they name the object you described. This is a fun activity to try in your yard or at the park where you can describe an item you see and challenge someone to pick out the object that you described.

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