Outdoors Winter Scavenger Hunt Printable

When you’re looking for winter scavenger hunt ideas, I think it’s important that we get outside!

Even on cold days, we can still go out and see some nature. A scavenger hunt is a good way to convince children to go for a walk on a bright cold day. It gives a bit of focus to getting out, especially if the weather isn’t great.

Here is a beautiful winter scavenger hunt printable. You can use it with your primary school children, your family, or in your Forest School setting.

There are plenty of things to look for in winter. Be a nature detective and find these items on your scavenger hunt! How many can you find?

Download the printable and take copies out with you so you can tick off the signs of winter that you spot on your travel around the woodland, forest, or even your local urban area.

• Worm
• Spider’s web
• Mud
• Acorn
• Fallen leaf
• Leaf skeleton
• Squirrel
• Beetle
• Mushroom
• Pine cone
• Hole in a tree
• Log
• Lichen on a tree
• Smooth evergreen leaf
• Feather
• Puddle
• Shadow
• Tree stump

Wrap up warm and get outside!

Remember: Only collect from the forest/woodland floor. You don’t actually need to collect anything. If children have a copy of the winter scavenger hunt printable, they can tick off what they find as they go.

However, if you’re out in the forest, and the children want to make a collection, then be child-led. The children can gather their items as they find them, and put them in a basket, or bring them back to the circle, or whatever they like.

Questions to ask on a scavenger hunt

Make the activity last a bit longer and build the children’s enthusiasm in what they’ve found by asking about the items.

Have a natural conversation, and let the children tell you about their scavenged treasures. If you need conversation prompts, here are some questions to ask:

• What did you find that is smooth/rough/prickly?
• What did you find that is damp/dry?
• Was there anything on the list you didn’t touch/pick up? Why?
• What is the most delicate object you found? Why do you say that?
• How would you describe [item]?
• Where did you find [item]?
• Why do you think [item] ended up looking like that? What might have happened to it?

What to do with scavenger hunt items

If you’re with a big group, and they are keen to collect items from the list (obviously not the living creatures), you could end up with an amount of fallen leaves, twigs, feathers and so on. In our experience, children also collect things that are not on the scavenger hunt list!

Once your group has finished seeking and collecting, think about what you could do with the items. Could they be rearranged on the ground to make a pattern or a picture? Could you do leaf printing with any of the (non-skeleton) leaves?

How are you going to use this free winter scavenger hunt printable? Let us know on our Facebook page!

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