Introduce families, scout troops, camp groups, and classes to simple themed walks. Theme walks require no planning and you can introduce one at any time during an outing. These activities are open-ended and general enough to work well with groups of multiple ages. Suggest one to your fellow hikers while traveling in the woods, in your neighborhood, in town, or while on vacation.
Before starting a walk, be sure to review your expectations for safe behavior. Younger participants, who may get excited to be the first to see something, should know not to run into streets or push through other people in the area.
Alphabet Scavenger Hunt
Although there are many ways to focus an alphabet scavenger hunt, one way you can challenge everyone walking with you is to look for items beginning with a particular letter. All but the youngest of spellers can focus their attention on this search. Each time someone locates something, they point and call out the item.
Seasons Change Walk
Wherever you take this walk, your goal is to find firsts of the season. Watch for the first daffodil of spring, the first ripe blueberries of summer, the first red leaf of the fall. In your neighborhood, keep your eyes open for the first barbeque of the season or the first yard to be raked.
Color Scavenger Hunt
At any point during the walk, ask participants to look for items of a particular color. Make the walk a challenge and select a color that doesn’t seem to be predominant in the area. Objects can be natural or manmade and can be any size. Depending on where you are walking, look for yellow in a swirl of a ball, the frame of a trampoline, a flower. If you are taking this walk with young children who are still learning their colors, bring along a crayon or piece of construction paper to show the color.
Inventory Walk
On this walk, you’ll focus on something particular, such as pink roses, green minivans, or children wearing red sneakers. Although looking for something so specific may seem to make this hunt too difficult, the focus will make the item pop into everyone’s attention.
Shape Scavenger Hunt
Start this scavenger hunt by selecting a shape and encouraging observers to seek out items reminiscent of the form. With young children learning their shapes, prepare for this walk by cutting the shape from construction paper to hold up and show the children. Older children and adults can look for creative interpretations of the shape.
Coin Flip Walk
If you are familiar with the area where you are walking, try a coin flip hike. Each time you reach a place where you could turn one of two ways, take out a coin and ask a participant to call heads or tails to turn right. You do need some familiarity with the nature trails or roads you are traveling so you don’t end up lost.
Even if you only do a coin flip a few times, it adds an element of excitement to where you will walk. Reserve the right to reach a fork in the road and override flipping a coin to select the direction you’ll journey.
Each of these theme walks gives children (and adults) motivation for observing their surroundings, whether it is as familiar as your neighborhood or as fresh as a vacation spot. None of the walks requires advance planning or preparation and can be presented to a group at any time.
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