Scavenger Hike Outdoors with Toddlers

If you like to view the great outdoors, there's no better way to explore and encourage a similar love in your child than to go on a scavenger hunt outdoors with your toddler. Although little legs can get exhausted during a long hike, it's easy to turn a hike into an exciting adventure that your toddler will love to share with you, provided you follow a few simple guidelines.

First, you'll want to be prepared before you go. Picking the right spot is imperative. If you live near a state park, this is one of the best places to go for a hiking scavenger hunt with your toddler. For one, you'll have an idea of how long your hike will be. Paths are marked and coded at most state parks so that hiking with a toddler can be tiered based on the stamina of your child. Secondly, you won't need to worry about hunters or getting lost in the woods. You can focus on the scavenger hunt and on your child. A quick Google search of your local area will help come up with state parks in your area. If you are not fortunate enough to have one of these nearby, you can go for a scavenger hike in any piece of land that is not privately owned or hunting territory. Make sure to check this out ahead of time.

You'll also want to make sure that you've brought the right equipment. The best thing about a scavenger hike is that your toddler doesn't need much more than you would bring to the local mall. However, long pants are preferable to shorts, even on hot days. Bug repellent and sunscreen are other must-brings, as is water to hydrate. You can also bring watered down juice, even though it is not preferable to water. It is better that your child drink something rather than nothing, particularly on hot days. Grapes and oranges help hydrate, but stay away from milk. Not only will it go bad, but it will also not help your child remain hydrated while on your scavenger hike. Since it is a bad idea in this eco-conscious environment to bring anything from the woods home with you, bringing a notebook to record "findings" and a camera will prove useful on your scavenger hike with your toddler. A disposable camera or a child friendly digital camera can help your child feel independent, but not everyone will prefer this option.

Once you've scoped out a place and what you need, start brainstorming. This can be done with your toddler. Come up with things that you can scavenge for on your hike. A certain color of rock, a particular type of tree, bugs, leaves, etc. can all be used as things to find. While you're discussing, also discussing the importance of being kind to "Mother Earth" will really drive home the point to your child.

At the forest of your choice, allow your child to run wild. Although you can certainly encourage your toddler to find the things on your list, letting him or her poke along and really explore the environment will make this more of a scavenger hike to remember than any amount of findings. Toddlers love to poke, touch and ponder everything they see. Here's the chance to let your toddler embrace that side of himself. If you're worried about messes, bring extra wipes, but the name of the game here is to encourage your toddler to have a good time outdoors.

Bringing your toddler on a scavenger hike will allow him to develop a love of communing with nature that will hopefully last his whole life.