Ahhh, the great outdoors. Nature-based learning activities can easily take you in a hundred different directions: write about it, sketch it, track it, map it, turn it into a full-blown project — or just follow the curiosity and see where it leads, (perhaps the best strategy of all).
You can meet kids where they’re at — constantly moving and endlessly distracted by the things around them — with activities that make good use of all that energy.
The following free backyard learning resources suggest simple ways to take learning outside—whether you have ten minutes, an afternoon, a season or all year.
Start Here: Easy Ways to Take Learning Outside
Step outside and start small. Quick and easy activities to do in the backyard or a local park:
Measure & Order
• Pick a few natural objects (sticks, leaves, rocks, flowers) and measure them using a ruler, or just compare by eye.
• Put them in order from smallest to largest (or shortest to tallest).
👉 Builds measurement skills, comparison, and early math thinking.
Sit Spot
• Pick one place; sit quietly.
• Notice what’s around you; watch what moves or changes; count how many different sounds you hear.
👉 This becomes the foundation for journaling later.
Color Hunt
• Find as many shades of one color as possible (green is great).
• Or: find one item for every color of the rainbow.
👉 Easy win for younger kids; still engaging for older ones.
One Object; Many Questions
• Pick one thing (leaf, bug, rock) and ask:
• What is it?
• What does it do?
• What’s changing about it?
👉 Sneaks in critical thinking.
Follow Something
• Follow an ant trail.
• Watch a bird for as long as you can.
• Track where water flows.
👉 Builds focus and curiosity.
Nature Collect & Sort
• Collect a few small items (leaves, rocks, sticks).
• Sort by size, shape, color, or type.
• Use the objects to make 2D shapes and patterns.
👉 Early classification skills (science + math crossover).
Scavenger Hunts (From Simple to Analytical)
If the “start small” ideas help take learning outside, scavenger hunts can keep you there a little longer, and add a little more structure. But they’re still an easy way to get started outside with no big setup or elaborate plan. Just hand kiddos a list (or make one up on the spot). It can be as simple as: find something green; find something moving; find something that makes a sound.
Or, the activities can be expanded from finding to figuring out: Find 3 different kinds of leaves → How are they different?; Find 2 insects → What are they doing? → What do you think their jobs are here?; Find something living and something non-living → How can you tell?
Ready-To-Go Scavenger Hunts
Here are some free grab-and-go printables, including simple picture-based hunts for younger kids, and more detailed observation-based challenges. Pick one that fits your day and head outside.
Picture-Based
• Nature Walk
• I Spy
• Fresh Air Bingo
More Challenging
• Texture Explorer
• Adventure Hunt
•Change Detective
• 5 Outdoor Learning Challenges
A cool find during a scavenger hunt can naturally lead to other types of learning, like nature journaling.
Nature Journaling: Notice → Record → Reflect
When kids are out exploring or participating in a scavenger hunt, they hopefully encounter something that piques their interest. It might be a leaf with an unusual shape, an insect exhibiting interesting behavior, or a recurring pattern in the environment. Nature journaling provides a simple, effective way to capture these moments of discovery through quick sketches, brief written observations, or labeled drawings.
Free Quick-Start Journaling Resources For Kids
Nature Journaling Activities
(#CommissionsEarned)
Lessons to help develop
observation skills &
sketching techniques.
Seasonal Observations: Visit the same outdoor spot weekly, sketching plants, animals and weather. Write dated entries describing what changed, and form hypotheses about why.
Outdoor Measurement & Data Log: Measure, count and classify natural objects: leaf lengths, petal counts, tree circumferences. Record data in journal tables and create simple graphs from the findings.
Five Senses Narrative Writing: Sit quietly outdoors and write a detailed narrative using all five senses. Draft, then revise focusing on vivid word choice to make descriptive paragraphs.
Research Journal: Choose one small creature or plant. Sketch it and write an informational entry, including habitat, diet, and role in the ecosystem.
Coming Soon: More Ways to Learn Outside
We’re just getting started. We’ll keep the momentum going with additional free activities as those resources become available. Here’s what’s coming next:
Creating with Natural Materials: Easy art and building ideas using what you find.
Garden-Based Learning: Everyday science and math.
Orienteering & Geocaching: Navigation and mapping.
👉 Check back soon, or bookmark this page.
More Backyard Learning Posts:
☀️ Sun Science
