Nature walks are a fun way to discover new things in your area, take science class outside, and/or just enjoy being outside. An easy science active for early elementary age students, collect treasures in brown paper bags.
Give your child a small lunch sack and encourage them to fill it with interesting things. Share a few rules to respect the area and keep yourselves safe!
Paper Bag Nature Walk Rules
Never pick up something that is alive and moving (bugs, spiders, lizards, etc.)
Never pluck, pick, or remove plants. No blossoms, flowers, or leaves that are intact. Only take things that are already off the plant and on the ground. {children should show parents beautiful things rather than damage plants}
Never pick up something that they are uncomfortable or uncertain about. Always stress asking an adult before taking a chance.
Never pick up glass or other items that can hurt hands.
Never move bird nests, eggs, beehives, and do not trespass!
Bring wipes or hand sanitizer.
Paper Bag Nature Walk
Some days I have to give my son a time limit because he will pack the bag until it rips. Or he’ll want to stay out all afternoon and skip math class. It is an easy distraction so don’t suggest this one if you’re in the middle of a school lesson. To keep from dragging on I encourage my son to only pick up one of each item. We’d be there all day if he picked up all the acorns.
Once we come back together we dump our paper bags and chat about the items that were chosen on the nature walk. I always want to ask why he picked something. If it was because of the way it looks, the way it felt, or because he couldn’t find anything else. There are no wrong answers just opportunities for great discussions.
younger students
sort items into color groups, size, or how they feel. Go ahead and smell them and see which one smells best.
older students
theme your nature walks: color, size, texture, smell, etc. and only pick up those items.
Nature walks are a great hands-on outdoor activity and opportunity to teach our children to always be respectful of the environment.
If you’re a Charlotte Mason or nature journaling homeschooler, be sure to check out our Nature Walks Journaling Pages! Lots of lines to write down what was seen, heard, smelled, and felt with a few boxes to draw.
If you’re trying to entertain one student while the other is still packing their bag … Try our Nature Field Trip Scavenger Hunt.
We take Nature Walks during each season and definitely when we’re visiting a new town!