Try a Nature Scavenger Hunt

Explore the outdoors with our printable checklist!

When children learn to appreciate and enjoy nature, they are more likely to grow into adults who value and protect our environment.

That’s why we've gathered great clues for a scavenger hunt to liven up your next walk in the woods. Pack a picnic, lace up your hiking boots, and head outside to explore.

Possible recipients

Click here to print your scavenger hunt.

Enjoy exploring nature as a family, invite friends along, or bring this activity to your scout’s meeting, classroom, or community gathering.

What you’ll need

• Our printable Nature Scavenger Hunt

• Crayons, colored pencils, or markers

Optional — and fun! — additions to take it further

• Create a family “nature box” or “nature table” to collect and display objects you find.

• Keep a nature notebook. Include photos, drawings, pressed flowers, and notes to record your outdoor observations.

• Gather some “tools” to take on your outings: camera, magnifying glass, binoculars, insect net, or jars for (briefly) capturing insects.

• Have your children devise their own scavenger hunts for the family.

• Laminate this list so you can reuse it with dry-erase markers.

Instructions

• Modify our list to fit your scene (park, nature center, woods, seashore, backyard, etc.)

• Color in items as you go or draw/write about your discoveries in the blank boxes.

• For very young kids, consider filling in the blank boxes with items you think they will enjoy finding.

• For older kids, consider downloading the iNaturalist app and encourage them to use the app to help identify the plants, trees, tracks, and creatures they discover.

Reflections

• Talk about your hunt:

  • Which item was your favorite?

  • Which was most difficult to find?

  • Which did you find first?

  • What senses did you use on your hunt? What did you smell in nature? Feel? Hear?

• Albert Einstein, famed theoretical physicist, once said, “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” What do you think he meant?

• How does your body feel when you are spending time in nature? How does your mind feel?

Resources

• Frederick by Leo Lionni
  This Caldecott-Honor winning book reminds us how important it can be to stop and appreciate nature.

• The Greening Book by Ellen Sabin
  Full of unique activities and exercises, The Greening Book teaches children that they can make a difference in the future of our planet.

• Fun with Nature and More Fun with Nature (Take Along Guides) both by Mel Boring, Diane Burns, and Leslie Dendy
  Kids will love learning about the most common creatures, tracks, and trees they're likely to encounter in North America. These books will turn every trip to the park into a scavenger hunt!

See our growing Nature Lovers book list!

• Encourage the next generation of outdoor adventurers with picture books to inspire nature lovers
  Nothing inspires wonder, cultivates mindfulness, and relieves stress as effectively and enjoyably as time spent in nature. Encourage the wilderness enthusiast in your child with this growing list of stories.

• You may also enjoy our collection of picture books for young environmental advocates and our collection of picture books for citizen scientists.

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Create and Deliver May Day Baskets

Deliver goodies on May 1st!

May Day offers the perfect opportunity to bring good cheer to people you often rush past. Join in this fun tradition, and celebrate your neighbors and friends!

Possible recipients

Anyone in your child’s circle who’d get a kick out of a little surprise kindness — neighbors, friends, or family.

What you’ll need

• Browse our May Day Kindness Pinterest board to discover ideas like

  • Paper Flowers,

  • DIY seed bomb recipes,

  • Upcycled May Day basket ideas,

  • and so much more.

Instructions

• Instructions

  • Create your May Day Basket. Discover tips for creating baskets from recycled newspaper, simple paper plates, recycled cans, and more.

  • Fill with flowers and/or sweets. Discover a template for flowers here. Add a packet of garden seeds, homemade cookies, or special chocolate.

  • Write uplifting, cheerful notes. Use one of the three templates

  • Deliver to recipients. Kids enjoy the excitement of trying to make their deliveries anonymously.

Reflections

• How would it (or does it) feel to receive a May Day basket from someone?

• How does it feel to offer a small gesture of kindness?

• Why is it important to do small things for those in our community?

• What other ways can we show your appreciation and love for our friends and neighbors throughout the year?

Click here for more spring-y titles on this growing list.

Resources

• Heartprints by P.K. Hallinan
  A sweet little story about the lasting impact your kindness can have on others.

• On the Morn of Mayfest by Erica Silverman
  This joyous book in rhyme takes you through a day of one village’s May Day festivities.

Take it Further

• Deliver your baskets to a local nursing home, hospital or veteran’s home.

• Create other May Day crafts to give away.

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Cultivate a Gratitude Garden

Turn gratitude into a beautiful display!

By taking the time to notice and appreciate good things in your life, you'll teach children to cultivate gratitude all year round. Use our gratitude garden printable below, create your own gratitude tree, or dream up your own display!

What you’ll need

• Our printable template for a Gratitude Garden sign, and for our flower petals.

• A variety of beautiful paper. Magazines, reused wrapping paper, or newspaper print work, as well as construction and scrapbook paper.

• Recycled container for your garden – a tin can is perfect, a cracker box with the top half cut off works well too.

• Markers

• Glue or tape

• Buttons, fabric, pipe cleaners, or other embellishments

Instructions

Click here to print.

• Print our templates.

• Decorate the gratitude fence and glue or tape it to your base.

• Cut simple petal shapes out of your favorite decorative paper.

• Cut stems in various lengths (6” to 12”) out of repurposed cereal or pasta boxes.

• Reflect: what are you grateful for? Write one thing on each petal.

• Place your garden somewhere nearby, along with any leftover petals and stems. Remember to add to it from time to time, perhaps after family dinner or during a weekend morning over coffee and cocoa.

Reflection

•  As quickly as you can, list 20 things you are grateful for.

• List one thing you are grateful for that indulges each of your senses.

• List something you are grateful for in every season (or month).

• Why is it so easy to forget the many things we are grateful for when we discover something new that we desperately want?

• How can we remind ourselves to be satisfied with the good things already in our lives?

• What if we woke up tomorrow and only had the things we expressed gratitude for today? What should we be sure to add to our gratitude garden?

Resources

Browse the books in Doing Good Together’s picture books to inspire gratitude for your next family favorite!

• Thank You Letter by Jane Cabrera
  After getting into the spirit of writing thank you notes for her birthday gifts, Grace decided to keep going. Watch what happens as she shares her thank you notes all over town. For anyone who wonders what thankfulness in action looks like, this sweet story will be an inspiration.

• Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora
  This story is a bit like Stone Soup in reverse. Omu (pronounced Ah-moo) creates a stew so tasty, that her neighbors can’t help but ask for a bowl. Her gracious giving leaves Omu with an empty pot at dinner time. But don’t worry, her generosity hasn’t gone unnoticed! This beautiful story is full of opportunities to talk about giving, gratitude, and how we can show appreciation for those around us.Take it further

Take it further

• Create Gratitude Kits and share appreciation on the go.

• Decorate Big-Hearted Awards for unsung community heroes.

• Revisit this popular DGT article, Active Gratitude: Family Traditions for Kinder, Less Entitled, More Generous Kids.

Browse the projects in our Big-Hearted Families Tookit!

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Create a Kindness Quilt Display

Celebrate good deads and grow empathy muscles!

Research confirms that accountability is a key way to foster new habits and reach difficult goals. By letting your family know that kindness and helping others is a priority, you’re setting high expectations for follow-through.

This project pairs perfectly with The Kindness Quilt by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. As you'll see in the book, taking time to focus on everyday acts of kindness makes us all strive to do more.

Create your own “kindness quilt” with DGT’s Kindness Quilt printable, or set up your own creative display of kindness.

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Get creative! Your squares can become a quilt, a banner, a bulletin board, or a collage! Use them to inspire kids to notice the kindness they give and receive.

What you’ll need

• Choose your printable:

  • Small “Kindness Is…” squares

  • Large “Kindness Is…” squares

• Colored pencils, crayons, or pens

• Scissors

• Painter’s Tape

• Colored paper and glue (optional)

Instructions

• First, read the book The Kindness Quilt by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. Watch what happens when Mrs. Cooper challenges her students to share acts of kindness and depict them in drawings! Don't let the cute, simple design of this book fool you. Children will be excited to make their own display!

• Choose large squares for younger kids or art enthusiasts or small squares for large groups and older kids.

• Cut apart the squares.

• Place squares and drawing supplies where your kids can easily grab them. 

• Create space on your wall to display your quilt squares as you draw on them.

• Choose a time of day to regularly spend a few minutes talking about kindness.

• Try to answer the following questions:

·   How did you share kindness today?

·   How did your action make you feel?

·   How do you think it made others feel?

·   How did someone help you today?

• If you’re feeling crafty, embellish your quilt squares. Like Minna in our story, gather scrap paper and glue to create backgrounds. Then tape them on your wall to create a quilt just like in the story.

Reflection Questions

• After a few days of adding to your quilt, ask: Did you enjoy focusing on kindness? Should we continue adding to our quilt?

• Do you find it easier to recognize (and be thankful for) the kindness others do for you when you know you'll be talking about kind acts later with your family?

• Can we brainstorm a list of new kindness ideas you might want to try?

Resources

Click here for this growing list!

• The Three Questions by Jon J. Muth
  Based on a short story by Leo Tolstoy, The Three Questions is the story of a little boy’s quest to discover the secret to being a good person.

• I Can Make a Difference: A Treasury to Inspire Our Children by Margaret Wright Edelman
  This collection is exceptional with a wonderful combination of stories, poetry, and art. The works in this treasury do not simply teach and inspire. They are literary jewels, beautiful in and of themselves, making them a delight savor with your children.

Take it Further

• To keep a daily focus on kindness, print a stack of our Pithy Placemats, now in several new versions. They help bring big-hearted conversations to every family meal.

• Commit to a monthly family act of kindness tailored to book lovers like you. Send books each month to a child in need of reading materials with our Feed Hungry Minds project.

Browse the projects in our Big-Hearted Families Tookit!

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Plant a Row for the Hungry

Dedicate a row of your garden to a local food shelf.

Everyone enjoys fresh produce. Help struggling families in your community by sharing your bounty. 

Possible Recipients

Your local food pantry, soup kitchen, or deserving neighbors and friends. Learn more about the Garden Writer’s Association Plant a Row for the Hungry initiative.

What you’ll need

• A garden

• A bag or box to carry your freshly picked goods

• Optional: card-making materials

Instructions

Get inspired by this popular DGT article.

• Call your local food pantry or soup kitchen to make sure they can accept your donation. AmpleHarvest.org offers a simple tool to find the nearest food pantry.

• Plant one row in your garden that you plan to donate.

• When it’s ready, harvest your produce.

• If you’d like, attach a card saying something like, “From the garden of ___“ or “Fresh to you! Enjoy!”

• Deliver to the nonprofit or to a friend or neighbor in need. If you choose a food pantry, ask about getting a tour.

Reflections

• Why is it important to eat fresh fruits and vegetables?

• Why might it be difficult for those with limited resources to get fresh produce?

• How would it feel if you had to get your food from a food pantry?

• What other ways can you share healthy, fresh foods with others?

Resources

Click here for this growing list.

• The Little Gardener by Emily Hughes
  Through gorgeous illustrations and elegant text, Hughes introduces us to the hopes and frustrations of the littlest gardener. There is so much to love in this little story and its fairy-tale-style celebration of persistence, teamwork, and – of course – tending nature.

• Simply in Season by Cathleen Hockman-Wert and Mary Beth Lind
  Dozens of recipes and information about eating with the seasons.

Take it further

• If you don’t have room to garden in your backyard, reserve a plot in a community garden. Get to know your neighbors and share your harvest!

• If there’s not a community garden nearby, start your own. Get neighbors and friends to join in.

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Celebrate Earth Day - Every Day

Practice daily acts of conservation.

Plant the idea of environmental stewardship in your children all year – not only on Earth Day – by making little changes in your daily life.

This simple video will help you get started!

Possible recipients

Your family, home, community, environment, and the earth.

What you’ll need

• A willingness to make small changes in your everyday life

• Computer with Internet access

• Supplies vary based on the activities you choose.

Instructions

Our daily routines take a toll on the planet. It can be fascinating to show children how even their smallest activities add up to a significant impact.

Click here to start the questionnaire.

• Take the plastic reduction challenge. DGT's quick and easy plastic reduction challenge will send you on a hunt for the single-use plastics you rely on in your home. Once you find them, brainstorm replacement options together.

• Measure your carbon footprint. This kid-friendly calculator from the World Wildlife Federation makes it clear how your family’s choices impact the environment.

• Adopt a new sustainable habit. This list of 50 ways to help the planet is full of easy-to-tackle changes in your everyday routine.

• Consider going zero(ish) waste. If you're feeling ambitious, take this fun (and surprisingly doable!) month-long zero-waste challenge, listing one small change your family can make each day.

• Create posters. If desired, use art materials to create fun, colorful reminders — pictures, signs — to help family members keep up their new habits.

Reflections

• What good things are we already doing in our day to help the earth?

• What simple changes can our family make to take even better care of our planet?

• Why is it important to be good about recycling? composting? turning off the lights? taking shorter showers? turning off the water while brushing our teeth?

• Why is it sometimes hard to make even small changes like these?

Resources

Click here for this growing book list.

• The Story of Stuff is an ingenious 20-minute film about where things come from, where they end up, and the social and environmental implications.

• 365 Ways to Live Green for Kids: Saving the Environment at Home, School, or at Play–Every Day! by Sheri Amsel
  Simple ideas for how kids can protect the earth.

Take it further

• Celebrate Earth Day by attending (or organizing) a community festival, planting trees, picking up litter, organizing a letter-writing or fundraising walk for environmental causes, or doing some activity that helps make a difference for our planet.

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Make Birdseed Cookies

Share kindness with feathered friends.

Young nature lovers will enjoy whipping up a batch of bird treats and watching the local bird population flock to the feast.

This simple video will help you get started!

Possible recipients

The full recipe below creates around 30 cookies. Use them to spread good cheer in the community!

• Share them with a lonely neighbor.

• Donate them to a local senior care home.

• Or hang them outside the window of a friend recovering from surgery.

Seem complicated?

Visit our Pinterest Board: For the Birds to find the perfect bird feeder for your family (including this super simple version featuring cheerios and yarn or pipe cleaners).

What you'll need

• 2 cups flour

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 cup of sugar

• 2/3 cup vegetable shortening

• 2 eggs

• 3/4 cup birdseed (use small seeds)

• 3 egg whites

• Cookie cutters

• Paper clips

• Yarn to hang cookies

Instructions

• Sift all the dry ingredients together and cut in the lard with a blunt knife.

• Add the eggs.

• Add the birdseed and knead until smooth.

• Allow the dough to chill overnight.

• Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into shapes with cookie cutters.

• Insert a paper clip into the top of the shape to act as a hanger.

• Brush the cookie with beaten egg whites and press birdseed into the top of the cookie.

• Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 325 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until the cookies are hard.

• String yarn through the paper clip to make a hanger and hang on a tree near a birdbath.

Reflection Questions

• How do you think the birds will feel when they find these special treats?

• How does it make you feel to make birdseed cookies and see the birds eat them?

• Why do you think it’s important to care for animals?

• What other things do you think we could do for the birds?

Resources

• Ruby’s Birds by Mya Thompson
  Discover the fun in birdwatching right along with Ruby in this fun story. Learn Ruby’s tips for taking nature walks, how to spot birds wherever you are, and connect with Celebrate Urban Birds, a citizen-science project at the Cornell Lab.

• Tea with Lady Sapphire: Sharing the Love of Birds by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick
  Birds, nature, and the relationship between a grandma and her grandchildren are a gentle reminder that the simplest pleasures can often be found just outside our window.
  Ages: Pre-k to 8

• Wild Wings by Gill Lewis
  Young readers will love this gripping story about a boy from Scotland and a girl from West Africa who join together to save a migrating Osprey and share wonderful adventures along the way.
  Ages: 8 to 12

Take it further

• Hang the cookies in a place near a window where your family can watch the birds eat from indoors.

• Make “birds nest” bags to supply birds with materials to build their nests. Take a piece of netting or plastic mesh from a produce bag and fill it with things like dryer lint, pine needles, colorful ribbons, raffia, etc., and tie it at the top. Hang outside and watch your neighborhood for signs of your materials, especially ribbons in neighborhood nests.

Browse the projects in our Big-Hearted Families Toolkit!

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Explore Nature with a DGT Guidebook

Visit the DGT Family Library to print this membership exclusive.

Members of the DGT Family, get outside with this exclusive download!

This members-only toolkit includes

• Conversation Cards: designed to enrich a family conversation about The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry

• My Nature Journal: a one-of-a-kind collection of 17 activities including creative writing, drawing, and mindfulness prompts.

• Heal the Earth: a 12-Week Kindness Challenge designed to help you make a difference week by week.

Visit the DGT Family Library to download this membership exclusive.

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.