Outdoor activity ideas and inspiration

From mid-March to the end of May 2020, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust (HHLT) posted a simple outdoor activity idea and nature riddle for kids every weekday. Some days we also posted other resources, like downloadable chapters of the Junior Ranger Activity Book.

Created to support parents who found themselves homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic, these activity ideas are a great jumping off point for any outdoor adventure. Click here for a list with links to all 50 activity ideas.

Nature riddle

This bird lays up to a dozen cream-colored eggs. The young are able to swim in less than one day and fly within 60 days. What is this common bird? Click here for the answer and to read more about this interesting creature.

Nature names

Have your child write their name in big letters on a piece of card stock or cardboard. Go outside to gather natural materials like sand, grass, flowers, leaves, sticks or small rocks (nothing too heavy). Have your child place a line of glue along each letter and glue the natural objects to the paper. It’s fun to make a line of glue, cover it liberally with sand and then dump off the sand that isn’t sticking to the glue. We do this activity every summer at Nature Day Camp with preschoolers and elementary-age kids!