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 very common bird was a rare sight 100 years ago, when they were nearly eradicated due to over harvesting, along with changes in farming and timber management practices. This animal now lives in all 50 states and their population has grown in 40 years from one million to more than seven million. Click here to read more about this fascinating animal.

Spray yourself on a hot day (advice from an eight-year-old)

My eight-year-old daughter, Sophie, wanted to write an outdoor activity idea. Here it is:

“When you are really hot, this is a fun activity to try. Spraying yourself with a hose may be cold at first, but if you’re hot it is very refreshing. I think you should wear a long sleeve bathing suit so you don’t have to put on much sunscreen. Me and my brother like to take turns spraying each other.”

Or, like some good friends of ours always do on the last day of school, fill a bunch of buckets and bowls with water and place them around your yard. Give everyone a plastic tub from your recycling to use to dip water out of the buckets and chase and splash each other with.

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