THE BEST TODDLER WOODLAND TREASURE HUNT

Looking for a fun activity to do that get's your children outside and enjoying nature? Then why no try this woodland treasure hunt at your local woodland? If you don't have a local woods near you then you will be able to find quite a few of the treasures in your local park too. Happy hunting with your little ones. It's sure to be an enjoyable activity to do with the kids.

Before we headed off on our woodland walk we discussed what we were likely to see on our walk and what we hoped to see - Peter Rabbit was the cherry on the cake apparently! I had to break it gently that we were not going to see him.

What we took with us:

- Pencils x2

- Print out of 'Head of the Hive's Treasure Hunt' document (subscribe to access the resource library and download the document)

The woodland explorers...and they are off!

We then jumped into the car with snacks and water in tow, and drove to our local woods. When we arrived we looked at the 'Woodland Treasure Hunt' document and talked through each of the treasures to find. Both Big Bee and Little Bee decided each on what they wanted to look for first and we headed off. It did take a little guidance and prompting to begin with, but once we had got into the swing of things Big Bee was really in her element with observing the different items. I took two pencils to save any arguments (because obviously they would both want to hold a pencil at the same time) and we took it in turns to tick off the treasures that we had found because I'm all for encouraging turn taking and patience.

Planning our all important treasure hunting strategy

One of our first exciting finds was a woodlouse and we talked about how they like to live in dark and damp places, so under the leaves was a perfect home for them. We found an eight-legged friend sitting in their web, and talked about how they spun their strong web to help catch their dinner.

We then had a snack break and listened to the birds singing and watched some dogs enjoy chasing some scents.

After our pit stop, we found some flowers on a raspberry bush and detected the little unripe green raspberries. We talked about how we liked raspberries a lot! I also encouraged them to think about what insects like flowers and then when they shouted 'bee' with enthusiasm and pride, I explained how the flowers on the raspberry bushes attracted the bees and help pollinate the raspberries, so that they grow big and juicy for us to eat.

Sadly, there were a few that we didn't find on our list, but it was not through a lack of trying. Just another excuse to head back another time!

But, we did spot some bonus treasure - dogs, ferns, holly, tree stumps, a light aircraft, and their favourite (that had Little Bee smiling from ear to ear and laughing) was the millipede - we tried to count their little legs to no avail, so we settled on 'lots'.

We spotted a woodlouse - result!

All in all, we had a wonderful morning of observing and exploration. Big Bee kept mentioning throughout the day how she enjoyed her visit to the woodlands, so it's safe to say that it was a big hit (that's without finding the much sought after worm!). I'm sure your toddlers would thoroughly enjoy it too, and you can tailor your discussions on your different treasures to their age and understanding.

Don't forget to subscribe, so that you can access the resource library and download the woodland treasure hunt document.

Also, why not have a look at my blog post '10 FUN SUMMER ACTIVITIES TO DO WITH YOUR TODDLERS' for more inspiration on what to do this summer with your little ones.

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