Acorn Crew: Nature Walk

One of the simplest ways to get outdoors is through a nature walk. While a stroll through nature is exciting enough, setting an intention for your jaunt can be even more satisfying and fun. These can be done on your own or with a friend, and you can keep track of your progress in your head, by drawing them on paper or by taking a picture. Whether your promenade is through your neighborhood or through a park or trail, here are some ideas to make each walk a unique adventure!

Rainbow Walk

An easy way to bring some vibrancy into your walk is by using nature’s colors. Start with red, and search for a plant, animal or bug with the color you are searching for. Can you find each color of the rainbow?

Need another colorful way to make your walk more interesting? Pick your favorite color and seek it out through the walk. Green may be an easy choice, or you could challenge yourself with a rarer color, like purple. You may observe that some colors are much more difficult to find than others.

Flower Walk

With all the native wildflowers in Iowa, a flower walk is the perfect way to expand your plant identification skills. Try and spot as many flowers as you can. Notice flowers that commonly bloom together. Want to take it a step further? Try identifying different parts of the flower, and notice how some flowers bloom vibrantly, while others may still be buds. Maybe you will find a new favorite flower on your walk!

Texture Walk

The natural world is full of unique textures. Do different trees have different bark textures? Why is some grass pointy while other varieties are soft and lush? Different plants and animals look the way they do out of survival, evolving to match the climate, ecosystem and conditions around them. Comparing the textures is a fun sensory experience but be cautious of thorns and remember to avoid plants like poison ivy. You and an adult can learn more about how to identify poison ivy here.

Sensory Walk

Looking for more ways to ease your senses? Nature can be meditative, and by being intentional about taking in the world around you, the connection you have with the land you stand on can grow stronger. As you walk, consider the things around you. Challenge yourself to focus on one sense at a time. Smell the aroma of the breeze, listen intently to the surrounding greenery and feel the ground beneath you.

Alphabet Walk

While walking outside, look at the shapes around you. Maybe three sticks on the ground look a bit like the letter A. Perhaps the curve of a flower petal looks like a C. Maybe ants marching in a line form a V. Try to find as many letters as you can! For an extra challenge, try finding all the letters in your name, or try spelling out your favorite word.

Go wild!

Your turn! Try combining nature walk ideas, come up with new ones or go without. Try selecting a theme, like leaves, nuts or berries to focus your search on, or try to identify as many bird calls as you can.  Customize your nature walk with your favorite activities and enjoy the scenery around you!