Field notesWalk ideas
A nature scavenger hunt for kids and the whole family
A free outdoor scavenger hunt with thirty things to find on any walk, from something taller than you to a plant growing through a crack. Print the list or keep it open on your phone, and score it with rarity rolls.
A scavenger hunt turns a walk into a mission. This one works anywhere plants grow, which is nearly everywhere: a park, a backyard, a city block, even the edge of a parking lot. Nothing on the list needs a name. You're looking for sizes, shapes, colors and places, so anyone old enough to point can play, and anyone old enough to read can keep score.
How to do a nature scavenger hunt
- Print the checklist, one for each player or team, or keep this page open on a phone and tick the boxes as you go.
- Agree on the route and how long you have. Thirty to forty-five minutes suits most families.
- When someone spots an item, they show the others before ticking it off. One plant can tick more than one box.
- Every find follows the same rule: look, snap, leave it be. Nothing gets picked, pulled or touched. A photo is proof enough.
- At the end of the walk, add up the scores.
Fig. 1 Finds from one walk, and what each one rolled.
The nature scavenger hunt list: 30 things to find
30 things to find on any walk
Scoring: 1 point for every find. Catch it in PocketPetal for a rarity bonus: Common +1 Uncommon +2 Rare +3 Epic +5 Legendary +8 Mythic +13
Look, snap, leave it be. Plant names in PocketPetal come from image recognition and are often wrong. Never eat, touch or use a plant because of the app. pocketpetal.com
Score it with rarity rolls
Every ticked box is worth 1 point. For bonus points, catch your finds in PocketPetal: each catch rolls a rarity from Common to Mythic, and the rarer the roll, the bigger the bonus.
Free players get 5 catches a day, so choosing which five finds to catch is half the strategy. Sharing one phone? Take turns choosing. Because rarity is pure luck, with the same odds for every plant, one lucky roll can carry a first-timer past everyone else.
Ties go to whoever rolled the single highest rarity. Still tied? Call it a draw and walk again tomorrow.
The points are our house rule for this hunt, not something the app counts; the chances are the game's real odds. Rarity is a game mechanic, and it says nothing about how rare a plant really is.
| Rarity | Chance | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 60% | +1 |
| Uncommon | 25% | +2 |
| Rare | 10% | +3 |
| Epic | 3.5% | +5 |
| Legendary | 1.2% | +8 |
| Mythic | 0.3% | +13 |
ExampleYou tick off 18 boxes, for 18 points, and catch five of your finds. They roll Common, Common, Uncommon, Rare and Epic: 1 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 5 = 12 bonus points, for a total of 30.
For preschoolers, big kids and grown-ups
The same list stretches from preschoolers to grandparents. Adjust the rules, not the walk.
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Ages 3 to 5
Choose six boxes, mostly colors and bigger-and-smaller ones, and read them out. Keep it to 15 minutes, and let them press the shutter while you hold the phone.
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Ages 6 to 9
The whole list, read aloud as you go. Let them decide which five finds get caught in PocketPetal. Choosing is half the fun.
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Ages 10 to 12
Play in teams against a 30-minute timer, with one extra rule: every find must be a different plant, so one tree can't tick five boxes.
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Teens and adults
Hard mode: the whole list in one walk, every find a different plant. Or hand the route to the teenagers and let them run the hunt for the younger ones.
Younger children should always explore with a grown-up nearby. Players under 13 play PocketPetal in kid mode, with no usernames, friends or sharing; our guide for parents explains what changes.
Swap in some seasonal finds
The list works all year. To keep it fresh, swap a few boxes for the season.
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Spring
A tree in blossom. A leaf so new it's still folded. The lightest green you can find. A flower growing in a lawn.
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Summer
A flower with a bee on it, seen from a distance. A tree that casts a big pool of shade. A flower taller than you.
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Fall
A red leaf, an orange one and a yellow one, on the tree or lying on the path. A leaf with three colors at once. A seed with wings.
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Winter
An evergreen. A bare twig with buds. A seed head left over from summer. Moss on a wall.
More in our winter walk ideas, and a whole list for December in our Christmas scavenger hunt.
Anywhere plants grow
- A city block. Street trees, planters and sidewalk cracks tick off most of the list. Swap “near water” for “a plant in a window box.”
- A backyard or balcony. A shorter list and a closer look: hunt the shapes and colors among the pots and borders.
- Indoors on a rainy day. Houseplants at home, at the library or in a garden center. Swap the bark boxes for “a plant hanging up high” and “a plant on a windowsill.”
Tips for a good hunt
- Look, snap, leave it be. Hands in pockets is a good habit for little ones: every find counts from where you stand, and it stays where it is.
- Keep people out of the photos. Point the camera at the plant. In kid mode, photos with faces in them are turned down on the phone.
- Mind other people's plants. Snap gardens from the sidewalk, and ask before taking photos in shops.
- Pack light. The list, a pencil, water, a snack and a charged phone.
- Stop while it's still fun. Unticked boxes carry over to the next walk.
Look, snap, leave it be. PocketPetal is a game. Plant names come from image recognition and are often wrong, so never eat, touch or use a plant because of what the app says.