by Sarah Mowry
Have a Halloween Scavenger Hunt
Visit a Land Trust Preserve, park, or local natural area for a Halloween Scavenger Hunt! Little folks can visit during the day, and older tricksters can visit at dusk. Bonus points for scavenging in your costumes! Here are ten items to get you started:
- A spooky spiderweb
- A black crow or raven
- Bones (lunch leftovers?)
- Something dark and mysterious
- A magic wand (unusual stick or twig!)
- Something slimy
- An owl or sign of an owl
- An insect that creeps and crawls
- An ingredient for a witch’s potion
- Signs of a night prowling cat (tracks, scat, hair)
Find these and ten more items on this handy downloadable Halloween Scavenger Hunt!
Take a Flashlight Hike
- Play with flashlights of course! There is endless fun in watching your light shine around the forest, blinding your parents or siblings, or watching to see what kinds of bugs your light attracts.
- Listen to night sounds! Be sure to take some time to stop and listen quietly when you are on your hike. What kinds of sounds do you hear in the night? How are they different from daytime?
- Look at the night sky! Be sure to stop somewhere comfortable and turn off all your lights. Give your eyes enough time to adjust (usually 2-3 minutes) and look for stars and the moon. Halloween 2020 is also a full moon!
Tips for a successful Flashlight Hike:
- Do some pre-planning! Visit the place in the daytime first so you know where you are going and what the trails are like.
- Load the kids up with flashlights! (Make sure your batteries are charged or bring backups.)
- Bring extra layers for cooler temperatures.
- Bring fun Halloween snacks! Trick or treat in the trees?
Moon Walk
- Watch the moon rise! Moonrise is at 6:20pm on Halloween and you can find lots more information about where to look on the horizon here.
- Read Owl Moon, Goodnight Moon, or other fun moon books with your flashlights outside under the light of the full moon.
- Check out the moon with your binoculars or a spotting scope. Learn more from NASA's Viewing Guide.
- Geek out on the NASA moon website! Or, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where you can learn more about moon observation or moon phases.
- Explore the moon with Google!
- Bonus points: moon walk under the full moon!
Learn more:
- Ideas for connecting children and the outdoors
- Observing Nature from a Sit Spot
- Encouraging a Sense of Wonder in Children