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Tree Scavenger Hunt

How well do you know the trees where you live?

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Plan

  • Where will you share this adventure?
  • How can you leave no trace on this scavenger hunt?
  • How will you identify different kinds of cones, seeds, leaves, twigs and bark?

Do

  • On your own or in pairs, take some time in nature to collect souvenirs of the trees you can name.
  • You might collect an acorn and share that you know it came from an oak tree, and a maple key can represent a maple tree. Don't pull anything off of a living tree, make sure you collect your items from the ground. You could also take a photo of the tree, rather than taking anything. 
  • But do you know the difference between a cone from a white pine and a cone from a white spruce?
  • Leave living trees be. Taking leaves, bark or seeds from living trees isn’t good for them.
  • Be sure to leave the things you collect where you are before heading home after your adventure.
  • Identify as many trees as you can! Who can name the most?

Review

  • What do you know now that you did not know before?
  • What was your favourite part of this adventure?
  • How did you leave no trace on this adventure?
  • Why is it important to leave no trace when playing games like this one?
  • What surprised you?
  • Remember to submit your activities on our Scouts for Sustainability Take Action Map

Keep it Simple

  • Did you find any beautiful leaves while doing this activity? Preserve them for a scrapbook or other craft by waxing them!

Take it Further

  • How many different trees did you see? Take note of them and keep track of the different species of trees. As you see more trees, add to your list!