Even though the temperatures are dropping playing outside is still important for kids. A fun idea for sending them out for a short time period and giving them a task to do is a scavenger hunt! What they are looking for can be tweaked depending on the age of the child, and the method of sharing their finds would depend on age as well.
Some examples of things to look for could be a crunchy leaf, a bug, a pinecone- all excellent for littles. For older kids their tasks could be more detailed or specific- a bug with 6 legs, a nail, or a specific, hard to find item that is on the property.
This would be an excellent opportunity to add some fun to learning. Count the items found, talk about the textures of the items, or the letter each word starts with. Another scavenger list topic could be a specific number of things or finding something for each letter of the alphabet.
For children who have a phone or the capability to take a photo can snap a photo of their finds. Another idea for children to work on spelling and writing would be to give them a general description of what they are to find and have them write out what they found to mark that off their list. Smaller children could collect their treasures to share.
Fresh air is important even when the weather gets cool, it just may need to be enjoyed in smaller doses. A scavenger hunt is a great way to get out for short periods of time but have a lot of fun!
