Summer Scavenger Hunt: Get outside, observe nature, and create! Choose ONE track: • Track A (K–5) • Track B (6–12) You may complete this in ONE outing (30–60 minutes) or as a multi-day challenge. For each prompt, submit the requested evidence (photo upload, short written response, or audio/video). If you can’t safely go outside, you may complete prompts from a window, porch, or yard. Safety: Stay with an adult if needed, follow local rules, and never touch unknown plants or animals. Leave nature as you found it.
Track A (K–5) — Prompt 1 (Photo) Upload a photo of something in nature that has an interesting pattern (spots, stripes, spirals, lines, etc.).
Track A (K–5) — Prompt 2 (Short response) In 2–3 sentences, describe the pattern you saw in your photo.
Track A (K–5) — Prompt 3 (Photo) Upload two photos: two different leaves (or two different plants).
Track A (K–5) — Prompt 4 (Short response) Compare your two leaves/plants. What is the same and what is different?
Track A (K–5) — Prompt 5 (Audio/Video) Upload a 15–30 second “Nature News Report” describing what you see, hear, and smell outside.
Track A (K–5) — Prompt 6 (Photo) Upload a photo of a small “microhabitat” (under a rock, near tree bark, by grass, etc.). Do not disturb living things.
Track A (K–5) — Prompt 7 (Short response) What living things might use this microhabitat? How could it help them?
Track A (K–5) — Prompt 8 (Creative challenge: photo or video) Create a piece of nature art (mandala, collage, sculpture) using only items you can pick up from the ground (no picking plants). Upload a photo or video of your art.
Track A (K–5) — Prompt 9 (Short response) Explain your nature art. What materials did you use and why?
Track A (K–5) — Prompt 10 (Reflection) What was your favorite discovery today? Why?
Track B (6–12) — Prompt 1 (Photo) Upload a photo showing evidence of an interaction in an ecosystem (examples: pollinator on a flower, tracks, chewed leaf, spider web, bird nest from a safe distance).
Track B (6–12) — Prompt 2 (Short response) Describe the interaction in your photo and identify the living and nonliving factors involved.
Track B (6–12) — Prompt 3 (Photo) Upload two photos of the same outdoor spot from the same angle at two different times (same day or different days).
Track B (6–12) — Prompt 4 (Short response) What changed between your two photos? Propose at least one cause (weather, light, human activity, animals, etc.).
Track B (6–12) — Prompt 5 (Audio/Video) Upload a 30–60 second “Field Notes” update. Include: location type (yard/park/etc.), weather, and 3 sensory observations.
Track B (6–12) — Prompt 6 (Measurement mini-lab: photo + response) Upload a photo of your setup measuring temperature in the shade and in the sun. If you don’t have a thermometer, take a photo showing two shadows (sun vs. shade) instead.
Track B (6–12) — Prompt 7 (Short response) Report your measurements (or shadow observations) and explain one scientific reason they might differ.
Track B (6–12) — Prompt 8 (Biodiversity check) List 5 different living things you observed (plants, insects, birds, fungi, etc.). (Photo optional.)
Track B (6–12) — Prompt 9 (Short response) Choose 1 living thing from your list. Describe its likely role (producer/consumer/decomposer) and how you know.
Track B (6–12) — Prompt 10 (Creative challenge: photo or video) Create something inspired by what you observed (poem, short story, sketch, song, or “mini-documentary”). Upload your work (photo or video).