What You will Need

1) a small notebook and pen

2) a few small Ziploc bags

3) a small flashlight or pointer

4) a magnifying glass

5) a digital camera (optional)

How to Begin Your Nature Walk

Talk about nature before embarking on your walk. Discuss with your preschooler what you will be looking for, such as plants, trees, animals, and insects. Begin your nature walk around your immediate neighborhood--a place your preschooler is familiar.

Point out interesting nature on your walk. This will help your preschooler catch on. For instance, pick up a leaf and show it to your preschooler. Encourage your preschooler to begin finding items. As you point out items, discuss what the item is, where you found it, and what part it plays in nature. Use a flashlight or pointer to point to vegetation or animals high in the trees.

Assign each nature item an alphabet letter. If the first item you pick up is a leaf from the Maple tree in your front yard, label a Ziploc bag "A" and insert the leaf. Then write on the first page of your notebook "A-Maple leaf from front yard." Continue through the alphabet as you label bags for each piece of nature you pick up. If you find something interesting that you can't take with you, for example a beautiful bird or a even a snake, take a quick picture of it and note that you have taken a picture. Print the picture when you get home and add it to your notebook.

Help your preschooler use the magnifying glass to look at the items. When you return home take a few minutes to make sure your bags are labeled and then begin looking at the items closely. Read aloud the information you have written about each item. Looking closely at the veins of leaves or the legs of spiders is fun. If you were able to gather seed pods of any kind, open them up and discover what is inside. Explain the role each piece of nature plays. For example, the inside of the seed pod are seeds that find there way to the soil to grow new trees.

Preserve your nature items and notebook. Once you are done with your nature discussion, keep your nature and your notebook in a shoebox so that you can add to it on your next nature walk.

Variations for Your Nature Walk

If your neighborhood is not conducive to a nature walk, go to a local park or other public area. Nature is everywhere!

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Helpful Tips for Parents

• Outdoor science (nature observation, weather tracking, garden study) is as rigorous as lab science and has the added benefit of physical activity and environmental connection.

• Accept wrong predictions gracefully — "Interesting! The result was different from what we predicted. Why do you think that happened?" Models scientific resilience.

• Connect science observations to real-world applications: "This is why bridges are built this way" or "This is how your body does that." Application makes science relevant.

• Give children real tools: a real magnifying glass, real measuring cups, a real thermometer. Toy versions deliver less sensory and intellectual feedback than actual instruments.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make science experiments safe for preschoolers?

Keep experiments to food-safe or food-grade materials whenever possible: vinegar, baking soda, cornstarch, salt, food coloring, and dish soap cover most preschool science. Always supervise hands-on experiments. Establish and enforce the rule: "We only put things in our mouth that adults say are safe." Keep experiments away from eyes — vinegar and salt water sting. Wash hands after all experiments. A pair of toy safety goggles adds a "scientist" identity bonus while providing real protection from splashes.

Related reading: See also our nature walks guide and our color mixing science for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 📏 Early Math & Measurement — Measuring ingredients, comparing quantities, and observing size changes connects science directly to mathematical thinking — making science experiments some of the richest early math experiences available.
• 😌 Patience & Delayed Gratification — Experiments with delayed results — growing plants, watching crystals form, tracking weather — teach children to wait for outcomes rather than needing immediate feedback, a skill that predicts academic and life success.
• 🌍 Nature Literacy — Learning the names, habits, and relationships of plants, animals, and natural phenomena builds the nature literacy that connects children to the living world and lays the groundwork for environmental stewardship.
• 🔄 Flexible Thinking — When an experiment produces an unexpected result, children practice adapting their thinking — a form of cognitive flexibility that makes them more resilient learners across all subjects.

Introducing your preschooler to the different types of vegetation and animal life in your own neighborhood is a great way develop your preschooler's observation skills as well as begin to learn classifications of plants, trees, animals, and insects. In order to have a fun an educational preschool nature walk you will need to set aside about twenty minutes and be very organized.