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Description

Head outdoors to explore the trees, leaves, butterflies and bugs waiting to be discovered.

Courtesy of The Scout Association
https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/mother-nature-s-id-challenge/

Resources

Pens or pencils
Access to a printer
Phone (optional)

Spotter Sheets and iDial templates in attached files or at https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk

Take it further
Create your own iDials to help you identify leaves, twigs, or creepy crawlies on your next woodland adventure. How many different living things do you think you’ll be able to spot using your iDials?

Instructions

Before you begin
- Arrange to meet at an appropriate outdoor area such as a nature reserve, woodland area, canal, or park. Make sure parents and carers know exactly where you’ll be, and what time to drop off and collect everyone.

- Before the meeting, choose two categories of living things to discover and identify. Choose from the categories in the badge requirements. If you want to use the sheets we’ve provided, choose ‘trees’ and ‘minibeasts and insects’.

- If you’re using them, download one of the sheets to help you identify trees (either the Leaf ID, Twig ID or Autumn leaf ID activity sheets, depending on the season) and the Flying Insects and Creepy Crawly spotter sheets. [Alternatively, find or make your own sheets, or use an app such as the Woodland Trust Tree ID app - https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/identify-trees-with-our-tree-id-app/ .]

- If you’re using sheets, make sure you print and bring enough (one between two is ideal) and plenty of pencils too.


On the day
1. Everyone should gather at the pre-arranged place.

2. Everyone should split into pairs.

3. The person leading the activity should explain that the aim of this adventure is to learn how to identify 12 different things, six from one category and six from another. They should show everyone the sheets or mobile apps they’ll be using (and hand any sheets and pencils out). [You might also want to give some top tips for finding some types of living thing – minibeasts and insects, for example, could be on or around plants, or people may need to gently move soil, rocks, and leaves.]

4. The person leading the activity should explain the boundaries – how far everyone’s allowed to explore. All of the pairs should set off and explore within this area.

5. Each pair should identify 12 living things using the sheets or mobile apps. It’s OK if they don’t find the exact living things on their sheets, as long as they identify six from one category and six from another. [If you’re using an app, a pair should tell an adult when they see something they want to identify. Everyone should work together to use the app to identify it.]

6. Hunting for minibeasts and insects in the dirt and under rocks is a messy business, so everyone should wash their hands thoroughly once they’ve finished exploring.

Tags

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Badge Links

• All About Adventure - Adventure
• All About Adventure - New activity
• Explore Outdoors - Get outside
• Go Wild - Food
• Go Wild - Near and far
• Naturalist - Identify
• Naturalist - Visit