A Magic Nature Potion
Taking a magic potion jar on your nature walk adds an element of fun and imagination to a scavenger hunt! This activity has been designed to be fun, but also to be great for wellbeing, growth mindset and mindfulness.
Below, you will find printable Magic Nature Potion scavenger hunt sheets and instructions. The hunt is designed to connect your child with nature, encourage them to look closely, use their senses, and explore the nature around them (introducing vocabulary such as lichen, moss, seeds etc). Here’s an article that will tell you more about why connecting with nature is so good for children’s mental wellbeing, physical health, and academic success .
After collecting the items, your child can mix them while saying 3 things that they are grateful for. Showing gratitude is well known to be very beneficial to our mental health. This nature connector has a great read aloud kids book and more gratitude activities.
Then, stirring in the opposite direction they say three things that they are good at. This helps build self confidence and a positive mindset.
Finally, the potion is tipped out in a special spot and your child decides on a goal to strive for. This builds a growth mindset. It has been shown that writing goals down makes them more likely to be achieved. So, you might like to write down your child’s goal for them, or get them to write it down. This could be kept somewhere special and then buried where the potion was poured when it is achieved!
The nature potion really is magic! Making it is guaranteed to make anyone feel better, by connecting them with nature, using their senses, using imagination, doing physical activity, getting fresh air, showing gratitude, focussing us on positive thoughts, and building a growth mindset. Who would have thought that there were so many benefits to such a fun activity!
Click on this to download/print the pdf. Print the sheet below for younger children who can’t read the list.
This scavenger sheet has picture prompts for younger children who can’t read the list on the first sheet. Click on it to download/print the pdf.
If you enjoyed this activity, you might enjoy these ones too:
Show Gratitude to Nature (Includes a great read aloud NZ kids’ book)
We highly recommend watching this video if you’re making potions with young children. It gives you lots of great ideas and explanations about the skills being developed in preschoolers who do this activity. Who knew there was so much learning involved in an activity that is so fun!