Camping and Hiking Science for Kids

A camping trip or a long walk is a science lesson without a classroom. The weather, the sky, the plants and the ground are all there to explore, and children usually have more time and attention than they do at home. Here are activities that need little or no equipment.

Safety first

Always check conditions and your route, tell someone where you are going, and bring water, food, a first aid supplies and appropriate clothing. Keep children close, stay on marked paths, stay well back from cliffs and water edges, and never drink from streams or lakes unless the water has been properly treated. Do not touch or eat plants, berries or fungi unless an adult who knows them confirms they are safe. Fires and stoves are for adults to manage, with children kept at a safe distance.

Weather watching

Before you leave and each morning, look at the sky and note the clouds, wind and temperature. Ask your child to predict the day’s weather and check at the end. Notice how temperature drops after sunset, and how clear skies often mean a colder night. A small thermometer and a notebook are enough. See our weather watching post for ideas.

Reading the ground

Kneel and look closely at soil, rock and leaf litter. Ask:

Is the soil dark or pale, damp or dry?
Are the stones rounded or sharp? What might have shaped them?
What is living under a log or stone? (Put it back gently.)

For a fuller look at what soil contains, try the soil lesson.

Tracks and signs

You may not see animals, but you can see where they have been. Look for tracks in mud, feathers, nests, holes, chewed nuts or cones, and droppings (look, do not touch). Sketch what you find and talk about who might have made it and what it was doing.

Finding the way

Teach your child the sun’s rough path: it rises in the east and sets in the west, in most places on Earth. With an adult, use a compass and a map, and compare them with what you see. Count steps or minutes between landmarks and work out how far you walked. This is measurement in a real setting.

Stars at night

If the sky is dark and clear, lie back and look. Notice the Moon’s shape, bright planets that do not twinkle, and the patterns of stars. Our post on why we see different stars in different seasons is a good follow-up. Give eyes about 20 minutes to adjust, and use a red or dim torch if you need light.

Water and weather on the trail

Watch how a stream moves, where it is fast or slow, and what it carries. Ask why the banks are shaped as they are. Keep a safe distance and never let children wade without close supervision.

Plant and animal survey

Choose a patch about one metre (three feet) across, and count the kinds of plants or insects in it. Compare a sunny spot with a shaded one. Record numbers in a notebook and talk about the differences.

Leave no trace

Teach children to take only photos and leave only footprints. Carry out all rubbish, keep to paths and do not disturb nests or burrows. This is science too: we study places best when we do not change them.

Packing a small science pouch

Keep a pouch with a notebook, a pencil, a magnifying glass, a small ruler, a thermometer and a few zip bags for collecting loose items such as fallen leaves. Check local rules before collecting anything, and put everything back when you finish. The pouch is light, takes seconds to grab, and signals to a child that this is a trip where looking closely is part of the fun.

Where to go next

Take a nature journal along, or look at shadow stick for a daytime sun experiment. The night sky unit and weather and seasons unit pair nicely with a trip.