It’s officially the holiday season—Chanukah! Winter Solstice! Christmas! Kwanzaa!—that sweetest time of year when everyday life is set aside to allow us time and space to celebrate with family, friends and community. And, in most traditions—yes—it’s a time of giving and receiving gifts. If you’re looking for good ideas to gift the nature-loving kids in your life, here are a few of our favorites:
• Binoculars There are plenty of compact binoculars in the $20-$30 range that can make a walk in the woods a lot of fun (skip the kids’ ones—adult versions typically have a lot more magnifying power). Take advantage of winter’s early nighttime, too, and use those binoculars to look at the moon!
• Backpack A lot of gear companies offer junior backpacks that are appropriately sized down, but still full of the little features that make wearing them a lot more comfortable, like a sternum strap. It’s great to get kids used to carrying a snack and small water bottle while they’re young; they can work their way up to more accoutrements as they get bigger. “Stowable” or “packable” packs, and ones designed to mostly carry a water bladder, are a good place to start when looking for bigger kids—not only are they lightweight, they’re also relatively inexpensive.
• Headlamp Yes, they will turn it on and look directly in your eyes. Yes, it will take your guidance to teach them how to use it appropriately. But nothing brings magic to the dark (even just the darkness of a blanket fort) like a headlamp.
• Gardening Tools Get kid-sized gardening tools. Not just hand tools, but a rake and a hoe and a big shovel. There’s something magical about turning over the earth and seeing what’s hanging out in there, and kids love the opportunity to do meaningful work.
• Packable Hammock Whether you leave it in your yard or bring it along for relaxation on the go, it’s hard to beat a hammock for an outdoor seat. Kids can swing on it for good vestibular input, sit in it as a dry place to eat, and even grab an al fresco snooze (with supervision, of course). A double-sized hammock allows more space for kids to pile in together, and a tree kit to hang it wherever you go only adds to the fun.
• Pocket Microscope Spend a lot of time near water? A pocket microscope will open up new worlds for your kids to explore. For younger kids or as an upgrade, look for one that can connect to your smartphone to make it easy for everyone to make sure they’re looking at the same thing.
• Good Gear to Wear A nice broad-brimmed sun hat. Thin-but-warm wool socks. Sunglasses (get a strap, too!). Kid-friendly stick sunscreen. Gaiters treated with built-in insect repellant. Are most kids excited by socks? Well, no. But having quality gear makes it easier to enjoy time spent outdoors, and few gifts can beat that.
• Hiking Poles It’s always fun to find the elusive Perfect Hiking Stick when you’re on a nature walk. But bringing your own Official Hiking Poles can help make a walk in the woods feel like Serious Adventure.
• Nature-Based Craft Kits SunPrint solar paper, a flower press, clay or Sculpey polymer clay for making leaf prints, a wood burner, a bat house or bird house kit, acrylic paints and brushes to paint rocks . . . depending on your kid’s age and dexterity, there are lots of ways to bring art outside. The book Nature’s Art Box is packed with fun ideas.
• Plant or Terrarium Give them a tiny garden of their very own, complete with a small watering can (a spout rather than a sprinkle top will be easier to control). Spider plants, ZZ plants, and Hoyas are hardy and adaptable. A terracotta pot is simple to paint for extra pizazz. Terrariums are a bit more finicky, but there are lots of terrarium kits and kids’ container gardens available that take much of the guesswork out of the process.
• Survival Kit For older kids, a survival kit is a great gift. You can get one that’s already pre-packaged, or pull one together yourself. A firestarter, compass, emergency whistle and mirror, space blanket, paracord, a knife, and a small first aid kit are a good place to start. Keep one in the bottom of their pack for emergencies, but make sure they know what everything is and how to use it all safely.
• Nature-Themed Games Sure, you can get outside in all weather, but sometimes you want some indoor fun, too. Some of our favorites (check that they are age-appropriate for your kids):
–Sneaky Snacky Squirrel: Use the “Squirrel Squeezer” (squirrel-shaped tweezers) to collect color-coded acorns, and the be the first to fill your log.
–Wildcraft: In this mobile app, you can explore nature as a wild animal—wolf, bobcat, lynx, eagle, bear, etc.—and raise a family in the wilderness.
–Poop Bingo: Match 24 animals to their unique scats in this silly, social game while learning fun fecal facts (wombats poop cubes, for example, and penguins poop in colorful squirts!).
–Match A Track (also Match a Leaf): Match 25 animals to their paw prints in this beautiful illustrated card game.
–Into The Forest: This versatile card game about the food chain features several modes of play.
–Photosynthesis: Plant and shape the ever-changing forest as you cultivate your seeds and your strategy in this beautiful strategy board game.
• Nature-Themed Non-Fiction There are lots of books that we love (check out the #bcscommunitybookshelf hashtag on Instagram for some ideas), and non-fiction titles about the outdoors are an important part of any kid’s bookshelf. They can spark new ideas, offer insight into new parts of the world, and answer questions kids didn’t even know they were asking. Ones we love include: I Ate Sunshine For Breakfast, the Welcome to the Museum series, Nature Anatomy, 100 Things To Do In a Forest, The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth, My First Reference Book About Nature, Fun With Nature Take Along Guide, and Exploring Nature Activity Book for Kids.
• Creativity Give them mud and sticks and an open field with a log across a stream. Or string, tape, cardboard boxes and a handful of good crayons. Kids’ creativity simply can’t be wrapped. Give them the space to breathe and the time to play and be willing to get into their world for a while, and you’ll be giving them the gift of a wild childhood—the best gift of all!
Nicole Privitera is BCS’s Nature and Growing Class teacher. A mother of four with advanced degrees in Early Childhood Education and Development, she has extensive experience raising—and nurturing curiosity in—wild children.