Spring Scavenger Hunt – Printable Finds, Clues and Riddles

All 111 finds

Outdoor finds 79

A bee with yellow lumps on its back legs Those are pollen baskets, packed for the trip home. Look from a few steps back.
A bee working its way around one flower Watch from a few steps back and let it work.
A big bumblebee flying low over the ground In early spring a bumblebee queen comes out of her winter rest and looks for a place to start a colony.
A bike or a scooter parked outside a door It stays where it is. Just point.
A bird feeder or a birdbath in a yard Spot it from the sidewalk.
A bird flying with a twig or grass in its beak It is building. Watch where it goes, from where you stand.
A bird gathering mud An American robin smears mud into its nest. Check the edge of a puddle.
A bird singing from the very top of something A treetop, a roof or a pole. Point to the singer.
A bird splashing in a puddle or a birdbath Splashing counts; drinking does not.
A bird with a red, orange or yellow chest Say which color you saw.

Show all 111 finds (101 more)

Outdoor finds, continued

A birdhouse or a nesting box On a pole, a fence or a tree. Is anyone going in and out?
A bud that has split open at the tip Green or pink shows through first. The scales that kept the bud shut all winter are dropping off.
A caterpillar on a leaf Look with eyes only and leave it on its leaf.
A cloud of tiny flies dancing in one spot Look where sun meets shade, late in the day.
A cloud shaped like an animal Tell your team what you see before it changes.
A dandelion leaf with teeth along its edge Dandelion is from the French for lion's tooth: the jagged leaves. Find the teeth.
A dandelion shut tight and another wide open Dandelion heads open in sunlight and close at night. Compare a sunny patch with a shady one.
A dandelion that has turned into a ball of fluff One whole seed head, still round. Look, and leave it for the wind.
A drop of dew on a blade of grass Look before the sun reaches the lawn.
A duck or a goose with young following behind Count the young ones. Stay well back: the parents guard them.
A fern still rolled up like the top of a violin It is called a fiddlehead, and it unrolls into a new frond. Look in damp shade.
A flower growing through a crack in the pavement Photograph it. It worked hard to get there, so it stays.
A flower shorter than your thumb Check the lawn and the edge of a path. Kneel down to see it.
A flowering bush you can smell before you reach it Stop and sniff the air first. Then find where the smell comes from.
A footprint in mud that is not yours A shoe, a paw or a bird's foot. Say whose you think it is.
A frog you can hear In the eastern United States the spring peeper is named for its peeping call. Listen near water at dusk, with a grown-up.
A fuzzy catkin hanging from a twig A catkin is a slim cluster of tiny flowers. Willow, birch and oak all grow them.
A garden bed with fresh, dark soil Somebody has been digging. Look for rows or little labels.
A hole in the ground no bigger than a coin Somebody small lives there. Guess who, and leave the door alone.
A jacket tied around somebody's waist It was cold this morning and it is not now.
A kite, a pinwheel or a flag moving in the wind Say which way the wind is blowing.
A ladybug, anywhere Count the spots if it stays still long enough.
A lawn with stripes left by a mower Fresh-cut grass has a smell too. Sniff.
A leaf so new it is still folded New leaves come out creased or rolled. Find one smaller than a fingernail.
A little curly pile of soil on the lawn A worm left it. It is called a worm cast.
A nest in a tree or a bush Spot it from the ground and stay back. A nest is never touched.
A packet of seeds or a tray of seedlings On a porch, in a window or at a shop door. Read what it will grow into.
A patch of sun warm enough to sit in Sit for a count of ten. Coats may come off.
A piece of blue eggshell on the ground Look, photograph and leave it. The color robin egg blue is named after the real thing.
A puddle big enough to jump over Jump it, or measure it in footsteps.
A purple or blue flower close to the ground Crouch to find it. Say which of the two colors it is.
A rainbow Stand with the sun behind you. Red is on the outside of the arc and violet on the inside.
A robin hunting on a lawn American robins eat earthworms and find them mostly by sight. Watch it run, stop and look.
A rug or laundry hung outside to air Over a railing or on a line.
A silver trail left by a snail Follow the shiny line to find out where it went.
A sky with blue and gray in it at once Guess which one wins by the end of the walk.
A small soft feather caught in the grass Look closely and leave it there.
A snail or a slug out in the open Damp mornings are best. Watch how it moves.
A song from a bird that stays hidden Stand still and listen. Point to where the sound comes from.
A sprinkler or a hose that is running Spot it from the sidewalk. Getting wet is optional.
A tree in blossom with no leaves on it yet White, pink or purple all over. Count how many you pass on one street.
A tree with a ring of fresh mulch around it Parks and school grounds often have one.
A window box or a pot with something blooming in it Say the color of the flowers.
A yellow flower with a trumpet in the middle A daffodil: six petal-like parts around one cup or trumpet. Count the six.
An ant carrying something Follow it with your eyes to see where it is going.
An earthworm on the sidewalk after rain Look and leave it, or ask a grown-up to move it to the grass.
An open window Count the open windows on one side of the street.
An umbrella, open or closed In a hand, a stand or a doorway.
Chalk drawings on a sidewalk or a driveway Walk around them and add nothing.
Clover growing in a lawn Clover leaves usually have three leaflets. A fourth earns a cheer.
The first butterfly you have seen this year Say what color it was. No nets and no catching.
Green shoots poking out of bare soil Flower beds and pots are the place to look. Guess what each will be.
More than five birds flying together Count them before they are gone. A good guess counts.
Mud soft enough to keep your boot print Make one print, at the edge of the path.
Petals lying on the ground like confetti Look under a tree in blossom. They stay where they fell.
Rain boots by a door Yours count. Line up to compare whose are muddiest.
Rain falling while the sun shines Then look for a rainbow on the side of the sky away from the sun.
Raindrops hanging from a twig Count the drops on one twig.
Rainwater running into a storm drain Listen for it first. Stay on the sidewalk.
The smell in the air when rain starts That earthy scent has a name: petrichor. Sniff as the first drops land.
Somebody mowing, raking or planting Wave from where you are. Nobody steps into a yard that is not theirs.
Somebody playing with a ball, a jump rope or bubbles Anyone playing outside counts, including your own team.
Something left outside that the rain filled up A bucket, a toy or a flowerpot saucer. Tip it out if it is yours.
Something small swimming in a puddle or a pond A beetle, a bug or a tadpole. Watch from the edge.
Tadpoles in still water A tadpole is a young frog or toad, also called a polliwog. Look from the bank: nobody wades in.
Three flowers of three different colors They do not have to grow together. Point to each one.
Two birds chasing each other Count the seconds until one of them lands.
Your own reflection in a puddle Wave at it.
Your shadow at lunchtime and again before dinner Which one is longer? Mark each with a stick laid on the ground.

Indoors on a rainy day 16

A houseplant with a brand-new leaf Look for the smallest, lightest leaf on the plant.
A pair of shorts or sandals waiting for warm weather Find them, hold them up and put them back.
A photo taken in spring, in an album or a frame Blossom, rain boots or light jackets in the picture are the proof.
A picture of a baby animal in a book A lamb, a chick, a duckling or a calf.
A raincoat, and the place where it lives Hang it back up afterward.
A seed from the kitchen A dried bean, a popcorn kernel or a sunflower seed. Ask before you open a cupboard.
A window with raindrops racing down it Pick a drop each and see whose reaches the bottom first.
An egg carton or a jar you could grow a seed in Ask whether you may keep it for planting.
The first bird you hear through a window American robins are among the earliest birds to sing at dawn. Open the window a crack and listen.
Mud that came in on a shoe Find it before the grown-ups do, then help wipe it up.
Something green that is not a plant A sock, a crayon, a cup. Hold it up.
Something that holds water for a plant A vase, a jar or a saucer.
Something with a flower printed on it A mug, a pillow, a dress or a tissue box.
Something with wings on it A toy, a picture, a magnet or a pattern.
The spot in the house where the sun comes in Stand in it. If it is raining, stand where it would be.
Three things that are yellow Line them up on the table, then put each one back.

Riddle clues 16

I am a bridge of colors that nobody can cross, and I need sun and rain at once. What am I? Answer: a rainbow. Stand with the sun behind you to look for one.
I am a house with no door, built of twigs, grass and mud. My owners fly home. What am I? Answer: a bird's nest. Spot one from the ground and stay back.
I am all head and tail today, and one day I will hop. What am I? Answer: a tadpole. Look in still water, from the bank.
I am rolled up like the head of a violin, and I unroll into a fern. What am I? Answer: a fiddlehead. Look in damp shade.
I am soft and brown after rain, and I keep a copy of every shoe. What am I? Answer: mud. Find a print in it that is not yours.
I carry my house on my back and leave a silver road behind me. What am I? Answer: a snail. Look on a damp wall or path.
I come up when the rain comes down, and I have no legs to run on. What am I? Answer: an earthworm. Look on the sidewalk after rain.
I fall from the sky and fill every dip in the path. Jump in me and I jump back. What am I? Answer: a puddle. Find one and jump it.
I hum from bloom to bloom and go home with yellow dust on my legs. What am I? Answer: a bee. Watch one from a few steps back.
I open when the clouds do, and I keep one person dry. What am I? Answer: an umbrella. Find one in a hand, a stand or a doorway.
I sing before the sun is up and pull my breakfast out of the lawn. What am I? Answer: a robin. Watch a lawn early in the day.
I start as a gold coin on the lawn and end as a puff of white. What am I? Answer: a dandelion. Find one of each kind.
I stay shut all winter on the end of a twig, and I open without a key. What am I? Answer: a bud. Find one that has just opened.
I turn a tree pink or white for a little while, then I snow on the sidewalk. What am I? Answer: blossom. Find a tree in bloom, or the petals under it.
I wear a yellow trumpet and stand on one green leg. What am I? Answer: a daffodil. Find one in a bed, a pot or a park.
You hold me by a string and I climb the wind. What am I? Answer: a kite. Find one in the sky, in a shop window or in a closet.

How this list was compiled: An original list of October 2026: 111 things to find in spring, in seven sets, with the five outdoor sets joined in one more. 17 are buds and flowers, 14 are birds and nests, 16 are insects, worms and pond life, 16 are rain, mud and sky, 16 are signs of the season in a yard or on a street, 16 can be found indoors on a wet day and 16 are riddles whose answer is something to find. Nothing was copied from another list. Every find is looked at, listened to or photographed: nothing is picked, caught or taken from a nest, water is looked at from its edge, and nobody steps into a yard that is not theirs. Levels are a judgment of how hard a find is, not a standard. The 23 notes that state a fact of natural history were checked on 15 October 2026 against these Wikipedia articles: Bud (bud scales), Narcissus (plant) (six petal-like parts around a cup or trumpet), Taraxacum (the name dandelion, from the French for lion's tooth; heads open in sunlight and closed at night), Catkin, Fiddlehead, Clover (leaves usually of three leaflets), American robin (earthworms found mostly by sight, mud in the nest, among the earliest birds to sing at dawn, the color robin egg blue), Pollen basket, Bumblebee (the queen in early spring), Earthworm (worm casts), Tadpole, Spring peeper (named for its call; eastern United States and Canada), Rainbow (seen with the sun behind the viewer; red on the outside of the arc) and Petrichor. Each is at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ followed by the article name, for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_robin and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrichor. Bird and frog notes describe animals of the United States. Licence: own work

How it works

A bud split open at the tip, a robin hunting on a lawn, mud soft enough to keep your boot print: this spring scavenger hunt is 111 finds that belong to the season. The sheet opens on ten of the 79 outdoor ones.

Read the full guide

Outdoors, or indoors when it pours

The menu under the button narrows Outdoor finds to one set: Buds, blossoms and bulbs, Birds and nests, Bugs, worms and pond life, Rain, mud and sky or Yard, garden and street. Indoors on a rainy day is an indoor spring treasure hunt of 16 finds that never leave the house. Swap changes any find your street cannot supply.

Riddles in place of a list

Riddle clues holds 16 riddles whose answers are things to find, such as a puddle or a bird's nest: spring scavenger hunt clues for a printed sheet, or clue ideas for an outdoor spring treasure hunt when one is read aloud and the team runs to the answer. Hide all notes covers the answers before you print.

Go the morning after rain: worms, snails, puddles and dew are all out at once.
Nests, eggs and tadpoles are for looking only. A photo counts as a find.
With children under six, choose Easy under More filters: finds such as a cloud shaped like an animal.

Questions and answers

What are good spring treasure hunt ideas for kids?

Things that change from week to week: a bud that has split open, a dandelion turned to fluff, a bird flying with a twig, tadpoles in still water. The yard and street set needs no nature knowledge, so it suits the youngest.

What do you look for in spring?

New growth, nesting birds, the first insects and whatever the rain leaves behind. The list has 17 buds and flowers, 14 birds, 16 bugs and pond animals and 16 finds of rain, mud and sky, each with a note on where to look.

Can it be done at school or in a city?

Yes. A playground edge, one street tree and a puddle cover the weather, yard and bird sets. Spring treasure hunts for kids in a class work well in pairs with one sheet each. Leave out the pond finds.