Additional Resources
This Creative Nature Playschool channel was created for our CNP families and their Playschoolers in the hope of bringing smiles and joy during our COVID-19 school closures. We hope that all our families and viewers stay safe and healthy during these times. Please bare with us as we are new to YouTube and are just learning to navigate this technology :-)
Videos included but are not limited to how to make oobleck, how to make am erupting volcano, moon dough, yoga videos, reading stories, observations of insects such as spiders, slugs, praying mantises, aphids, guinea pig, chickens, and rabbit, as well as plant growth, propagation tutorials, and more! This channel is also updated weekly.


This Screen-Free Bingo game is a great way for families to unplug from technology and spend quality time with loved ones. If you are on social media please hashtag #OVstrong and #OVunplugged and have fun!

Use this Nature Hunt identification sheet to find as many items as you can outdoors.

This PDF is a list of FREE online resources that are not only interesting for young learners but are also educational.

Use this bird template to make a sensory bird from materials found outdoors.

<-- Families can use this fun scavenger hunt and their sense of sight to find items of various colors in nature. Examples could be leaves, pebbles, flower petals, feathers, grass, bark, garden items, seeds, etc. Don’t worry if the items you find do not fit in the box, as a check mark or a drawn picture would work too. Friends could also count insects as items; such as a Painted Lady Butterfly’s orange and black wings or even the common house fly which has shades of green.
Families can use this fun ---> Pollinator Scavenger Hunt to find as many pollinators as they can. Remember a pollinator isn't just a flying insect.


Use this Bird Scavenger Hunt to find as many local birds (Orangevale, CA area) as you can and challenge yourself to make a bird feeder using household items :-)

Use this Senses Scavenger challenge and your senses to fine as many items outdoors as you can. Make it more challenging by finding additional items not listed or count for more than one sense :-)

Use this Water Bingo challenge to stay cool and to explore the many wonders of water!


Use this owl outline and various natural materials to make a nature owl through process art. Take time to let little ones decide on their own what materials to use and where to place them. Please also ask questions about how things feel, smell, look, and sound.
Use this outdoor Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt game to find as many items as possible in your own neighborhood. If smoke is a concern for your area, adults could using their vehicle for the game, while children use their sense of site and maybe binoculars to find the items.

Use this Fall Scavenger Hunt to find as many Fall related items as you can. Remember to unplug from technology daily!

Use this Leaf Hunt to find as many local trees and leaves as you can. Remember to unplug from technology daily!

Use this Nighttime Scavenger Hunt to find as many items as you can. Remember to unplug from technology daily!


Use this Rain Play Challenge to have fun in the amazing rain environment created by nature itself.
Use this yoga template to create your own dice and roll for yoga moves to practice.

Use this 2020 Bucket List Challenge to complete all six items and end the 2020 year on a positive note :-)

Use this Winter Season Challenge to try and experience the best of Winter. This challenge can also be completed even if you do not have snow in your area.


Spending time outdoors is so important to our bodies and minds; at any age. Use this 100 hour tracker to start tracking your 1000 hour 2021 goals!
Spending time outdoors in the sunlight has so many benefits. Head outside with your loved ones and look for these items.

Practicing Gratitude is important for all ages. Use this Gratitude Dice to play a fun game with the whole family and bonus points if you play outdoors :-)

Moving our bodies is so important for our health. Use this Move Like Challenge to move like some of your favorite critters :-)

Head outside and use your sense of sight to search for all these amazing life cycles of plant, butterfly, ladybug, and bird.

Raising water wise children is crucial for the care of our environment. Help instill these great habits by trying these ideas.

a few of CNP's Favorite books


Thriving through Nature: Fostering Children’s Executive Function Skills, Children's Nature Network by Chiara D’Amore with Cheryl Charles and Richard Louv
“Giving children the chance to play outside has myriad benefits, from physical activity to creativity, emotional health, social connectedness, and cognitive development, including the specific executive function skills that are so critical to a happy, healthy childhood and a fulfilling life.”
Vitamin N by Richard Louv
"Children want to have a sense of purpose - it is an innately human need. Give a child a purpose, with meaning, a reason for which something needs to be done or created. Define an end goal, and then let the child's imagination figure out how to get there"


Play the Forest School Way by Peter Houghton and Jane Worroll
"From play comes real knowledge about the environment and a direct connection with nature, a sense of belonging, of wonder and of respect for life. Cherished memories from, along with an enthusiasm to return and experience more, and through this a lasting sense of stewardship for our amazing, unique natural world is born.
Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens: The Handbook for Outdoor Learning
"...we need to teach love of the children as the foundation of education, we need to teach love of the earth as well. This love of the earth, along with the development of the physical body and the development of interpersonal love and compassion, are precursors to the development of cognitive skills."