Creek Activities with Toddlers

 I've mentioned it before, but one of our favorite parts about our land is the creek that runs through it - hence Pickle Creek Farm. It runs through the patch of trees at the bottom of the hill behind our house. It has several little waterfalls and tons of large flat rocks. The second we laid eyes on it, we knew we had found our home. 

The kids always have a ball when we explore and play in the creek. We love bringing our friends and family down there to enjoy it. I wanted to share some of their favorite games in case you also have a creek in your neighborhood or your backyard and want some ideas. 

1. Sink or Float 

Have the kids gather items from around the creek (acorns, sticks, rocks, leaves, pinecones, etc) Find a deeper portion of the creek then ask your child if they think the item will sink? or float? It's so fun for them to find things and guess. It's also a great learning opportunity, too

2. Purchase Old Kitchen Items / Play Kitchen 

I randomly pop into Goodwill and collect old kitchen items for the creek. Anything works - mixing bowls, muffins pans, cake pans, etc They love putting rocks into each muffin spot or making mud pies etc. It will keep them entertained for quite some time

3. Tonka Trucks

We have brought several of our tonka vehicles down to the creek for the kids to play with in the water. Our buddies really enjoy playing with them, too. They will roll them through the waterfalls, fill them up with water and rocks, etc.

4. Nature Scavenger Hunt

Print off a list of "nature items" and explore the creek looking for each of them 

5. Grab some nets

One of my sons favorite things to do is get his butterfly net and look for all sorts of creek creatures - whether that's crawdads, salamanders, fish, etc