Now that the fall weather is finally here, I’m enjoying getting outside and hiking before it gets too cold. Today, instead of falling into the usual routine, I grabbed my family and insisted we go on a nature hike. Check out some of the amazing things we found.

7 Things We Found On Our Nature Hike

During our nature hike, we took the time to stop and enjoy the smallest moments. Rather than rushing to get back and do work, we took our time, which was well worth it.

Bees

Have you ever stopped and watched bees? They’re adorable little creatures!

What We Found On Our Nature Hike - found on www.theresasreviews.comMy daughters were too scared to get close to the bees, but I waited until one of them let me get up close. Afterwards, I noticed how many other bees were there, and I realized how lucky I was that none of them stung me. 
What We Found On Our Nature Hike - found on www.theresasreviews.com

Without paying much attention to me, the bees nicely kept to themselves.

Snakeskins

When one of my daughters picked up a long, crinkly snakeskin, I was relieved it wasn’t an actual snake! Snakeskins are a fascinating way for kids to learn about the snakes that live in an area.

What We Found On Our Nature Hike - found on www.theresasreviews.com

We checked out the features of the snake to see if we could determine if it was poisonous, and we assumed it wasn’t. While the snakeskin had incredible coloring and texture, it helped us realize how much of nature we couldn’t see during our hike, even snakes.

Flowers

Fall offers some of the best displays of flowers before the first frost. We found beautiful purple flowers and some that were lovely, fluffy, and white.

What We Found On Our Nature Hike - found on www.theresasreviews.com

Kids are always so eager to pick all the flowers, but I gave a gentle reminder to leave some in nature so they could continue to grow.

Leaves

Discovering leaves of all sizes made the hike even more exciting. My daughters loved discovering gigantic leaves, and even walnuts.

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When we found a good place to stop and explore, the girls delighted in finding beautiful leaves that were changing color. 

What We Found On Our Nature Hike - found on www.theresasreviews.com

Georgiana loves asking Siri and Alexa what the weather is like outside (you can check out yesterday’s post about our new Triby device). When the fall air is crisp and breathtakingly lovely, there’s no better way to learn about the weather than go get outside and go for a walk.

Animals

From squirrels to birds, you can always find fun animals on a nature hike. We enjoyed spending time feeding the goats some grass.

What We Found On Our Nature Hike - found on www.theresasreviews.com

Since our only pets are fish, it’s especially fun to see animals on a hike.

Laughter

Falling into a routing can get tedious. Hiking together was the best reminder that we should enjoy more time as a family.

What We Found On Our Nature Hike - found on www.theresasreviews.com

Before I know it, these girls will be too big to jump on tree stumps, and I love cherishing these moments we have together.

What We Found On Our Nature Hike - found on www.theresasreviews.com

I’ve noticed that the more time I spend indoors, the more I pay attention to negative things. When I go outside, I find that moving around, laughing, and enjoying my surroundings makes my complaints melt away, while joy replaces any unhappiness.

Peace And Quiet

Listening to the quietness of nature is one of the most relaxing and invigorating parts of life.

What We Found On Our Nature Hike - found on www.theresasreviews.com

So often, when I try to have peace and quiet at home, it seems impossible. When I read a book or begin to write, every movement and every little noise throws off my focus.

What We Found On Our Nature Hike - found on www.theresasreviews.com

In nature, quiet is all around, and even energetic kids wonder at the marvelousness of the surroundings.

What We Found On Our Nature Hike - found on www.theresasreviews.com

I love that I don’t need a beach vacation or a hidden waterfall to find the beauty and quietness that nature provides. 

What We Found On Our Nature Hike - found on www.theresasreviews.com

Fall is an idyllic time in nature. Getting outside is incredibly invigorating and relaxing. In addition to getting great exercise, hiking offers the experience of discovering the small, beautiful things that make nature fantastic.

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Theresa has been writing since 2010 in magazines and online. Her lifestyle and parenting expertise has been featured in publications, including ShopSmart and Scholastic. She earned an M.Ed in Elementary Education from Vanderbilt as well as a BA in History from Flagler College, and she is a certified teacher.

10 Responses

  1. Sheri @ A Busy Bees Life

    Awwww they are so adorable! I am glad you included laughter, peace and quiet. That is so great. We need to love life more and nejoy the great moments. Glad you found bees, they are fascinating and I love them (as you can tell by my blog name and nickname)

    Reply
  2. Brandy

    Adorable photos. I haven’t gone on a nature hike since my girls were your girls’ ages… they’re 20 and 16 now. Wonder if I could convince them to go along with me 🙂

    Super cool finds!

    Reply
  3. Vicky

    That sounds like an amazing hike. As a kid I used to collect leaves in the fall. I loved getting many different varieties and colors. So fun to be out in nature.

    Reply
  4. Debra

    Sometimes it is so much fun just to stop and smell the roses and leave it to the little ones to always find the most amazing things!

    Reply
  5. Charlotte

    What an incredible hike and clearly full of adventure, I love the snakeskin, I don’t think I have ever seen one in the wild but my little guy would love it!

    Reply
  6. Rachel Langer

    This makes me want to put on my hiking boots and head to our local trail in the woods. I love hiking but I don’t always really pay attention and take it all in.

    Reply
  7. Ana De- Jesus

    You saw so much on your trail. Thankfully it was just snakeskin and not a snake itself I would have been terrified, what a fascinating experience.

    Reply
  8. Sarah

    Oooh, snake skins, what a good find! This looks like it was probably a ton of fun. I need to get my little ones outside asap!

    Reply
  9. Stephanie

    Your little ones are too cute! This is a great idea to do with the kids, I need to try this. Looks like they had a blast and learned quite a bit along the way.

    Reply
  10. Brittany

    My kids are the same way with bees! It doesn’t matter how close they are, they scream and fun everytime they see one! The worst was when on got in our car…

    Reply

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