Welcome to my fifth and final article on wilderness activities for children! In my years as a naturalist, the most transformative experiences I ever observed came at night. Because we associate the dark with danger, a night hike can be an unmatched adventure. Today, I’ll share some things you can do on a kid-friendly night hike.

The general guidelines I’ve already covered still apply at night. In addition, there are some important nighttime safety tips:

• Pick a familiar trail. The best night hikes are in patrolled areas that you are familiar with already. Your kids will see how things are different when night falls, and you as adults can pre-screen the trail for hazards. Don’t forget to check with park officials for any wildlife hazards, too.
• Double the adults. Take at least two adults along on your nighttime adventure, and more if you’ve got a large group. You’ll want an adult at the front and the back at all times.
• No flashlights! Carry a flashlight for safety reasons only (or for the Night Vision activity), but for the most part keep it turned off. Eyes take 20 minutes to adjust to low light, after which you’ll be able to see better without a flashlight.
• Take water. It’s just as important at night!

Activities for Night Hikes

Coyote and Rabbit

This game will get you thinking about your senses while your eyes are getting used to the dark.

1. Your child — the “rabbit” — sits in the middle of a large, flat area. (If you’ve got a group, have them sit in a wide circle, 30 feet or more across, with the rabbit in the center.) The best spots have at least a little leaf litter, but not too much.
2. One adult blindfolds the rabbit, spins him a few times, and then sits him down.
3. The other adult or another kid plays the “coyote.” Her job is to sneak up on the rabbit without being heard.
4. As the coyote sneaks in, the rabbit listens hard. If the rabbit hears the coyote, he points at her. (An adult judges if the “point” was close enough.)
5. The rabbit has three chances (or two, if three is too easy). The game ends when the rabbit points correctly or runs out of guesses, or the coyote manages to tag the rabbit.

Finally, switch places and let the coyote try being the rabbit for a while!

Sound Count

As you walk, talk about the different sounds you’re hearing. One great way to compare day and night sounds is simply to count them.

1. Stop at a spot relatively free of human sounds.
2. Plant your feet (so you won’t shuffle) and close your eyes.
3. Now, count every different sound you hear for two full minutes, whether you know what it is or not. Pay special attention to sounds far and near.

How many sounds did you get? Repeat this game in several spots along the trail and at different times of day, and see how your sound count totals will change!

Night Vision

Our eyes have two types of light collectors: rods and cones. Cones collect color information, but they need a lot of light. Rods can work with less light, but they can’t detect color. You can demonstrate this with a simple activity. You’ll need to prepare some cutouts of various simple shapes — square, circle, triangle — from colored construction paper. Vary the color, size, and shape.

1. Find a dark spot. If there’s a bright moon, you may need to shelter under some trees.
2. Stand about 15 feet away from your child.
3. One by one, show her the construction paper shapes you made. Can she tell what the colors or shapes are in the dark? Are some colors easier than others to figure out?

As a follow on activity, you can try this:

1. Have your child close one eye and cover it with his hand.
2. Shine your flashlight on the ground or a tree and have your child stare at the circle of light — from right up against it if possible.
3. Switch off your light and have your child open both eyes, then use one at a time. He’ll find that he can see pretty well with the eye that was closed, but the eye that was exposed to light will be nearly useless in the dark.

Finally, if you’ve got a flashlight with a strong beam, you can shine it on any deer, skunks, or other wild critters you notice to see their eyes reflect. (The eyes of nocturnal animals (and your own dog or cat) have a reflective tissue — the tapetum lucidum — that causes their eyes to reflect light.) If you try this, make sure you don’t shine the light anywhere nearby — you’ll lose your night vision!

Solo Hike

The solo is the high point of a night hike. It can work with kids as young as five, but most children will be better off waiting until they’re about eight years old. If you’ve got more than one child with you, convey that this is not a time to tease or scare your friends or siblings.

1. Pick a trail that has no turnoffs or confusing parts, like a clearly-marked path through thick bushes. Ideally, it will be a section that your kids have already hiked during the day.
2. An adult starts first down the trail — and remember, no flashlights! As soon as the leader is 50 feet away, start the first kid down the trail. With younger kids, you can make this distance shorter so that an adult is always in view. With older children, though, it’s best to make the spacing far enough so that each hiker feels like he’s “on his own.”
3. Once all the kids have started hiking in a line, the last adult can start out. The first and the last hiker should always be one of the adults.
4. After five or ten minutes, the lead adult stops at a good spot — ideally with some moonlight so he doesn’t scare anyone — and re-collects the group. Keep everyone quiet at the end so the remaining hikers can enjoy the hike.

Once you’ve regrouped, it’s a good time to “debrief”: what did everyone hear or see? How did it feel to go walking around in the dark?

That’s it! I want to thank everyone who’s read this series on nature activities for children. There are many more great outdoor games that can enhance your time in the wilderness with your kids. If these have whetted your appetite, please comment and let me know about your experiences!

Other articles in The Littlest Naturalist series:

• Observation Activities
• Nature Journaling
• Beach and Shoreline Games
• Nature-Oriented Team-Building Activities

[tags]kids, parents, camping, nature, outdoors, night, hike, hiking[/tags]
Photo graciously provided by Jean et Melo, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved