Home Activity

Wild Kratts: Temperature Scavenger Hunt

What's The Point

There is a wide range of temperatures on earth — from desert hot to arctic cold. What are the temperatures like where you live? Find out by going on a temperature scavenger hunt and discovering the many ways you measure temperatures inside and outside your house.

Related Game

CROC Hatch! – Estimate the correct egg temperature and you’ll know if the egg will hatch a boy or a girl crocodile.

This Activity Will Help Your Child

  • Learn to read a thermometer
  • Compare temperatures using basic math skills

Book Suggestions

  • All about Temperature
    by Alison Auch
  • Hot and Cold
    by Angela Royston
  • Super Simple Things to Do with Temperature: Fun and Easy Science for Kids
    by Kelly Doudna
  • Temperature
    by Kay Manolis


  • Paper and pencil
  • Various thermometers (weather, thermostat, body, etc.)
  • Weather forecast in newspaper or online

How Do I Do It?

    Temperature Scavenger Hunt
  1. Go to the Wild Kratts online Creaturepedia to learn about the different regions on earth. Ask your child the following questions:
    • What do you think the temperatures are like in these different regions?
    • How might the animals and people adapt to live there?
  2. Explore the temperatures around you by going on a temperature scavenger hunt. Talk with your child about the different places in and around the house where temperature is measured, and about the different kinds of thermometers used to measure these temperatures.
  3. Walk together as you search for these thermometers. Some examples are: a thermostat that shows room temperature, an oven thermometer, a refrigerator thermometer, an outdoor thermometer, and a body thermometer.
  4. Record the different thermometer readings on a piece of paper.

    Temperature Comparisons
    Compare the temperatures you found. Use comparative vocabulary such as hot, warm, cool, and cold. Ask questions such as:
  • Which temperature is the hottest?
  • Which temperature is the coldest?
  • What is the difference between these two temperatures?

Look at the weekly weather forecast for your neighborhood.
  • How does today’s temperature compare to tomorrow’s temperature?
  • Calculate the differences between the two temperatures.
  • Which two days in the week have the biggest difference? Which have the smallest?

Take It Further

Temperatures affect how we dress and what activities we do. Play a game of “temperature charades.” Take turns acting out an activity for hot, cold, or mild temperatures while the other person guesses the activity.

Do animals wear sweaters? Explore how the animals in your neighborhood adjust to the temperature. Look for clues such as shelter, food, and body covering. Draw pictures or write about your discoveries.