Beachcombing in Rivers and Streams - Free Fun For Kids And Adults

Stream and river combing are nice free activities that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. People typically look for objects on beaches, but rivers and streams can contain a wide variety of beautiful and interesting finds.

Of course safety is key so be very careful when poking around, check for mud, tides (if a tidal river), slippery banks, and other dangers. I would advise going with another person and taking a mobile phone just in case.

Take something to clean your hands with too, like anti bacterial gel. Rivers, river banks, and streams, can harbour Weil's disease (from rats urine) it is best not to enter any river or get covered in riverbank mud if you have cuts or scratches (as this is how the disease enters the body). Faster flowing streams are safest where Weil's disease is concerned.

River Beachcombing Tips

Beachcombing on a river or stream is a really fun outdoor activity for kids, streams are much safer places to hunt than rivers, a nice low stream with a gravel bed (like the one in my intro picture, which shows one of my favourite places to hunt) is the ideal place for kids to river comb and play. With adult supervision of course.

Expect to find pieces of pottery, interesting stones, river glass, and depending on location, certain crystals and minerals. There is always the chance that you could get really lucky and find something truly amazing!

The best places to search are around crossing points on the river, parts where the stones build up at the sides of the stream or river, and places where the river bank has crumbled or fallen.

If you are really serious about finding treasures I would suggest going in early spring. There will be hardly any vegetation on the river bank for a start so it is easy to spot anything lying there. You can find a lot of things on the actual river banks as in the winter and after rain the levels rise and deposit things there.

Generally during Autumn and Winter the rivers and streams will rise due to heavy rain etc. This high and fast water will churn up the stream bed, wash away any loose particles, and crumble and destroy river banks. After the levels have fallen, the bottom of a river or stream is a whole new hunting ground. A lot of mud and debris that have built up over summer will also have been washed away, leaving the bottom pristine and making anything interesting easier to see.  In spring there are hardly any mosquitoes either, it's no fun being eaten alive!

You can see the difference in the stream bottom in the two pictures depending on season... The first shows the stream bed in Summer with a layer of yucky filth, the second, the same bed but in Spring after high waters have washed it clean.

Find more fun outdoor activities for kids here...