I am a huge fan of lists. I even have lists for my lists. And checking things off is my favorite thing.
I also love mysteries.
So, it’s pretty fitting that I am also a big fan of scavenger hunts. What’s better than a quest for treasure or solving a riddle in order to get to the next step, all while checking off the boxes in the process? It’s problem-solving, creativity, active thinking, and fun all in one!
During the pandemic, we saw the rise of the tried-and-true scavenger hunt. In particular, there was the adorable “Bear Hunt” through neighborhoods and communities based on the children’s book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. Costumes, props, and creatures of many types – not just stuffed bears — were included on the adventure. Businesses, people working from home, grandparents, and organizations all got in on the fun. We’ve also spotted spin-offs such as safaris through town, which seem like such a good time!
And, Pitsco’s even shared our own version of a STEAM Scavenger Hunt that will have you searching for all things STEMspired such as examples of arches or simple machines, numbers that have a decimal, something that floats, or an item that can be used to communicate a message. To mix things up, you could also make this hunt into a bingo game with first to five or make an X wins!
For more details, Scholastic and Medium have some great quick reads on this.
The Spruce outlines the planning of a hunt succinctly: “There are different types of treasure hunts: indoor hunts, backyard or neighborhood hunts, or a photo-based hunt. You can increase the level of complexity and scope of the hunt, depending on the child’s age. Determine the type of hunt that is right for you and the child. Create or print out clues.
“Make some ground rules. Anticipate that the child will be excited to get started. Rule one: No running. If more than one child is playing along, they will be a team. The second rule should involve taking turns to read the clues.”
In general:
There are SO many ideas on Pinterest and from simple web searches. We found these three sources to be great starting places for hours of adventure and exploration. You can also make your own!
National Scavenger Hunt Day is May 24 each year. Hope you’ve found a few ideas to help with your celebration! Have other favorites? Share them in the comments.
Happy hunting!