The Great Scavenger Hunt

Bid adieu to screen time and bonjour to quality outside time with our Scavenger Hunt. Not only does it help them practice their reading, logical deduction and creativity skills, it’s sure to elicit squeals of laughter and boatloads of teamwork.

Just print and play!

The Beginning
Have the first clue arrive by special delivery—be it owl post, cottage mail or something bespoke for the family. Cool stickers, glitter, and/or crazy colours on the envelopes and paper will build the excitement.

Clue #1
Look beside the house, but be as quiet as a mouse. (Added points if the kids act like mice, make mice ears and tails, or talk about mouse habits as they hunt.)

Clue #2
If you don’t look in the flowers, you will be looking for many hours. (This is a good chance to talk about plants, flower identification, and to generally stop and smell the roses.)

Clue #3
You may have some luck if you look in a truck. (A toy truck works best here, unless, of course, you actually own a truck.)
Follow-up activity: Build ramps to race the trucks down.

Clue #4
Right under a tire, to prove I’m not a liar. (Car tires, tire swings, toy car tires.)

Clue #5
If you look beside a tree, that’s where the next clue will be.
Further discussion: Name the tree!

Clue #6
Turn over this pail to see some mail.

Clue #7
A sand pile hill should fit the bill. (In the absence of sand, consider a rock pile hill, a pine cone hill, etc.)
Follow-up activity: Bring food colouring in water in a spray bottle to decorate the hill, or water colours to paint the rocks.

Clue #8
An outside tap, but please do not take a nap.

Clue #9
Look under something blue for a thing that is used to soak you. (This is a super soaker. Obviously a friendly water fight will ensue.)

Clue #10
You have found the treasure, now have some pleasure! (Smarties, jelly beans, bubbles—the treasure can be small but the fun will be large!)

Follow-up activity: Spiderweb for Two by Elizabeth Enright is a lovely family-friendly book about an epic scavenger hunt to distract the youngest sibling from the fact that their brothers and sisters are away at boarding school.

Add-On Activity
Have the kids collect one letter at each clue. At the end, have them unscramble the letters to form a word or phrase. Suggestions include:

Summertime
Water fight
Excellent!
First Place

HAPPY HUNTING!

Click here for our Scavenger Hunt printable.