We’re going camping this weekend. I was thinking of organizing a Treasure Hunt for the kids. There’s going to be about ten 10-15 year olds in the group.
I have no idea how to go about this. So I turn to you.
We leave Saturday morning, so hopefully some of you can share your ideas before then.
What all do I need? I’m thinking pen and paper, and possibly a grand prize.
What kind of clues/challenges should I have? How do I lead them from one clue to another? How do I break the group into two teams and have them compete?
When I did things like that as a kid, they’d do something like having everyone line up by birthday (so anyone born in January would be near the front of the line, no matter what the year, and so forth, until December), then split the group down the middle.
I’d agree that you’d need a pen, paper and reward. What kind of group is this? Your clues could tie into that if possible. Are you planning to do a scavenger hunt type thing, where you have to collect information/objects to get to the next step, or is this more of a treasure map sort of game?
Yes, I was thinking more on the lines of the collect info/objects to get to the next step.
Only, I have no idea what these clues should be. And how does it work with two teams competing? Do I need two sets of (different) clues hidden separately?
I was hoping one of you out there has done this before and can help me with it.
I’d throw riddles in plastic Easter Eggs. Hide the eggs with the clue being the location of the next egg. For teams, I’d do two sets, but you could just make it coorporative, but make the riddles hard. The last could lead to a treasure chest filled with the stuff to make smores.
(Treasure chest: One cheap styrofoam ice bucket. One can brown spraypaint. One roll electrical tape (leather straps), on set of upholstry tacks (nails)).
Well instead of planting things to find, you need to list things that are available in a way that they can be found independently, and/or you need to use your imagination to come up with.
For example, assuming you’re camping in the woods, you can start off with something like an acorn. The two groups can go the opposite way to find that. Then maybe a yellow flower. There’s a lot of different yellow flowers (or flowering weeds) and both groups might not find the same one.
For a little safety, put something in there that requires them to come back to the adults periodically. Like “get the signature of someone who was born in Memphis” (this would require you to know that someone in your group was born in Memphis.) Or something else the kids would need to come to the adults to find out, and would not know offhand. You can also give each group a different target adult for this question, in case one group figures out the answer by watching the other group. Other good ways to get them coming back are things that would be found in a purse or a wallet that one of the adults might have like a emory board or a business card.
You can also add some educational-type things. “Find a sedimentary rock” or “find a piece of slate.” It might get the older kids teaching the younger ones a little science.
Another good one is “find something that shouldn’t be found in the woods.” the object would be a piece of trash or a lost shoe. That’ll get them thinking.
If any of the kids or parents have digital cameras or cell phones that take pictures, you’ll have an easier time coming up with clues. “Take a picture of two teammates next to a tree with red leaves” or “take a picture of a waterfall.”
I’m totally jealous now. I want to go on a treasure hunt!
I’m going to split them into teams of 2 each and then have them run around collecting objects, solving riddles, and finding hidden stuff.
What I don’t understand is this part: Say, for example, I give them a note saying find an acorn. Once they find it, how does that lead them to the next clue/question, since they could find any acorn lying around anywhere? Do they have to come back to me each time to get the next clue? Right now I’m thinking I’ll make a set of clues for each team, and then hand out the next clue once they solve the previous one. Is there a better way to do this?
Well, I don’t have every answer…but I can give you an example of a game we played with my nephew and his friends…His friends are younger than him, and he just learned to read…we would write out all the clues. It was pretty simple…but we were in a house…we started with things like “look in a cold place for a furry friend” and had him read it out loud to the girls…they discussed it and ended up getting it right…it was (in the fridge and a teddy bear was on the shelf) underneath the bear that we placed a paper that gave a clue to the next place (something like) “Under a doggy-drink” and it was under the dog dish…
I don’t know how this would apply outdoors and with older kids, but they loved it…so much that they gave the prize back so we could play more…