Play the "What Will We Find?" Scavenger Hunt

Originally published 4/03/2011 at explorealongtheway.com

This may be the ultimate scavenger hunt game, one that requires no materials, no gathering of items, miniscule planning, and can be played day after day. The guidelines are simple, before you head out the door on your walk or while on the car drive to your hiking site create a list of five things that you’ll look for during the walk.

The first few times that you ask kids for a list of things that they think they will find you might end up with a list that looks something like, “rock, cloud, bird, dirt, grass.” However, you can start to guide children toward being more specific. For example, if kids can identify robins, then ask them if they will find the robins moving in a large flock (as in winter and early spring) or hanging out solo (after they’ve formed mated pairs in the spring and summer).

Look for a yellow flower as opposed to a flower, a white rock instead of any old rock. If you play this game one day after another, then kids will remember what they saw the day before and they can decide beforehand how many things will be there for a second or even third day in a row.

Everyone notices the first day the daffodils bloom but will you notice the day the blooms are gone? How about challenging kids to a “What Won’t We Find?” Scavenger Hunt? Keep the list realistic since it’s just cheating to say that you won’t find an elephant on your New England-based walk. This could be a fun option during the spring or fall when kids can predict the day all the leaves will finish falling from the Japanese maple at the corner of your street.

This self-directed scavenger hunt can be tweaked for any age child that you are walking with. Older kids could create their own lists so two or three kids walking together would be looking for their own set of items. How specific the items are depends on a child’s background and level of nature knowledge – so, butterfly, orange butterfly, monarch butterfly.

And don’t limit your hunt items to something you can see. Try a sound scavenger hunt, a texture hunt, or a scent search not only for variety but to help kids develop their nature awareness with a variety of senses. Want a little more focus to your walk? Try Theme Walks with Children for ideas that will add a little diversity to your journeys with kids.