Scavenger Hunt Lists
OK, so you have put together some scavenger hunt ideas and maybe even picked out your theme and invited the people to participate. Next comes the selection of items or activities for your scavenger hunt. One of the best ways to make lists is to get a bunch of people together and brainstorm to think of items that can be added to a list.
Let’s take a look at a few sample scavenger hunt lists:
Birthday scavenger hunt list: 2001 penny, $1.00 coupon for anything, old shoe, yellow balloon, purple crayon, Christmas mug, plastic fork, empty soda can, baseball card, pencil, comic book, grocery store bag, cardboard roll from paper towels, piece of hard candy, mustard packet, any kind of candle, post-it note, cat toy, shoe lace, large white envelope, postage stamp, birthday present.
Office scavenger hunt list: staple, pencil, 3-ring binder, yellow piece of paper, pen, business card, white-out, 3-hole punch, ruler, calendar, file folder, magic marker, yellow highlighter, labels, a fax, paper clip, rubber band, adding machine tape, yellow legal pad, white legal pad, scotch tape, blank CD.
Nature scavenger hunt list: pinecone, maple tree leaf, bird’s nest (draw it--don’t touch), acorn, pet grasshopper, feather, photo of a butterfly, fives small stones of different colors, photo of animal tracks, a berry of any kind, a wildflower, pine needles, tree bark, snail, fern, oak leaf, moss, moth, worm, spider web photo, seed, thorn, sand, flat skipping stone, photo of a squirrel.
Halloween scavenger hunt: photo of a haunted house, a large pumpkin with a frown, black flower, photo of a tombstone of someone who died on Halloween, skeleton tattoo photo, any red drink, candied apple, gourd, strand of black hair, pumpkin seeds, a white sheet, a clove of garlic, plastic fangs, black lipstick, candy corn, newspaper dated October 31, black cake, black candle, Indian corn, chocolate bar, Halloween mystery book.
Scavenger Hunt Tips
Have an information scavenger hunt, where people search for information that can only be found on certain websites.
If having a nature scavenger hunt, take photos of live creatures, such as bugs, instead of collecting them.
If your scavenger hunt is outdoors and involves travel, make sure someone in each group has a cell phone. If groups stay within close range, small walkie-talkies can be used.
Make sure your scavenger hunt ideas are appropriate for the age group invited. For example, don’t send anyone not of legal age to obtain an object from a bar.
If your scavenger hunt is in a mall, make sure to get permission from the mall owners. Some malls won’t allow activities such as scavenger hunts and some won’t allow the taking of photos.
Successful scavenger hunts often have a number of categories, such as items to photograph, objects to find, and questions to answer.
In scavenger hunts that involve photographs, disposable cameras are a great substitute if not everyone has a digital camera. Give everyone a disposable camera with the same number of prints and then have them developed at a one-hour photo shop.
Make sure to set a time limit for your scavenger hunt and make sure the winner or winners get some sort of prize.
In many scavenger hunts, each group puts a small amount of money into the pot, maybe $5.00 for a five member group, and then the winning group gets the pot.
Camcorders and video cameras work well for getting proof in scavenger hunts.
If you party includes a scavenger hunt, be sure to indicate this on the invitations. Don’t be shy about participating in a scavenger hunt. Often, the people who are afraid of being embarrassed end up having the most fun.