Category Archives: Scavenger Hunts for Kids

Easter Scavenger Hunt

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So with Easter only a week away, why not take a few minutes to plan out a super fun interactive way for the kids to find their Easter treats this year.  Use a text message scavenger hunt to send your clues to any cell phone and the kids follow along finding hidden clues and treats.  It is just like any other scavenger hunt but with the clues sent directly to the participants cell phone (if they don’t have their own, they can use yours)  it makes the hunt more interactive. You can either give clues for hidden treats along the way or just have one big Easter treat at the end of the hunt, you decide.

Now the best thing about setting this up with Textclues.com is that with a little preparation ahead of time you will have the hunt all ready to go on the day.  With this tool, you can even set up several different scavenger hunts that will start at the time you decide.  If you have two or three children they can each follow the same or different clues and have a great time searching for their treats.

It’s so simple.  To set up your Easter hunt, first, you’ll need to decide on whether you’ll give the kids a few treats along the way or a big treat on completion.  Then think up some clues to lead them to a specific location to get their treat and the next clue.  You should be able to come up with 10 – 20 clues without too much trouble.

So, here is an example of a hunt to start you off:

Clue:  Ready to get some clues to find your Easter treats?  Reply with Answer, “Yes” or “No”

Answer:  “Yes”

Clue:  Your first clue is hidden in a place that’s not far, go to the cupboard where Mommy’s clothes are.

(clue hidden in the closet says figure out this riddle – “The next place to look is always cold, with nice things to eat, maybe this is where you’ll find your Easter treats” text me the answer when you find what’s there).

(hidden in the fridge is a chocolate egg)

Answer:  Cadbury egg, chocolate egg, egg

Clue: Well done!  You’ve got your first treat, your next clue is waiting where you normally sit to eat.

(clue hidden under the seat says, now to test your knowledge,  what is 10 x 7?)

Answer:  70

Clue:  That’s great, you’re really starting to think, this clue says respond with the answer found under the sink

(under the sink is a chocolate treat with a note saying “tasty chocolate”)

Answer:  tasty chocolate

Clue:  You’re doing well, check out on the deck, behind the chair, tell me what you find there.

Answer:  a book, book

Clue:  Correct,  now turn to page 20 and read the note.

(note in book says, go to your bedroom, look under your bed and tell me what you find there)

Answer:  Marshmallow bunny

Clue:  Wow, you’re doing so well, continue on this way, we’re having lots of fun, here’s a riddle for you – I’ll let you open me whenever there is sun, what am I?

Answer:  A window, window

Winning message:  Yes!  Go to the closet in the guest room.  (Chocolate basket or bunny is found in the guest room closet)

Have fun with your hunt, you can make it as easy or complicated as you like.  If you want to add some educational touches to it, go for it.  If your kids are older make the clues a bit more complex and more of a challenge to find.  Have fun personalizing it for your family.

Happy Easter everyone. Go try our free demo right now!

Secret Santa Hunt

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Are you doing a Secret Santa with a colleague, friend, family, neighbour??  Do you want to find a sneaky way to send them hints as to who you are, without the trouble of leaving mysterious notes around, or to help lead them to the surprise gift? If you both have cell phones, why not send them “mysterious” text clues from “Secret Santa”?? You can use a tool like TextClues in order to send your Secret Santa clues from an unknown phone # to them, so they will have no idea who you are, but keep them on their toes at the same time!!

How would this work with, perhaps a colleague at work? Let’s get started!

Clue: Hey there! This is your Secret Santa sending you on your first hint about me :) Head over to your desk, second shelf. My eyes are the same colour as the package awaiting you.

Answer: Brown

Clue: That’s right. Know who I am? Probably not. The next clue can be found behind your phone. What year does it say on the sticker?

Answer: 1970

Clue: Yep, now you know the year I am born! :) Those are all the clues for today.  Stay tuned tomorrow!

You can stop this hunt after this first set of messages, and schedule a second hunt to start the following day by using the scheduler on TextClues to schedule when the next message should be sent :)

Clue: Welcome back! Know who I am? My favorite food is sitting in the kitchen fridge, in a red container. Feel free to have it and respond what I am.

Answer: Brownie

Clue: Yum indeed! Alright, final clue – you may know me as the “good with numbers” guy at the office. Head to Josie for the final clue.  What did you get from her?

Answer: A dollar

Winning Message: Right! Lastly, and you better get it right now, but my last name rhymes with the last answer :) Come find me for your prize! And if you don’t guess who I am, well, I may just as well be keeping it :) Happy Holidays!

Try our text message scavenger hunt demo.

A stroll in the mall

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Mall walking – a great way to exercise while taking in the various surroundings of the mall! The types of products being sold, the different store displays, the people that go by…  If you and your friends like to go on walks around the mall every now and then, or if you have a mall walking group that you are apart of, why not change things up a little and make a scavenger hunt out of the walk?

No need to use pencil and paper when you are using a tool like TextClues to create a scavenger hunt. TextClues allows all of the clues to be sent to you via text on any cell phone so there will be absolutely no disruption to your regular walks! Even better – although you may be the one setting up the scavenger hunt for your friends or group of mall walkers, you can still take part too, as you never know what you might encounter in the mall!

Let’s take a look at an example of a mall scavenger hunt!

Clue: Welcome Walker-of-the-mall. Find a store that has a BOGO sale going on. Reply with “done” without quotations once complete.
Answer: Done
Clue: Find a store that has a mannequin with a red shirt on display. Reply with “done” when complete.
Answer: Done
Clue: Find the area in the mall that sells candy from a candy machine. Reply with “done” when complete.
Answer: Done
Clue: Find a store that sells a black shoe with 4 inch heels. Reply with “done” when complete.
Answer: Done
Clue: Find an area in the mall that has flowers on display. Reply with “done” when complete.
Answer: Done
Clue: Find a store that sells pet food. Reply with “done” when complete.
Answer: Done
Clue: Find a store that sells drinks for under $2. Reply with “done” when complete.
Answer: Done
Winning Message: Great job! Go buy that drink to quench your thirst now that you have been all over the mall :)

If you’re making the above as part of a challenge, and plan to break the group into smaller groups, have someone in each group have a camera handy and tell them they must take a photo upon finding the clue in order to proceed to the next destination.

You can make mall walking and time spent at the mall just a little bit more fun and exciting by turning it into a challenge and a scavenger hunt! If you are part of a regular mall walker group, create a challenge similar to the above once a month or bi-monthly and all of you are bound to have a great time while walking the mall. Or, if you and your friends just generally like to make trips to the mall to hang out, change things up a little by making it into a game! Try this with TextClues today and you will all be asking for more!

Music Text Quiz

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Do you know someone who’s a huge fan of a music band? How about sending them a text message quiz with TextClues!

Here’s an example for someone who loves The Beatles:

Question: Welcome to The Beatles quiz. Are you ready? Reply “start” to play.

Answer: start

Question: In what English city were The Beatles formed?

Answer: Liverpool

Question: In what year?

Answer: 1960

Question: What German city did The Beatles spend years playing in before they became popular?

Answer: Hamburg

Question: What was the name of their manager?

Answer: Brian Epstein

Question: What was their first single in the UK?

Answer: Love Me Do

Question: Who was their producer?

Answer: George Martin

Question: When was Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band released?

Answer: 1967

Question:  What was the band’s final album release?

Answer: Let It Be

Question: Last question! When did The Beatles break up?

Answer: 1970

Winning Message: You’ve won! Congratulations. Come see me for your prize :)

To create your own text quiz try out our free demo.

Scavenger Hunt around Town

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Scavenger hunts can be used for so many different occasions and events including:
– Easter Scavenger Hunt
– Birthdays
– Anniversaries
– Team Building
– Bachelorettes
– For some general fun
and many more events…

There are so many different ways that you can run a scavenger hunt these days, however now that the majority of the population has access to a cell phone, why not save yourself some trouble setting up a scavenger hunt with paper clues all over the city and have automatic clues sent via the cell phone? This can be done through an easy-to-use tool called TextClues. With TextClues, all you have to do is input the cell phone #s of who will be participating in the event, enter all of the clues, schedule the scavenger hunt and away you go!  If you want scavenger hunt teams to not necessarily set off on the hunt in the same order, you can use the Shuffle feature to mix up the clues so everybody will be running around town in all sorts of different ways.

Once you have the teams setup, and everyone setup on TextClues, it is time to start the scavenger hunt around town. Away you go!!!

Clue: Collect a take-out menu from a pizza shop. Reply “done” without quotations when found.
Answer: Done
Clue: Collect a coaster from a local pub or restaurant. Reply “done” when found.
Answer: Done
Clue: Take a group photo with a statue. Reply “done” when complete.
Answer: Done
Clue: Collect a flyer for an upcoming event in the city. Reply “done” when found.
Answer: Done
Clue: Take a photo with a man or woman wearing a pink shirt. Reply “done” when complete.
Answer: Done
Clue: Purchase an item that cost less than $0.50 and keep the receipt. Reply “done” when complete.
Answer: Done
Clue: Take a photo with someone’s pet. Reply “done” when complete.
Answer: Done
Clue: Collect the business card for a chinese restaurant. Reply “done” when complete.
Answer: Done
Winning Clue: Head on back to Joe’s apartment to see if you are the first one back to win the prize!!!

The clues can so easily be tailored to places that might be convenient and accessible around your city or town.  A scavenger hunt can be created within a matter of minutes, but can provide fun and entertainment for a group of people for hours! Use TextClues and a scavenger hunt for your next event, and we guarantee you will have a very satisfied group of people that will be craving for more!

Text Message Math Quiz

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You can use TextClues to send your son or daughter a text message math quiz to test the skills they’ve learned in the classroom. Here’s an example with some geometry questions:

Question: Welcome to the cell phone math quiz! No calculators are allowed. First question, how many sides does a pentagon have? Reply with the answer.

Answer: 5

Question: What’s the sum of angles inside a triangle?

Answer: 180, 180 degrees

Question: What’s the square root of 36?

Answer: 6

Question: What’s the remainder when dividing 22 by 10

Answer: 2

Question: What’s 3 x 4 + 7 – 8 x 2?

Answer: 3

Question: What’s pi to two decimal places?

Answer: 3.14

Question: What’s the area of a square with side lengths of 7?

Answer: 49

Question:  What’s the perimeter of a square with side lengths of 8?

Answer: 32

Question: Give a circle has a radius of 5. What’s the circle’s diameter?

Answer: 10

Question: For a rectangle with side lengths 4 and 3, what’s the length of the diagonal from one corner to the other? (Hint: use the Pythagorean theorem)

Answer: 5

Winning Message: Congratulations! You’re a math whiz! Come to the kitchen to get your prize

To create your own fun text message math game try our demo.

Scavenger hunts for 8 to 12 year olds

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Kids, of all ages, love scavenger hunts but 8 to 12 year oldsreally get into the fun of accomplishing a particular task, searching for an object or solving a mystery. Scavenger hunts are good for parties because they are a great way to entertain a group of children for an hour or so and are a lot of fun. To set one up all you need to do is jot down some ideas ahead of time and plan out your scavenger hunt. Here’s a suggestion for making one for a birthday party.

To start:

  • Make a list of children to invite to the party
  • Decide on a theme for the scavenger hunt
  • Make a list of clues for the hunt
  • Send out invitations that include time of party, date and location and giving information about the scavenger hunt

For example, the theme could be movie trivia and the party could be held in your home. One suggestion would be to plan to watch a movie, either at the movie theatre or at home and have the scavenger hunt be based on the movie everyone has just seen. The scavenger hunt could start when all the children return to your home after the movie.

Make it fun by hiding clues around the house asking questions about the movie you’ve just seen. Make sure to have some prizes on hand for the winners.

If you want to make it a bit more interesting and use cell phones try out the Textclues demo here. Check out our previous posts for some suggestions for clues you could use.

Kids Treasure Hunt

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Kids love Treasure Hunts and a fun way to do one is by text messaging, assuming each participating child has a mobile phone and knows how to text message. TextClues is a unique tool to organize a mobile phone Treasure Hunt. The possibilities are limitless; the Treasure Hunt could be indoors or outdoors, educational or related to a particular holiday.

For example you could have a Kids Treasure Hunt party for your son or daughter with his or her friends one sunny afternoon in the garden. Using TextClues you would set up a series of questions and answers in advance to be received and answered by the children on their mobile phones. The text clue for the prize would be provided to the winners after they had answered all the questions correctly. This would be set up so each child would receive a prize. The questions and answers below illustrate a very simple Treasure Hunt for young children, obviously many variations are possible depending on the age of the children, time available and creativity of the organizer of the Treasure Hunt. Explore the endless possibilities at the TextClues website.

Question: How many trees are in the garden?
Answer: 6, six

Question: What colour is the birdfeeder?
Answer: Green

Question: What flowers are along the back garden wall?
Answer: Roses

Question: What is sticking out of the roof on the house?
Answer: Chimney

Question: How many goldfish are in the pond?
Answer: 10, ten

Question: What kind of fruit grow on the tree in the middle of the garden?
Answer: Apples

After answering all the questions correctly the following text message would be sent: Congratulations, you’ve won a prize, go and look behind the sofa in the living room (a prize for each child could be hidden here) ! !

An Amazing Race using Text Messages

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Here’s an idea for a fun activity for a group of friends: set up an Amazing Race using TextClues. First, split everyone into teams. The leader of each team needs a cell phone to answer the text message challenges. You’ll want to have clues that lead the teams on an amazing race all over the city.

Before you start the race, you’ll want all the teams to compete in a contest to determine who gets a head start. This can be a trivia game or each team can dress up in matching costumes Parcours Obstacle Gonflable and you judge which team looks the best. Based on the scores, you can stagger the teams so that one leaves every 5 minutes, so they don’t all race off at the same time. You can schedule all the text hunts to start at the same time but just don’t give them the envelope with the first clue until they leave.

It’s up to you whether you want all the teams to have clues in the same order, but we do have a “shuffle” button if you want to randomize the clues for each team.You’ll want to come up with a scoring system. Each team has three tries for each clue, so you can give them 3 points if they get it right on the first try, 2 points on the second try, or 1 point on the third try. Finally, there should be a bonus for the time taken for each team to finish the amazing race and get back to the starting point. You could make this a percentage bonus to prevent teams from just guessing everything wrong but finishing first.

Here are some ideas for clues you could use:

Clue: Welcome to the 2012 Amazing Race. Check for the first clue in your envelope. (Inside the envelope you have the clue: Head west 10 blocks. What year was the church built?)

Answer: 1967

Clue: Head north to the park. Mike will be waiting for a game of bean bag toss. He’ll tell you the answer when you finish the game.

Answer: Mike is awesome

Clue: Good job. Now head to the fair trade coffee house where we always meet up with Liz. On the wall they have a picture of a plantation from what country?

Answer: Brazil

Clue: Head to the high school track and meet Jen. You guys will have to run some laps :) She’ll tell you the answer when you finish your sprints.

Answer: Jen rocks

Clue: How many tennis courts are on the other side of the school?

Answer: three, 3

Clue: Head south 6 blocks until you reach a park. What’s it called?

Answer: Jacob’s Park

Clue: Head to the baseball stadium. How many years has it been open?

Answer: 34

Clue: Use the pay phone to call Mike. Everyone on the team has to talk to him to make sure you’re all still there.

Answer: Subway

Clue: Yes hop on the subway and take it north 3 stops. Head into the shopping mall. What’s the name of the hair dresser up on the third floor.

Answer: Antonio’s

Winning Message: Alright you’re done! Now run back to the start of the race before the others make it back!

 

Try our demo to see how to create a text message amazing race.

Scavenger Hunt Riddles (Part V)

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We’ve got a few more riddles here that you can use on Tente Gonflable your next scavenger hunt. Use them to lead you hunter to the next prize hidden somewhere in the house. Don’t forget to check out all the other riddles we have on the site here.

  Bathtub   In this small pool little yellow ducks rule!
  Check in the place where wet warm water washes you well
  Look in the place where bubbles sooth all your troubles
  Sink   Don’t forget to wash your hands!
  Go to the spot where your hands rub before you touch grub
  Check the spot you see the water gush as your teeth get a brush
  Shower   Here the wall spouts spraying water out
  Check in the place where wet warm water washes you well
  In this spot you can make it rain again and again
  Closet   Everyone knows this is the spot where you hang your clothes
  This room may be small but it holds your clothes, shoes and all
  You can find cleaning supplies in this small room along with the broom
 Basement   In the space that’s underground your next prize can be found
  Look in the space down below where things for storage go
  Look in the space down below the cold air likes to go

Save time and use TextClues to make your next scavenger hunt.