Tag Archives: Scavenger Hunt Ideas

Fun Scavenger Hunt Clue Ideas

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Today we’re going to give you some ideas for great clues and riddles for your scavenger hunt. Whether you are using the TextClues service or making your scavenger hunt by hand we hope that you will find these ideas helpful and fun. If you haven’t heard of out text message scavenger hunt service you might want to read more about it here. Now onto the clues!

Online Research Clues

This type of clue is great for adding some education into the fun of a scavenger hunt! It will not only help teach kids interesting facts, but it will also help with their ability to research facts on the internet. This type of clue asks very specific questions about subjects that the participants are interested in or that they are learning about in school. Some examples are as follows:

Clue: In what year did the tyrannosaurus Rex get its name?

Answer: 1905

Clue: How old was Christopher Columbus when he discovered the new world?

Answer: 41, forty one

Clue: How many planets are in our solar system?

Answer: 9, Nine

It’s easy to find facts such as the ones above by typing the topic of interest into Google and reading the educational websites that come up. You’ll find lots of interesting questions to ask the kids and might even learn something yourself.

Rebus Clues 

Rebus Clues are great riddles for kids and are really easy to make. Sometimes they are take a little time to answer which is a great way to add some difficulty to the hunt without making it too hard. It may also help with the children’s spelling. An example for a simple Rebus Clue for “Toaster” is:

OR

TV – V + O + AXE – XE + LOBSTER – LOB

You can easily make these clues on Festisite and clicking the rebus option on the top right of the webpage. You can choose to either print out the clue and hide it for the hunter or write out the clue to send over text message. This is a really fun clue to add to a scavenger hunt and we think you should try it soon!

Nature Scavenger Hunt

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Summer is almost here and it’s time to start getting the kids out of the house. Get them running around smiling with a nature scavenger hunt. Not only will the enjoy the sun and fresh air outside but they might end up learning something too.

This type of scavenger hunt is also really easy to make. You just need to think of a list of items that you kids can run around and collect. You can change the difficulty of the list depending on how much your kids know. Start simple with items like: a leaf, a stick, bark and a stone. If they know a little bit more you can list things like: maple leaf, oak leaf, birch bark, three leaf clover and acorns.

Creating a TextClues scavenger hunt can make it more fun than just a simple list. Sending clues to your kids via text messages will get them excited but adding a little bit of story will make it even better. Tell your kids that the government need some explorers to find samples of the local wildlife. Then you can create something like this:

Clue: I’m glad we found an explorer that can help us! Are you ready to go out and find samples of everything we need?

Answer: yes, ya

Clue: Alright perfect! We need you to find a leaf from an Oak tree. Let me know when you have found it.

Answer: Found it, Got it

Clue: Great, next wee need to see if you can find us a three leaf clover. Keep an eye out for a luck four leaf clover while you look . Let me know when you found it.

Answer: found it, got it

Clue: Last but not least see if you can find an acorn. Let me know when you’ve found the last item.

Answer: found it, got it

Clue: Congratulations! You found everything, now bring it home and show your parents.

Have a look at our demo and see how easy it is to make a text message scavenger hunt. Happy hunting!

A Mother’s Day Scavenger Hunt

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Mother’s Day is coming up fast! But don’t worry you’ve still got time to give you mom a great surprise. TextClues is here to help you make a scavenger hunt that your mom will never forget.

TextClues is great in so many ways:

  • It will save you time
  • It is easy to use
  • Uses new technology which is sure to surprise
  • Can be used with other ideas or on its own
  • Provides a more personalized gift

You can use a scavenger hunt a few different ways on Mother’s day.

You can use it to lead your Mom to the present you were already planning to get her. She’ll love that you’ve personalized a hunt just for her and you’ll turn an ordinary gift into an extraordinary one.

You can also create a scavenger hunt that is a gift in itself. Lead you Mom on a hunt down memory lane with clues about your past and present. You know how sentimental your Mom can get so give her the clues she will love.

For more ideas check out our how to guide for creating a unique Mother’s Day scavenger hunt.

List of Scavenger Hunt Clues (Part III)

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Here is another list of rhyming scavenger hunt clues you can use as riddles in your next scavenger hunt. They are great for kids and we hope they save you some time.

Remember you can save even more time by using the TextClues service.

 

  Cutlery Drawer   When you open this drawer you’ll find knives, spoons and more
  You’ll open this drawer before you eat
 In this tray you’ll find things that are shiny and grey that you use every day
  Guitar   I’m made of wood and make music that sounds good
 You play me with your hands and when you’re good you’ll have lots of fans
  I can play a song while everyone sings along
  Washer   Everyone knows I clean all their clothes
  I’m the machine that cleans your jeans
  You drop you clothes in and wait for the cleaning to begin
  Drier    Everyone knows I dry all their clothes
  You cannot deny I’m the reason your clothes are dry
  I transform your clothes from wet to warm
  Fireplace   I hold the fire that you can sit and admire
  In me you can burn wood and the warmth makes you feel good
  Below the chimney I sit and and make the smoke that fills it
  Dinner Plates   We hold all the meat and other things you like to eat
  We are clean and round ready to hold your food in a mound
  We are round and clean and hold your green beans
  Vacuum   I start with a spurt and suck up all the dirt
  I suck in air. Dirt, dust and hair beware!
  I make a loud sound and pick dirt up by the pound
  Bathroom Scale   When you step on me I give you a weight you can see
  I give you your weight and look like a square plate
  I can measure how much you weigh each and every day
  Mop   I’m wet and clean up the floor so there is less dirt then before
  I’m wet and leave the floor clean and also with a nice sheen
  I’m the best way to clean the floor you really can’t ask for more
  Broom   I sweep up dust and crums from crust
  I sweep the kitchen floor so there is less crums then before
  I sweep dust on the ground into one big mound

Pub Crawl Scavenger Hunt

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Planning a night out with your friends? Give the night some direction and even some competition by adding a scavenger hunt to the mix.

Adding a scavenger hunt will make your pub crawl one to remember. Everyone will be
rushing to their destinations laughing and joking about the clues set out along the way.

Pub crawls are perfect for scavenger hunts because bars and pubs always have unique features that can help create a funny and entertaining hunt.

Organizing a large group scavenger hunt but can be made easily with the text clues service.  With textclues you:

  • Don’t need to set up physical clues at each destination that may get damaged, taken or misplaced
  • You can monitor the scavenger hunt from any device that is connected to the internet
  • You can enter as many numbers as you want
  • You can track how many wrong answers a team had and base scoring on these numbers
  • Your hunters can enjoy an entirely unique activity where all clues and answers are completed via text messages
Try the Demo now!

Now let’s go over the steps to actually create your pub crawl scavenger hunt.

Make a List of Pubs You Want to Visit

You probably already have an idea of what area you want for the pub crawl. The pubs should preferably be in walking distance of each other and pick the bars with the most character or historical significance.

Head to Each Bar

Now it’s time to head to each bar to talk with the staff and start designing your clues. Talking to the staff, preferably the manager, is important to make sure that there will be capacity for all your participants. You should also take this time to try and negotiate a possible group rate for the event.

At this point you should also start collecting interesting facts and questions about the bar for your hunters to answer. Looking around for anything that catches your eye is a good way of coming up with quick clues for your participants. It’s also really fun to find out who will be working during the night of the pub crawl and ask questions about the staff (like a middle name or an interesting fact). If you let the staff know what you’re doing they may help you come up with a few clues themselves.

For this type of hunt the winner should be based on the least number of guesses rather than the first one through the hunt. This way the group can stay for a set period of time at each bar. The scavenger hunt should also be performed in teams which is a lot more fun than doing a scavenger hunt individually. You can tally up the team with the least number of guesses the night of the scavenger hunt or the day after and give out the prize.

Set up the Clues Online

Now it’s time to head back home and set up the clues and answers online. This part is simple; just enter the information on our online form. You can add a few different options for each answer and any answer that is 90% correct will still work! This is good if someone makes a slight misspelling of the answer.

Decide on the Prizes and Scoring System

A scavenger hunt is always more fun when there is a prize at the end. Decide on a prize that is related to the group you’re planning the hunt for. Having a funny or ironic surprise prize is a good way to go. Gift certificates are also great prizes. If one of the bars helped you out with your scavenger hunt you may consider getting a gift certificate for them.

There are few options for deciding on the winner of the scavenger hunt. The first way is the first team to reach the end. This might be a good option if you want to spend the majority of the time in the final bar. We recommend having a set period of time and base the winner on the team that got the least “try agains”. If there is a tie you could solve it with a coin toss.

Schedule the Hunt and Wait for the Fun

Now you can schedule you hunt for the big night and decide on the teams. Everyone is sure to have a blast.

List of Scavenger Hunt Clues (Part I)

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Here are a list of rhyming riddles that act as perfect clues for a children’s scavenger hunt. Just choose a number of objects in your house and grab the clue that you like best. The kids will be off in no time, running around the house looking for the items and trying to get to the end of the hunt.

Try out our text message scavenger hunt service here to add another element of fun to the scavenger hunt and also reduce setup and cleanup time.

 

 Piano   I make music with my keys and make you want to shake your knees
  When I play I make nice sound look around and a prize might be found
  I make beautiful sound when you play and you get better day by day
 Drums   When you hit me to the beat people start to move their feet
  You play me with sticks and sometimes with kicks
  I only sound right when my top is pulled tight
 Table   I held your dinner plate as you sat and ate
  You have to set me up with all the plates and cups
  This is where you take a seat when you’ve come to eat
 Desk   I am where you like to write, under a bright desk light
  I am where your computer lies, plugged in so that it never dies
  This is where work is done before I can go and have any fun
 Computer   I have a bright screen that should always be kept clean
  This is the one spot in the house where my mom likes to have a mouse
  I like to read CDs but sometimes I freeze
 Couch   I’m soft in every bit and a spot where you like to sit
  I am covered in comfortable cushions
  While you watch TV you like to sit on me
 Shoes   I help you out when you walk so you don’t hurt yourself on a rock
  Often when you say goodbye I am what you have to tie
  I protect your feet when you run so they don’t hurt when you’re done
 TV   I play all those movies and shows
  You are always keen to look at my bright screen
  You like to watch me at every chance and I put you into a kind of trance
 Books   If you open my pages you will stare at me for ages
  When you open my cover a fun new story is what you discover
  Don’t judge me by my cover if you are a story lover
 Toaster   I use heat to make a tasty treat
  I make bread hop, flop and pop out of my top
  I make spongy bread nice and crunchy

A Gift She Won’t Forget – Mother’s Day Scavenger Hunt

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This Mother’s Day give you Mom a gift that will keep her smiling, take her on a walk down memory lane and turn into a memory she’ll never forget. We want to show you how, with a little bit of work, you can make your Mom feel like a million bucks!

Memories
Remember what a great Mom she’s been!

Buying a bouquet of flowers and treating your Mom to a fancy dinner is a popular way of celebrating Mother’s Day. We’re going to show you how you can design a scavenger hunt that will change an ordinary Mother’s Day into an extraordinary one. Taking the time to create even a simple scavenger hunt will show your mom how much you care and is sure to mean the world to her. Most mothers care less about material things than feeling the care and love of her children

It’s not too difficult to create a hunt that will have your Mom walking down memory lane and reminiscing on all the happy times she has had as you’ve grown up. Now is the perfect time to remind her how great of a Mother she has been all these years. You’ll want to think back to milestones in your life that you can use to create clues. We recommend finding old photo albums and any type of baby book your mom kept because it’s a perfect spot to find clues.

Look through the books and find questions you can ask like: How old were you when you learned to walk? What time were you born? When did you get your first haircut? How much did you weigh when you were born? Where was the family on page ten of the photo album?

Some of the questions your mom may be able to answer without looking at the books but add some hard ones so she will have to look them up. Then she can enjoy looking through the old books and photoalbums and look back on some fond memories. She’s sure to enjoy flipping through the pages of the books she worked hard to create.

A great idea is starting the hunt by handing her a vase. As she gets each clue right she will be led to a spot where you’ve hidden some flowers to start making her bouquet. That way as the hunt progresses she is able to add flowers to the vase and build up the beautiful bouquet of flowers you bought her. At the end of the hunt she can then be surprised by an invitation to a planned dinner with the whole family.

This inexpensive hunt will only require a few hours of your time and will really be something special for your mother. After everything your Mother has done for you it’s the least you can do!

You should consider using the textclues service which will help you create a really unique hunt and will save you time. A few of the benefits include:

  • Planning the hunt out in advance and starting the hunt whenever you would like
  • All the clues will be sent via text to your moms phone so there is no need to lay clues around the house (less setup and cleanup time)
  • You can ask multiple questions about one album or book which will be hard with physical clues
  • You’re mom will be shocked that she can text in answers over her phone and get the next clue
  • You’ll be able to use the service to make other scavenger hunts after Mother’s Day!

See how it works by trying out the Demo.

Scavenger Hunt Ideas Part Two

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As promised, I’m continuing my discussion on some brief ideas for making use of a scavenger hunt :)

On-Campus Hunts:
Text message scavenger hunts can be used in so many different ways on-campus (or really, at any university, college, school or general club/organisation :)
Student councils are always trying to think of fun and different ways of engaging students in activities.  Why not use a scavenger hunt to:
– Put together a pub crawl: use the hunt to lead students from one pub to the next, using different clues to help point students in the right direction
– Campus tour: Why not make a campus tour a bit more exciting? They don’t always have to be long and boring ;) Have the students follow along the hunt – this way, they will learn more about the campus and remember their surroundings better for the future

Teenage or Adult Parties:
I went to a birthday party once where it was setup like a city race.  We had to log all of our answers into a website (that was built specifically for this hunt) and the next clue would then show up once the correct answer was inputted.  Clues were setup to bring the teams to different locations across the city using public transportation.  Why not just use an easy-to-use and already-made tool like textclues.com to bring your party to life?

Educational purposes:
Do you want to try to make learning fun for your kids? Try making some practice homework assignments, such as the multiplication table, a bit more fun (and surprising) for your kids!  Make it into a game by creating a text scavenger hunt that can occur at any time of day.  This way – the kids will have fun at the same time as doing something educational.

I know, this was all somewhat brief however the next few posts will provide specific examples on how to make use of a scavenger hunt for any of these ideas.  We’ll start off with kid’s birthday parties and how you can make it fun and enjoyable for all participating kids.  Stay tuned ;)

Scavenger Hunt Ideas

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I am going to take the opportunity in this post to describe the various ways that scavenger hunts can be used to make an event more fun and enjoyable for everyone.  Subsequent posts will dive further into each of the scavenger hunt opportunities and provide you with specific examples on how they would be run :) For now, we’ll just skim the surface of each one…

 

Kid’s Birthday Party Ideas:
kid's scavenger huntIt’s your turn to host a kid’s birthday party.  The difficulty in this is normally:
a) keeping all of the kids entertained and
b) keeping all of the kids entertained :)
What do kids love? Prizes and winning things! By hosting a scavenger hunt for kids in either your basement, family home, or wherever the birthday party is taking place, you can ensure that the kids are entertained for the duration of the hunt, and be happy in the end by receiving a prize for themselves.  The best way to make this work, if there is a large group of kids, is to divide the kids in groups of 2 – 3.  Each group would be running the same type of scavenger hunt, with the same types of clues as the other groups, however in a different order.  This way – you won’t have kids running into one another while the hunt is in play and also, this minimises the number of hunts you would need to put together yourself. And of course, the end of the hunt will lead each kid to a prize they will enjoy winning.

 

Team Building Exercise:
Ahh… now team building exercises for the workplace don’t always have to be the same type of activities that you don’t enjoy participating in.  By creating a scavenger hunt for your company’s department group, this will allow individuals to:team building scavenger hunt
a) Put on their thinking caps to determine where to go for the next clues
b) Enjoy and have fun out of a workplace event
c) And most importantly… work amongst a team in a collaborative way and get to know some individuals within the company that much better! :)
The scavenger hunt can take place within the company compounds, within walking distance of the company, or a combination of both.  Depending on the size of the group, groups of 3 or 4 are most ideal.  At the end, the winning team to arrive at the last clue first can be eligible to win a small gift card like a $5 or $10 gift card.

 

Birthday or Anniversary gifts:
romantic scavenger huntI know we already discussed a valentine’s day hunt in our previous post, but the same concept can be done for other special occasions for your significant other (or even for your friend’s!!) for birthdays or anniversaries.  Having the clues relate specifically to the person will make the hunt all the more sweeter for them and for the hunt to lead to a gift will make this day all the more special for them and a day for them to always remember…  Check out the Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt Ideas post for more information and an example hunt of how you can set one of these up for that special someone :)

 

Easter Hunt:
With Easter approaching, the hunt for those chocolate eggs and bunnies doesn’t heaster scavenger huntave to be completely a blind hunt!  By using a scavenger hunt tool like www.textclues.com, the hidden goods can be systematically placed in specific areas of where the hunt is taking place.  Once the correct answer to a clue has been found/answered, it can lead the hunter to some of the delicious goods… or you can make them antsy by making the goods only appear after certain clues so they will never know when to expect a prize! ;)  By doing it this way, also, you won’t end up finding chocolate from last year hidden away under your furniture again…

 

We’re going to stop here for now but next post we’ll talk about a few more scavenger hunt ideas (On-Campus hunts for pub crawls or school tours, teenage or adult parties, retreats/church youth group activities, and even for educational purposes!) before getting into more detail about them all. Stay tuned! :)

Scavenger Hunt Tip: Three Keys to Good Clues

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When creating clues for a scavenger hunt there are three questions you should ask yourself. Is the Clue Personalized for the hunter? Will the clue be fun for the hunter? Is the Clue entertaining? You don’t need and answer yes to all three questions for a clue to be great. However, if the answer is no for all three you might want to rethink your clue.

Is the Clue Personalized for the Hunter?

It’s great to add some clues to your hunt that are personalized to the hunter. It might involve an inside joke you both share, a memory you have together or trivia that they would find interesting. You might ask about the place where you first met or what animal you saw when camping together. Personalized trivia is another great clue to add to any hunt. If they are into art you can ask them a question regarding their favourite artist. For example “How many self-portraits did Vincent Van Gough perform between 1886 and 1889?”. Making this type of trivia is easier than it seems. Just take a few minutes to read about the subject on the internet and once you find an interesting fact make it into a question. Personalized clues are certainly one of the most impressive for the person receiving the hunt and they will be taken back by how much thought you put into the hunt.

Is the Clue Fun for the Hunter?

It sounds simple but it’s important to consider whether the clue will be fun for the hunter. This is similar to creating personalized clues but instead we are focused on general things they like. If the hunter really likes math then by all means add some math questions into your scavenger hunt. On the other hand if they hate dealing with numbers avoid that type of clue at all costs! This is also where you want to consider the difficulty of your clue. You want to make it difficult enough so that it’s not extremely easy but you also want to make sure that it’s not impossible for them to get. The right difficulty will get them scratching their head and then jumping in the air when they figure it out. If you’re not sure about the difficulty try it out on someone else and see what happens.

Is the Clue Entertaining?

Whether the clue is entertaining or not comes down to the wording of your clues. There are a ton of ways you can make a scavenger hunt more entertaining. You can make a fictional storyline for the hunt, maybe they need to find the deactivation code for a nuclear missile or find the toupee of their ungrateful boss. You can add some humour to the hunt with joke or sarcasm based clues and riddles. You can even add rhyming to your clues which is always fun.

These are just a few examples of how to make clues that are personal, fun and entertaining. The blog also has other ideas that will help you make hunt worthy clues. You’ll also come up with great ideas that haven’t been featured here. If you’d like to share your scavenger hunt ideas let us know at support@textclues.com and maybe we’ll write an article about them!