Tag Archives: Scavenger Hunt

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 IV)

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This weeks clue list gives you riddles for different rooms in the house. Send your hunter to any room and let them search high and low for the hidden prize/clue.

The clues should be formatted in the following way:

“I have hidden your next prize [Insert Riddle] Go find it!”

So for Example:

“I have hidden your next prize in the spot where I bake a lot. Go find it!”

 

  Kitchen   in the place where you make treats you can eat
  in the spot where you cook the meat you like to eat
  in the spot where I bake a lot
  in the place where you sit down and say grace
  TV Room   in the room where you sit with me and watch tv
  in the place where the
  in the place where the tv glows and plays shows
  in the space where the tv sits in place
  Bedroom   in the room where you have read in bed
  in the room where you count sheep to sleep
  in the place where you don’t make a peep because you’re asleep
  Back Yard   in the spot where you sit for fresh air
  in the place where you can cook on the barbeque
  in the place where you can run around and have fun out in the sun
  Pantry   in the place that holds all the different packs of snacks
  in the place where there are stacks of tasty snacks
  in the place where you find food in cans that feel cold to your hands
  Office   in the place where the computer sits with all of its bits
  in the room that holds the only type of mouse allowed in the house
  in the spot where you get work done before you can go have fun
 Dining Room   in the spot where you eat all that tasty meat
  in the place with the seat that you use when you eat
  in the place where you eat sweet tasty treats
Laundry Room   in the room that holds the broom
  in the room you go to clean clothes and make them smell like a rose
  in the place clothes get done so you look clean when you see someone
  Bathroom   in the space where you comb your hair
  in the place where you shower for over an hour
  in the place where you wash your face

Don’t forget to see how you can improve your scavenger hunt and save time by using the TextClues service.

Happy Hunting!

 

 

Museum Scavenger Hunt

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Interested in a fun and educational day out with your kids? Well with a little bit of time you can create a fun day they won’t forget. The only problem is they might keep asking for another scavenger hunt as soon as possible!

Museums are great places for kids to learn because they are so interesting once you get the kids engaged. TextClues is a great new way to use technology to get kids interested in the exhibits and excited about learning. It allows you to create clues that will be sent to any mobile phone using text messages. When you answer a clue correctly the next clue is sent and when you answer it incorrectly it tells you to “try again”. You can see it in action using the demo.

This allows you to create a brand new experience for your kids that is sure to amaze.  They will be wondering how you did it. You can even say that the questions are coming from an adventurer who needs answers to his/her important questions.

It will only take a short visit to the museum beforehand to prepare the adventure. Quickly go through the museum and pick out interesting facts that you know your child would be interested in. If you are going with a few children then you might want to pick out different clues for each one. You will be able to enter all these clues into the computer in minutes then schedule the hunt to start when you’re heading to the museum.

As you walk through the museum with the kids you can enjoy each exhibit together and they will be excitedly looking for the answer to their next clue.

Here’s an example of how a hunt might start:

Clue: Hi, my name is Dr. Swill. I am an explorer and I need your help! Could you find some answers for me at the museum today? Please tell me “yes”

Answer: Yes

Clue: Perfect! When you first walk into the door you will see a big dinosaur skeleton. What is that dinosaur’s name?

Answer: trex, tyrannosaurus

Clue: Ahh just as I expected. Now can you find the name of the woman who helped Louis and Clark along their journey? …

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 II)

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We’ve got more rhyming clues! Feel free to use these riddles in your next scavenger hunt, we hope your kids enjoy them!

Don’t forget to check out the textclues service if you are looking to save time and make the hunt one the kids will never forget.

 

Refrigerator   I keep food cool before you bring it to school
  I keep food cold so it doesn’t grow mold
  Lights turn on when you open me up, then you pour a drink in your cup
Bed   I am where you go at night when you’re ready to turn out the light
  I am where you lay just before dreams take you away
  When you get up from sleep you always leave my covers in a heap
Tree   I grow up big and tall and lose my clothes in the fall
  I shoot up towards the sky and give you shade when you stand by
  I stand up on my roots and can grow juicy fruits
Plants   I may not move but I’m still alive, I need soil and water to survive
  The air is what I like to clean and I am green
  I grow very slow and could not survive in the snow
Boots   When it snows I help to warm up your toes
  I keep your feet dry when rain falls from the sky
  You wear me when you feel like going for a hike
Coats   I keep your body warm even in a storm
  I keep you dry when rain falls from the ski
  I’m very puffy and fluffy but I keep you warm
baseball   You throw me  by my laces before someone runs the bases
  You catch me in a glove while you play the sport you love
  It’s always fun when you hit me a make a home run
Pens and Pencils   You hold me tight when you are ready to write
  You use me as a tool to write in school
  I’m full of ink and can record what you think
Paper   I’m usually white and on me you write
  You can write on me with lead whatever is in your head
  Whever you think you can record on my with ink
Video Game Console   You are always playing me and I’m sure you would agree
  My games are fun and you’ve played each one by one
  You know the names of each one of my games

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

Car Rally Scavenger Hunt

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Car rallies can be used for all sorts of events and occasions – birthday parties, school or church retreats, or just general fun get togethers.  How does a car rally work?  It is basically a scavenger hunt, however done by using a car to get from one destination to another.  Thus, it should typically last a couple of hours.  It is also done with at least 2 or more people per car, as the clues tend to be a bit trickier and need some team work to figure out where the next destination should be ;)

A few important things to consider with a car rally:
1) Where should the end destination be (the last clue should lead to this place :) assuming a place that everybody participating in the car rally should gather at the end for some more fun ;)
2) The team that arrives at the end destination first is the winner! However… the below should be considered!
3) If someone on the car rally gets stuck with a clue and has absolutely no idea where to go for the next clue, there should be a contact person that teams should be able to contact, if they need some help – of course, penalties should be put in place, if someone needs to call in for help :) e.g.: if a team calls in for help, that team has 10 minutes added to their end time. So, if a team ends up finishing the hunt in 2 hours, but has called in once for help, their end time is 2 hours and 10 minutes.  If another team arrives at the end destination at 2 hours and 5 minutes, with no calls for help, they would be the official winners!
4) Do you want to include props as part of the hunt? e.g.: teams need to take pictures at specific destinations or buy items from a certain store? If so, the teams need to be provided with cameras or have cameras on hand and ensure that teams have money available with them to use for purchases on the hunt.

Let’s end off this post with a car rally example :)

Clue: We’ll start off easy – Sometimes you throw a dart at me, others use me for shooting practice. I am a…
Answer: Target
Clue: Correct! Go to the nearest Target store and tell me what kid’s item takes up the most space in the store.
Answer: Bicycles, bikes, bike, bicycle
Clue: Great! Now, get on one of those bikes and take a picture with your team ;) Where in the area is a good trail to take a bike?
Answer: Stoney Creek, Stoneys
Clue: Perfect – get going to the creek now. And reply with “yes” when you arrive there
Answer: Yes
Clue: Great – Go to the area where you can rent boats. How many statues are surrounding the cabin?
Answer: 5, five
Clue: Thats right! Take a silly team picture amongst the statues. What is the cheapest item you can buy inside the cabin?
Answer: key chain, keychain
Clue: Yup! Go buy me a nice keychain as a souvenir :) Next up, are you getting rather hungry? There was a movie called “Super Size Me” based on this franchise.
Answer: McDonald’s, McDonalds, Mc Donalds, Mc Donald’s
Clue: Thats right! Go to the closest McDonald’s and take a picture with one of the employees. Type “ok” without the quotes when this has been done.
Answer: ok
Clue: Hope the employee didnt find you too odd :P It’s time for some fun! Which playground can you find a water slide?
Answer: Raven Park, Raven
Clue: Right! Hop on over there and take a picture of your team mates playing in the playground. Type “ok” without the quotes when done
Answer: “ok”
Clue: I normally slither around, but you can get a good drink out of me.
Answer: Snake’s bar
Clue: That’s right! Head on there now for a drink or two, and find out what place you’ve come in. Don’t forget to buy me a drink :)

And that’s a simple car rally :) No need to leave paper trails around the city with a tool like Text Clues. We do the work for you :)  Try it out today, and you’ll make your next event out one for your group of friends or club to remember!

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 for Kids

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Ready to Go!

The textclues service is perfect for creating a scavenger hunt for kids. You can input all your clues online ahead of time and start the hunt whenever the kids are getting restless and bored. You can use it as quality time with the young ones. Since all the clues and answers are taken care of automatically on the phone you can also use it to free up some alone time for yourself.

If they don’t have mobile phones of their own yet you can let them use yours for the hunt. Kids really find it exciting when they are receiving a hunt directly tailored towards them through a phone. If you haven’t had a chance to check out our textclues product take a look at the demo!

Be warned, once you send them on one hunt they’ll be asking for more!

 

 

Setting up the Scavenger Hunt

Setting up a simple scavenger hunt for your kids is easy with textclues. The first step is coming up with the clues and answers for the hunt.

For this step grab a peice of paper and go through each room in your house one by one. In each room come up with as many clues as you can. Keep them relatively simple to make sure the kids will be able to figure it out. Clues like “how many wheels are on the desk chair” and “how many drawers are on the cupboard” seem simple but make great clues. Especially on the first few hunts you want to keep the clues easy. You should be able to come up with 10 – 20 clues for each room in no time.

Where to Next!

Next head to your computer and open up textclues. You’re going to want to make at least two scavenger hunts because your kids will be asking for more! Simply write down a clue and answer for one room then pick a clue from a room across the house next. Picking rooms far from each other will help the hunt last a little longer. You’ll have a few hunts set up before you know it.

Now when your kids are getting restless and bored you’ll be ready with a ready made scavenger hunt. Simply type in your child’s mobile phone number or your own and start the hunt. You should explain the concept to the children the first time they’re doing the hunt. It really couldn’t be easier! I always like to end the scavenger hunt by giving them a prize.

If you have any questions for us or any experiences you would like to share do so below!

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!