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Scavenger/Treasure -9yr- Puzzle Hunt

Oct 2002

Lyn in Waterbury CT USA

Honorable Mention

For my sons 9th birthday party we had a Scavenger/Treasure Hunt. 

Instead of the traditional list of items that had to be collected I printed pictures of things off the internet, such as a grill, a tent, a mailbox.  I then cut the pieces to look like pieces of a puzzle.  The object was to put the pieces together, find out what it was, and then go find the particular item in one of the two yards (They were joined). I made sure that the teams clues were not the same. When they found the item they had to search for their next clue, and so on. 

The kids were divided into two teams, this can be adjusted accordingly, and were handed scrolled instuctions for the days game.  I used faded parchment to make it look more mysterious, and I sealed them with wax from a candle.  The instuctions also contained a riddle that they had to solve in order to find their first clue.  I tried not to make it too hard, (I did mine in the Roses are red format).  When the children solved all of the clues, the fifth one being slightly more difficult, they were led to a treasure. 

I put lots of goodies in a box that was to be split amongst the team members.  What I did not tell the kids was that they were actually searching for seperate treasures, one for each team.  This led them to believe that they had to race against the other team to find the loot.  That was alot of fun to watch. 

This is an inexpensive way to get children working together, and having fun.  After the game was over I gave awards to each child in different categories.  The fastest clue solver, most clues solved, first person to solve the riddle.  Each child went home happy, and I still get phone calls from people wanting to know how I did that because their child wants to have a hunt for their birthday.  Enjoy!!!

P.S. If there are younger children involved make sure you pair them up with an older attendee.  I suggest you put the names of the younger children in a hat or non-transparent bag, and have the older kids, starting with the oldest, pull out names.  Children 7yrs & older can play this without a partner, just make sure he/she is instructed to stay with their team.

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