How to Use a Scavenger Hunt - TeamTom Education (2024)

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In this post, we look at how to use a scavenger hunt to engage learners in an active practice activity. But first,what is a scavenger hunt?

A scavenger hunt is an excellent way to take any ordinary lesson and turn it into a fun and engaging active learning activity where students are moving around, thinking about the content, and practicing skills!

How to Use a Scavenger Hunt - TeamTom Education (1)

How to Use a Scavenger Hunt

  1. Post “cards” around the room (or into the halls) with specific learning tasks on them.
  2. Prepare an answer page that each student will carry around.
  3. Students are told a starting point in the scavenger hunt.
  4. After working through the first card (their starting point), students walk around to find the answer.
  5. Their answer is linked to another card, and that is where they work next.
  6. If they cannot find their answer choice, then they know they made the wrong choice and need to return to the previous card and try again.

This process continues until all of the cards are complete.

A great part of the scavenger hunt is the self-checking feature. This gives right/wrong feedback to students, so they do not practice and reinforce errors.

What does a Teacher Do in a Scavenger Hunt?

The teacher’s role is to support, monitor, and guide.

Support students in the scavenger hunt by clarifying the directions as the students move around – also check to make sure they aren’t justhunting answers (they must choose an answer before they hunt).

Monitor students to make sure they are doing the work and not just following a friend or even copying a peer’s work.

Guide students in the scavenger hunt as you see they are struggling. Provide clarifying questions or ask them to explain their thinking, so you can determine any misconceptions that should be addressed.

How Long Should a Scavenger Hunt Take?

This largely depends on your content or skill that the students are practicing. Usually, you don’t want the hunt to last longer than 20-25 minutes, and some scavenger hunt can last only 10-15 minutes.

After the scavenger hunt, be sure to check the answers and provide additional instruction on the most challenging questions.

Scavenger Hunt Power Tips

  1. If a student is in a loop (circling back to the same question without moving forward) that means they have a wrong answer. They can either reread the questions or move on to a random card knowing there’s a wrong answer.
  2. Cheating! Some students are going to figure a way to “guess and check”. While this strategy is good for math, it’s not good for practicing reading skills. Monitor them closely to make sure the read, answer the question, then move onto the hunt.

Scavenger Hunts Made For You

You can make your own scavenger hunts, or you can view reading and math scavenger hunts made by TeamTom Education.

What scavenger hunts are available? In our TPT store there are currently 6 reading scavenger hunts and 7 math scavenger hunts.

Click below to preview the scavenger hunts at Teachers Pay Teachers.

The scavenger hunts are one of our favorite resources! But don't take our word for it. Teachers and students love them too!

My kids had a great time with this review!"

- Brittani R. Aug, 2019,Text Features Scavenger Hunt

Awesome!Awesome! Awesome! Love these and can't wait for more."

- Christina S. July, 2019, Fiction Scavenger Hunt 3

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About the Author

TeamTom Education is dedicated to creating engaging teaching resources and strategies that make learning awesome!

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How to Use a Scavenger Hunt - TeamTom Education (2024)

FAQs

How to Use a Scavenger Hunt - TeamTom Education? ›

Post “cards” around the room (or into the halls) with specific learning tasks on them. Prepare an answer page that each student will carry around. Students are told a starting point in the scavenger hunt. After working through the first card (their starting point), students walk around to find the answer.

How to create a team building scavenger hunt? ›

To play scavenger hunts in the office, first, divide the group into smaller teams. Then, give each group a list of items or tasks to complete. The prompts can simply be to find certain things, like words or items, or for team members to act something out, like a cooking show.

What is the learning objective of scavenger hunt? ›

Scavenger Hunts Boost Retention of Learned Material

Through trial and error, children can apply their learned knowledge and correct any misconceptions they may have which helps to build more connections with what they are learning and further their understanding.

How to do a scavenger hunt for college students? ›

You can design an orientation scavenger hunt route that systematically takes them throughout the whole campus and design games designed to help them find these buildings. For instance, you could start them off in the auditorium, take them to the library, dining halls and career offices and other key landmarks.

What is the purpose of scavenger hunt team building? ›

Scavenger hunts provide a platform for team members to improve their communication and collaboration skills. In order to successfully complete the hunt, participants must effectively communicate with one another, share information, and work together towards a common goal.

What are common rules for a scavenger hunt? ›

How to play:
  • Create a list of things to find, hear or do. ...
  • Create a time limit (optional).
  • Give children the list and let them scavenge around and find, smell or do all of the things on their list.
  • The player or team who ticks everything off on their list first, or ticks off the most items before the time is up, wins.

How to organize a scavenger hunt at school? ›

How to Make a School Scavenger Hunt
  1. Create a list of items for students to find and assign different point levels based on difficulty.
  2. Set a start and end time and decide whether students should work individually or in teams.
  3. Run the activity and watch the fun.
  4. Consider prizes, rewards, or incentives for top finishers.
Feb 1, 2024

What is a scavenger hunt in education? ›

A scavenger hunt can serve as a means to engage students in or out of the classroom. Scavenger hunts utilize the theory of game-based learning to: Develop critical-thinking skills; Review course content; Create familiarity with resources on campus and location of services; and/or.

What do children learn from the scavenger hunt? ›

Scavenger hunts are stealthy teachers. As kids read the clues and make decisions on where to look, they're also honing executive functioning skills. Sequencing, organizing, and problem-solving, all wrapped up in the thrill of a game.

How do you organize a scavenger hunt team? ›

Give the players a list of items. Hide the items around your location, and have the players search for the items. The first player/group to find all of the items wins. Have the players go door-to-door asking for items off the list.

What are some good clues for a scavenger hunt? ›

Some good scavenger hunt clues for kids include:
  • If you want to eat, then take a seat! (Dining room chair)
  • One of me per day keeps the doctor away. (Apple)
  • I can't mix batter, but I can bake a cake. (Oven)
  • I come in pairs, I'm easy to lose, I go between your feet and your shoes. (Socks)
Nov 30, 2022

How do you lead a scavenger hunt? ›

You will need time for:
  1. Researching and selecting the clues (you will find more than 100 treasure hunt clues on our huge clue page)
  2. Creating the clues and riddle-cards.
  3. Setting up the treasure hunt/ hiding the riddles.
  4. Making a treasure chest.
  5. Inviting the participants.

How do I host an office scavenger hunt? ›

Split your office up into teams of 4-5, and let them work together to complete your scavenger list. You can make items on your list that specifically require team work, such as “a picture of the whole team Kung-Fu Fighting” or “at least 5 different shoes.”

What is the indoor scavenger hunt team building? ›

Indoor scavenger hunt

With an indoor hunt, teams must complete tasks and find objects, both common and unique. Teams win points for completing tasks and finding listed items. Split the group into even teams and provide them with a list of activities and items. Set a time limit and send teams off.

How do I set up a neighborhood scavenger hunt? ›

How to Host a Fun Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt
  1. Get people on board. We've said it before and we'll say it again. ...
  2. Set aside planning time. While planning a scavenger hunt yourself is easy, it will take some time to get the basics right. ...
  3. Decide on a theme. ...
  4. Survey the area. ...
  5. Make a list of clues.
Jul 13, 2021

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