Hobbies And Interests
Halloween
For your next Halloween party, decorate your yard with Halloween-related items, such as tombstones in a cemetery, skeletons sitting on the porch or fake crows perched on tree branches. The decorations will assist with the participants figuring out the clues. Have everyone select a treasure-hunting partner and provide each team with its first clue. For example, the clue "Really Ichy People live here" could refer to a tombstone that reads "R.I.P. Bob the Slob." By the tombstone, leave the second clue on a strip of paper. At the end of the treasure hunt, provide a final clue that leads to a prize related to Halloween, such as a sack of candy.
Birthdays
The week before the event, walk around town and find interesting locations where you can leave clues for the partygoers. On a bench outside the public library and next to a fountain in the park are some locations you may consider. On the day or evening of the event, hand teams of two their first clue and send them off to find more. Set a time limit on the treasure hunt so that everyone knows to return to your house when the hunt is over and provide the participants with a phone number to reach you if they get really stumped along the way. If they call, be prepared to provide them with new clues that may assist them in their search. Allow the final clue to lead the teams to a prize provided by you. Once the winners return with their bounty, call all of the other teams on their cell phones to tell them the hunt is over.
At Work
You can develop a treasure hunt that is completed in one day, or that lasts over an extended period of time. Divide the workers up into teams and provide them with the first clue. The clue should take some effort to figure out, but should also lead the workers to their next clue that is hidden by you. A clue such as "Chatter, chatter everywhere and many drops to drink" could lead the workers to the watercooler or break room. If you are conducting the treasure hunt over a period of weeks, have the final clue for the first hunting day indicate that the teams must wait to be given their next clue, which you will provide on the next hunting day. In the end, a prize must await one lucky team. Make the prize something associated with the office, but that also boosts morale, such as a new computer or a gift certificate for a month of free lunches at the local deli.
For Fundraising
If you use a treasure hunt as an adult fundraising idea, be sure that you have a prize at the end that people will want, such as a laptop. Get a local business to donate the item, then sell tickets to adults in the community who want to participate. Anyone who buys a ticket will meet on a specified day and time. Give the participants their first clue that will lead them to their second clue, and so on. Provide as many clues as you wish, but keep in mind that the event should not last longer than one day. Use your facility to serve as the treasure hunt area and make the clues challenging, but not so difficult that the treasure is impossible to find.