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Ideas For a Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt List

Scavenger hunts can be great fun for young and old alike. They are a creative way to make groups of people to work together, get to know each other, and have and enjoyable experience . A scavenger hunt is usually a collaborative game where each team consists of 2 or more players. Each team is given a list that may include items to collect, questions to answer, and photos to take. You can have teams take pictures of particular items or people with their digital cameras or cell phones. There is also usually a time limit in which teams must finish the hunt. Two hours is usually sufficient. As each team sets out to accomplish their tasks, the current time is noted on their list. Once they have collected all the items and answered all the questions, or when the time has run out, they return to the starting point to have their list marked and time is noted. The team that gets the most items and answers correct in the shortest amount of time wins.

Locations
- You can hold a scavenger hunt in many different locations. You can specify an area around your neighborhood, you can use your entire city or town, or you can confine it to a local mall, school, church, or even a house. For smaller venues such as schools, churches, and homes, you will want to restrict the amount of teams competing.
Found garbage
- It is sad to say, but you can almost always find garbage. Including garbage items in your scavenger hunt list can help clean up the neighborhood, even in a small way. Common items to include are pop can pull-tabs, bottle caps, or gum wrappers.
Information and photo gathering
- Having questions to answer as part of your scavenger hunt will make things a bit more challenging, as well as more fun. Direct the team to a local cemetery, have them search for a specify gravestone, and have them note the date of death. Send the team to a specific address and have them take note of the third word on the business's sign. Get them to go to the local fast food restaurant and take a picture of themselves with one of the employees. If holding the scavenger hunt in a small area like a school or church, you could send teams to check a specific book and take note of the publisher, or find a passage on a certain page. If you decide to use this idea, ensure that there is more than one copy of the specified book.
Things found in nature
- If holding the scavenger hunt outdoors, items found in nature are always fun to include in your scavenger hunt list. Items such as a maple leaf, a pine cone, or an acorn are commonly included if easily found in your area. More challenging nature items may include a flower bud, a maple tree seed, a feather, or a quartz rock.
Common household items
- Common household items may actually be difficult to come across. You don't want the teams to have it too easy, so make some of the items difficult to find. Ideas for household items may include a used postage stamp, nail clippers, a red button, a baggie full of popcorn, a paperclip, an orange marker, a shower cap, or even an old black and white photo. You are only limited by your imagination.

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