Home >> Games & Cards >> Party Games

Outdoor Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Grades 1--8

Believe it or not, scavenger hunts are fun for kids of all ages. The trick to a successful scavenger hunt is all a matter of determining what kind of hunt would be the most fun for your target audience. With advances in technology, namely digital cameras, the scavenger hunt has become a whole new game.

Beach
- The beach is a great place for a scavenger hunt. There are endless amounts of shells, sand, beach wood, debris, creatures and things to find at the beach. These objects can take time and determination to find, especially some of the more obscure items like a conch or a sand dollar. This means that you can send the kids off to roam the beach while you enjoy some nice leisure time without having to babysit.
Nature Trail
- Nature trails hold a wealth of things for a scavenger hunt. Research some native plants to your area, hopefully not endangered or protected, and send the groups out to find them. If you have a metal detector available to you, or if you can borrow one, you can even send your kids out looking for treasure or lost coins which will generally keep their interest long after the scavenger hunt is over.
Camera
- Since digital cameras, scavenger hunts have become a whole new kind of game, since you can document finding things without having to take them with you. You can send your groups out to find just about anything. Send them to find a man wearing a red hat, or a car license plate with an ̶0;x̶1; on it. You can even document activities you send your groups of kids out to do, like an upside down human pyramid, or hanging from a tree, or pretty much anything you can come up with. Since just about everyone and their mother owns a digital camera, you can ask friends to borrow their cameras, just tell them ahead of time they̵7;re going to be used by juveniles.
Video
- If you can get a hold of a few video cameras you can do a video scavenger hunt. A video scavenger hunt is similar to one with a digital camera except you film videos of your team acting out events from their list. If you have chaperones you can even find strangers to do and say things, like acting like a monkey or singing an embarrassing song. After you finish your scavenger hunt, you can have just as much fun watching the tape and reveling in your accomplishments. Keep in mind you might not need a video camera for this activity since most new digital cameras have a video feature.

Party Games