How to Plan A Picture Scavenger Hunt Easily

Pick a location for your scavenger hunt. Depending on the age of the participants, this may be the local mall, the community park or your residential neighborhood. Select a theme, if desired -- animals might be an appropriate choice for a young child's party, sports-themed pictures may appeal to preteen boys and photographing fashion-related items may be a hit with teenage girls.

Walk or drive through the selected location to familiarize yourself with its features. Make mental or written notes of items to include on the scavenger hunt list. Calculate how much time participants will need to move through the selected location and take the number and type of pictures specified on the hunt list.

Finalize the list of items hunt participants will be required to photograph. Ten or 15 items may be enough for young children; include 25 to 30 items for older hunters. Make the item descriptions clear so participants know exactly what to photograph -- "a man with a baseball hat walking a dog" or "two white flowers" or "a street sign for a street starting with the letter R," for example. Include a clear list of rules for the participants, based on their ages and the hunt location: team members must stay together at all times; teams may not bother mall patrons; obtain permission to photograph your subjects; and stay within the hunt location boundaries.

Select the date and time for the scavenger hunt. Make a list of invitees. Make a list of all the items you will need to gather or purchase for the event, including digital or Polaroid cameras, invitations, copies of the clue list for each team of participants, pens or pencils, decorations, food and drinks and prizes for the winners.