Organising a Treasure Hunt - Outdoors

Here is a tried and tested outdoor game for family fun which works well with children of all ages:Treasure Hunt:

A treasure hunt does not need a great deal of preparation unless you want to - in which case it can be as elaborate as you make it! Treasure hunts are best done in pairs or small teams unless you are lucky enough to have a garden big enough for children to wander freely.

Have an adult or responsible older child in each team to prevent anything dangerous or anti-social happening. Make clear boundaries so no one wanders off.

Four kinds of Treasure Hunt are described here:

1.Find These TreasuresThe simplest version is to make a suitable list of 'Treasures to Find', give each team a carrier bag and ask the teams to collect the items and bring them back to the finishing post. The 'treasures' on the list will vary from place to place - in a garden, wood or park you could include an oak leaf, a black stone, a piece of moss, bird sightings, a buttercup, a red leaf, a twisted stick. On the beach or river bank you could include shells and pebbles or driftwood - so you may have on the list '5 different kinds of shells, 5 different colour pebbles' and so on.

2.Find the Answers'Find the Answers' Treasure Hunts are good in villages, small towns, on holiday or if it is too cold or wet to just sit in the sunshine. These hunts need a preliminary visit or investigation by the organiser who will then make a list of questions to fit prominent landmarks in the chosen location.Questions on the list may be something like: 'What is the price of a cup of tea in the Cosy Cafe?' 'What is the date on the Manor House?''Name three kinds of tree growing behind the library''Name three families named on gravestones beside the Parish Church'. Write up the questions and print off enough copies for everyone. Set a time limit.Make the prizes simple or give everyone a treat for taking part; make it fun and not too competitive!3.Photo Treasure HuntIn these days of digital cameras and mobile phones taking a photo is easy and accessible to many people. If each team has some means of photographing then this is an easy way of recording who has been where an d found the answers on the list. So make a list of objects to be photographed, duplicate the list, distribute it to the teams and the first team back with all the items on the list photographed correctly wins the prize!4.Follow the Clues and Find the TreasureThis is a more elaborate and traditional treasure hunt - it does take some imagination and preparation plus access to a large garden or familiar nearby park or friend's garden. Each clue leads to the next one and they can be as cryptic, obscure and mysterious as you like. Participants follow a trail of clues which eventually lead to a 'treasure' which can be real but is probably better to be the answer to a riddle or puzzle so all the players have a chance of solving it rather than those who rush round and miss half of the clues out!

Good treasure hunting!

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