Is your child naturally inquisitive and adventurous? Does he or she love Easter for the thrill of looking for Easter eggs? Well, you don’t have to wait for Easter anymore. You can throw a scavenger hunt party anytime you want. Scavenger hunt parties are great for hiking trips, or during seasons when spending time outdoors is enjoyable. Here are some things you can do to hold a perfect scavenger hunt party.

Mysterious Invitations

Remember those mysterious letters sent in movies leaving only clues on what to bring and when and where to meet? You can also do that for your scavenger hunt party. Hand out unadorned invitation cards with information on what to bring: A camera, paper, pen, bags, a party spirit and treasure hunter’s enthusiasm. Make the message sound mysterious enough to garner enough excitement. Of course, if it’s still not clear to your guests what party they’re going to, you can always leave a number they can RSVP to.

You can also send your treasure map in advance, tied up into a scroll. Another idea is to design the invitation card with various items your guests will need to pick up on the day of the scavenger hunt.

Kinds of Scavenger Hunt

There are different things you can do with a scavenger hunt. The items you can look for can just be found in a household, a reception area, a mall or even the whole neighborhood! Scavenger hunts aren’t just for picking up items-in this age of digital cameras and camera phones, you can also add things they should take pictures of. Of course, since this is a kid’s party, it’s best that you group your scavenger hunters together with an accompanying chaperon if the scavenging area will take them far outdoors.

These are the different kinds of scavenger hunt you can do on the day of your party:

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  I have a mail
  Mall Scavenger Hunt. You can find a lot of useful things in a mall, and many unusual things, too. Organizing a mall scavenger hunt can be really fun, especially for girls who just love to shop. You can arrange your guests to do easy things like taking a picture by the mall fountain, or look for unusual items, like looking for vomit-colored nail polish. Make a quick tour of your mall a week or a day before the party so you know which items will still be available by the time the party rolls around.
• The Great Outdoors Scavenger Hunt. Having an outdoors scavenging hunt can be particularly exciting for kids because it will take them to places they usually don’t have an opportunity to go to, or look at things they haven’t noticed before. For this scavenger hunt, you can ask your guests to pick up some things they can find outdoors, like a pine cone, an apple (or any fruit of the season) or a freshly-plucked leaf. You can also ask them to take pictures, such as a picture of a bird in flight, an elderly man watering his plants, or a guy cleaning his car. Be creative, and make sure each group or individual is equipped with a fully-charged digital camera or a disposable camera.
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  Lets go market!
  Walmart Scavenger Hunt. Need help picking up groceries? Well, why not kill two birds with one stone and arrange for a Walmart scavenger hunt? This scavenger hunt can take place in just about any large-scale grocery retailer or department store. Items can be range from the things you need for the household like light bulbs and fabric softener, to party items like microwave popcorn and Kool-Aid.
• Historical Scavenger Hunt. Is your neighborhood a historical place? Having a historical scavenger hunt and asking the participants to learn more about the history of your neighborhood is a great way to acquaint themselves with the place they grew up in. You can include museums, libraries and theaters in the scavenging mix. It’s educational and fun!
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  One more shoot!
  Photo Scavenger Hunt. If you’re a bit paranoid about the kids picking up random items and getting germs, don’t worry, there’s an alternative to touching them: They can take pictures instead. Supply your participants with disposable cameras, or ask them to bring their own digital cameras. They can also use their phone cameras. Ask them to take pictures of different people, the guests themselves in funny poses, a dog chasing a car or unusual and more difficult things like a squirrel carrying a nut.
• Video Scavenger Hunt. Instead of taking pictures, you can compile a list of video-captured moments. You can also ask your participants to film themselves rapping, singing or doing a bunch of crazy stuff in unusual environments. Watching the results afterwards will definitely be a lot of fun.

Scavenger hunt parties can also be combined with other party themes, such as a beach party (you can ask guests to look for certain items you can find on the beach) or a camping party. As long as you have time to prepare, creativity and a lot of imagination, a scavenger hunt party can be a lot of fun. Don’t forget to count out and check the scavenged items and reward the group or the individual who got the most out of the list!

Decorating for the Party

Since the party will be focusing on the scavenger hunt, you don’t have to stress out too much with the decorations. If you’re hosting an outdoors scavenger hunt, you can even have the party outside. Set up picnic tables, covered with a cheerful red and white checkered cloth. Decorate your space with colorful balloons, streamers and banners. String up Christmas lights and lanterns to provide light even after dark.

Your centerpiece and other decoration items can reflect the kind of scavenger hunt-for example, if you’re having a Walmart scavenger hunt, you can have canned food, plastic toys and face towels as a tongue-in-cheek decoration. You can also use a “Sherlock Holmes” approach to decorating, since Mr. Holmes also scavenges for clues for answers. Use magnifying glasses, a spy glasses, telescopes and even Mr. Holmes’ trademark deerstalker hat as decoration items.

Telescope

Colorful baloons

Spy glass

Inside, set up a printer so you can immediately print and view the photos your participants have taken during the scavenger hunt. If you had a video scavenger hunt, set up a television and some comfy chairs and beanie bags so everyone can watch all the fun adventures that happened during the day.

Food and Drinks for the Treasure Hunters

Scavenger hunts can be very tiring, so your guests will be looking forward to the party food. If you’re having the party on a warm season, make sure you have a lot of cool items in your list such as cold soup, garden salads, fruit juice and ice cream. For chillier seasons, you can have warm apple cider, steaming stew, tea and warm pie.

If you’re cooking outdoors, a grill with freshly-cooked barbecue and spare ribs are a great idea. Setting up a bonfire can also be great for roasting marshmallows and smores. (Learn how to build a bonfire)

The beauty of scavenger hunts is that you can plan ahead with your party and preparing maps, clues and other things the guests will need for their hunt. All you’ll have to do is is to wait for your treasure hunters to come back for a filling meal and snacks. Don’t forget to give them copies of their photos as a souvenir and party favor. Happy hunting. If you enjoy reading this article, take your scanvenger hunt a notch higher by reading how to geocache.

Check this movie to have some fun!