Summer Diary Day 47: "My Town" Scavenger Hunt

Dear summer diary,
I love scavenger hunts. Love 'em. Love 'em. LOVE 'EM! Tonight I organized a scavenger hunt for my church family--kids, teens & adults--as part of our Jammin' July series. I divided the mob into teams by having them pull a piece of paper from a basket. Each piece of paper had a different animal name on it. Everyone had to make the sound of the animal on their paper & listen for others making the same sound----this would be their team!

Earlier in the evening I tore strips of fabric in different colors. Every person got a strip of fabric to help signify their team. (Team blue, team red, etc.) Some tied them on their head--Rambo style, others wrapped it around their wrist, arm, hat, etc.
I also handed out one envelope to each team. Inside the envelope was a list of clues. 35 clues to be exact, all varying in points.

Flashback to the day before: The girls & I took a walk up & down Main Street to find things to include in the Scavenger Hunt.
Examples:
QUESTION: What year was the post office founded?
ANSWER: 1963 (The year is printed right inside the door.)

QUESTION: What is the highest numbered PO BOX at the post office?
ANSWER: 1201

QUESTION: If I bought a Nelly burger, a regular fry & a Krunch Kone from the Karette, how much money would I need?
ANSWER: $8.52

QUESTION: Find the metal sunflower outside of Double A Feeds. How many petals are on it?
ANSWER: 16

Oh, it was soooo much fun collecting all the data for the hunt!
Tonight for the Scavenger Hunt, it was so rainy & wet---but I think that added to the fun! I gave the teams about one hour to go hunt for clues. Any team that reported back late was deducted points. They traveled in cars, with one adult leader as the team captain.

Everyone came back all smiles! I quickly went over the answers, then the  team captains added the points. Popsicles were handed out for treats. (The winning team got a more special ice cream treat than everyone else. In your face, losers!)

I got the idea for this scavenger hunt from my friend Sarah who did this last year with her kids. She made up several clues & sent them on their way.
This is something you can do with your own kids---you'll just have to customize the questions to your own town & surroundings.

I will never forget that there are 26 parking spots in the first row at the Community Center, there are 20 hearts carved into the shutters outside of 1019 Main Street, & that the lonely white Ford Explorer for sale outside of Bridgeport Motors is $7900.00.
Happy Hunting!
♥
Nikki