Sunday, June 26, 2011

Treasure Hunts: Keeping it fun and fair!

Scatter Style Treasure Hunts
        Scatter hunts are the traditional Easter egg type hunts. Any item from plastic eggs filled with delicious treats to pirate gold are scattered about and tucked in nooks around the yard waiting for the kids to race around the yard to find them.
Although very easy to set up and a quick activity, scatter hunts have their downside, fairness.
       Usually the older, faster kids get more treasure than the others, making it fun for some, but not fun for everyone. To make your next scatter hunt fair and fun for everyone,
try  these helpful tips: 
  • Have multiple hunt locations. You can hide items for older kids in one location and younger kids in another. Then younger kids aren't run over by the big kids.
  • Have all treasure brought  to a group pile. Once all of the treasure has been found, distribute evenly among the kids. Then everyone leaves the party happy.
  • Give each child a set number of items to find. Be sure to have something for the faster kids to do while everyone completes the hunt. Bored kids aren't having fun and can make things more difficult.
  • Gather the kids in an area before the hunt. Tell them that when they hear the whistle, they are to run and find one item, then return back to the center where their basket is located. Lots of cheering helps everyone go much quicker and encourates teamwork, instead of competition.
There are lots of ways you can make your next scatter style treasure hunt fun and fair for everyone.