This year instead of the traditional Easter Egg Hunt, I decided to make an outrageous scavenger hunt for my grandkids. I had a mini scavenger hunt at my last Grandma Camp and it was a hit. Now that 2 of them are readers, I knew this would be a fun new tradition for Grandma’s house.
The Clues For My Scavenger Hunt
I decided to come up with 15 – 20 clues that would have them running from the front of the house, to the backyard, inside, & out. I knew the weather was going to be nice, and this would be a great way to get them moving and burning up some Easter candy energy.
They needed to be fun and imaginative, but not too hard. My group of sweet peas range in age from 2-7 years old. The clues that I made worked out perfect for their ages.
Some of my clues were rhyming, which makes it easier for them to solve. Others were a little more difficult. I made Rebus clues, where you use pictures to describe the clue, mores code clues, clues that you had to use a mirror to read (upsidedowntext.com is a great reverse/backward/upside down word generator), maps, & puzzle pieces.
Clue Ideas that I Used
- Turn me on to see at night. I’ll make the front porch seem so bright. – clue taped to porch light.
- Red, white, blue. When the wind blows, I wave to you. – clue attached to American Flag.
- In this place where Grady (our dog) goes to sleep, He curls in a ball and you won’t hear a peep. – dog bed.
- Hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken, and more. Find your next clue where Papa makes food galore. –BBQ pit.
- Go to the room that is made for the car. Look on the bench where Papa’s tools are. – garage, work bench.
- 2 + lips (I drew a picture of lips).- front flower bed.
- Wipe your shoes on me before you go into the house. – welcome mat on front porch.
- Your next clue is in a box, on a post. I have my own red flag. – clue is in mailbox.
- Your next clue is where the fairies play. (This clue was written so that you had to hold it up to a mirror to read.) – clue is by fairy garden.
- Play with me on a hot day, cool yourself off when you don’t have a pool to play. – clue is by garden hose.
- Rebus clue picture of the sun. picture of a mushroom. the minus sign. the word mush. (See image) – clue is in the sunroom.
- I’m dirty and hungry always waiting for my stash, please open my mouth and give me some trash. – clue is taped to trash can.
- On the porch is where I sit, please come and join me for a bit. – clue taped to front porch chair.
- Open my door for a bright light, grab some juice to fill up your cup. – clue is taped to box of juice drinks in fridge. (great drink break from running back and forth.)
- Go to the place where you rest your head. (This clue was written in morse code.) – clue on pillow in bedroom.
- Although I have no feet, I can move around. Inside my trunk is here your treasure can be found. (This final clue was written on puzzle pieces that they collected throughout the game.) – Treasure basket waiting for them in the back of my car.
The Set Up for the Scavenger Hunt
I gave each of the sweet peas one puzzle piece in their Easter baskets. As they stuffed their chubby cheeks with treats, they began to realize that they each had a puzzle piece. The 2 oldest ones tried putting them together to see what it said.
They quickly decided that there were more pieces missing and looked to me for an answer. I presented them with clue #1.
In random clues, I included a piece of the puzzle or a piece of a map. Both when completed were a separate clue in itself. In one of the clue envelopes.
In another clue, I added a copy of the Morse Code. It would be used for a later clue. I was excited to see the lightbulb go off when they got to that clue and realized they had the key to help them decipher the clue. Same ah-ha moment when they found the clue that was written in reverse. Their little minds are so smart already!
Their last clue contained only the final piece to the treasure map. No Clue! Their mind wheels began to turn as one of them said let’s put the map together and see if that is the clue.
Of course ran to where the X marked the spot and found the puzzle board with no pieces. They dumbed out their bag of pieces that they had collected along the way and began to work together to finish the puzzle.
This final clue led them to the Treasure Basket. YEAH!!!
Surprises Along the Way
Besides the juices in the fridge for a quick drink break, I also included other treats along the route. (This hunt was long!) There were 6 eggs stuffed with candy by the Fairy Garden Clue. And a bag full of individual animal crackers were waiting at Papa’s Work Bench Clue.
And then the Treasure Basket at the end was full of springtime fun. It was amazing! The sweet peas loved their hunt. I can’t wait to work on my next hunt for Summer Grandma Camp! ~Susie Peas
For more hunting fun, I take the sweet peas geocaching. These are fun for adults too!!
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