Fun Scavenger Hunt Ideas

- by Mary May Larmoyeux -

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Have you heard about Tricky Treasure Hunts? Well, I hadn’t … until I read about them years ago in ... read more.


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Indoor Fun With the Grandkids

Friday’s Grand Connection Fun
by Mary May Larmoyeux

Well, it’s already Friday … and time to have some fun with the grandkids.  One of our grandchildren will be spending this weekend with Pops and me.

Although it’s not supposed to rain in the next few days, it’s going to be cold. So, I’ve been looking for some things that we can do together inside.

Here are a few ideas:

Make a doll couch.  By using cardboard, scraps of fabric and stuffing (such as an old towel), making a doll couch can provide hours of fun and imagination for older children. This You Tube video gives step-by-step details: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAcP6ML3Li0

Play storybook bingo. Make a bingo card by drawing 16 squares on a piece of paper or cardboard. Ask the players to list common words that they can recognize. Then cut the words out and place them in a small bowl. Before you begin reading out loud, select a word from the bowl. As you read, the kids will listen for the word that you drew, and they will cover the appropriate square (with a marker from another game, coin, etc.) when they hear it. You may want to play straight-line bingo (cover four squares in a straight line in any direction) cover the card, etc.

You also could use a deck of word flash cards for very young readers. If you do this, you will simply draw the “bingo word” from the stack of cards.

This activity can easily be done with grandkids who live out of town. Mail them the bingo card and markers, read a story on the phone, and play bingo together.

Storybook Bingo is one of the rainy day activities that I found on a family education website. They have a long list of activities that include games, reading and writing activities, science activities, gardening, kitchen fun, dance and movement, and more.

Make a Bear Hospital. Our granddaughter had a great time pretending that her stuffed bear was a patient and she was the doctor. This is easy to do and good for the imagination.

Go on a Scavenger Hunt. We can download scavenger hunts from the Internet and enjoy them with local or long-distance grandchildren. Just mail a copy of a downloadable scavenger hunt to long-distance grandkids, and follow up with an e-mail or phone call.

I enjoyed looking at scavengerhunt.org and printed the free sample downloadable scavenger hunt. It's made for older children 10-14.

Visit a library online. Many online libraries have activities for kids.

Work a simple jigsaw puzzle together. This is always a fun activity to do and great for the entire family.

Hummmm so much to choose from. Right not, an indoor scavenger hunt, storybook bingo, and making a bear hospital sound good to me.

Please share some indoor activities that you do with your grandkids in a comment below. Or, e-mail mary@marymaywrites.com and I'll be glad to add the comment for you.

He is able,
Mary
Mary May Larmoyeux
www.marymaywrites.com

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Article and picture © Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.

Treasure Hunt Time

Friday's Grand Connection Fun

by Mary May Larmoyeux

 

As the leaves begin to fall, it's a great time to think about having an autumn treasure hunt with the grandkids. What better place to hide a clue than in a toy wheelbarrow filled with leaves, or under a bright orange pumpkin?

In an issue of Family Fun magazine, grandparents Patrica and Paul Slaga shared a unique idea. They have "Tricky Treasure Hunts" with their grands.

In either their house or yard, the Slagas hide wrapped inexpensive "treasures" such as small toys, art supplies, gummy bears, stickers, etc. Their grandkids work together to solve brainteasers to locate each prize (the prizes could also be together at the end of several clues). 

The Slagas give creative clues using verses with missing rhymes, symbols or pictures taking the place of words, or numeric codes.

Here an example of a possible clue:

Verse: "Jack and Jill went up the _________." Answer: hill. So the next clue or prize will be on whatever your grandchild will know is the "hill."

I really like the Slagas' idea!

Now, here are possible clues leading to a toy wheelbarrow filled with leaves:

• For older kids:  "Look for something made with the three primary colors."
• For little ones:  "It's red, blue, and yellow and filled with leaves for a fella."

Do you have any treasure hunt ideas?

Have a great weekend,

Mary

Mary May Larmoyeux

http://www.marymaywrites.com/

http://grandconnection.blogspot.com/

© 2012  by Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.

© Photoeuphoria / Dreamstime.com

Let's Have a Scavenger Hunt

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Friday's Grand Connection Fun
by Mary May Larmoyeux

I love looking at the magazine Family Fun! Grandparents Patrica and Paul Slaga of North Carolina shared a great idea in the August 2009 issue. They have "Tricky Treasure Hunts" with their grands.

In either their house or yard, the Slagas hide several wrapped "inexpensive treasures" such as small toys, art supplies, gummy bears, stickers, etc. Their grandkids work together to solve brainteasers to locate each prize (the prizes could also be together at the end of several clues).

The Slagas give creative clues such as verses with missing rhymes, symbols or pictures taking the place of words, or numeric codes. Here are some examples of possible creative clues:

Verse: "Jack and Jill went up the _________." Answer: hill. So the next clue or prize will be on whatever your grandchild will know is the "hill."

Picture: Have a picture of a refrigerator and either tape the next clue to your refrigerator door or put a small prize inside your refrigerator.

Numeric code clue: Assign each letter of the alphabet a number such as a = 1; b = 2; c = 3 ... z = 26. If your first clue is: The next clue will be by the 2 12 21 5 chair. Answer: blue. Then, the next clue will be by the blue chair.

Another idea is to send a grandchild on a magazine or newspaper scavenger hunt. Jot down some age-appropriate questions about various articles, words in headlines, photos, etc., and give them to the grands. After they find the answers to the questions, reward them with some type of wrapped prize or treat.

It would be pretty easy for us to prepare these types of scavenger hunts for out-of-town grands. We could send the clues to them in the mail with small wrapped prizes or extra money for an ice cream cone, etc.

Do you have any scavenger hunt ideas ... or special memories of scavenger hunts? Please share them as a comment. Also, if you have a scavenger hunt with the grands, I'd love to hear what happens.

Have a great weekend,
Mary
www.marymaywrites.com
co-author of The Grand Connection: 365 Ways to Connect with Your Grandchild's Heart

© 2009 by Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.
Photo © Ioana Grecu | Dreamstime.com