Land Ho!
SCAVENGER HUNT IDEA #1 -- "LAND HO!"
Create different "Islands" throughout the playground. These islands are really just designated areas identified by a posted sign, but to a child's imagination there's a treasure waiting to be found on this uncharted land! Scatter the "treasures" throughout the area.
- At Egg Island (located under a tree) each team member must find 1 plastic egg with a particular number on it. Team #1 finds the number 1, Team #2 find the number 2, etc.
- At Scroll Island (located near the playground) each team member must find the scroll with their name on it. You can take this one step further and prior to the event ask students to write their favorite thing about their teacher on a piece of paper. Following the event, surprise the teacher by having each student read his/her scroll aloud.
- At Silver & Gold Island (located near driveway) each team member must find a piece of silver OR gold. Spray-paint several small rocks/pebbles or use nickels and pennies.
- At Treasure Island (located by the flagpole) each team member must find 1 treasure box (a tissue box decorated & filled with a piece of candy) with a particular dollar amount on it. This dollar amount is a random amount assigned to that team.
- At Magic Sand Island (located on the hill) each team member must find one bottle of magic sand with a particular letter on it. This letter is a random letter assigned to that team. Fill either a small bottle with colorful sand or a plastic bag filled with sand and a single coin.
Before you bring the students outside to the scavenger hunt, gather them all around and tell them the following fictional story. Be sure to customize the story to your own school. The story goes....
The other day when I was buying some milk and bread at Ryers Store...I heard someone telling a story. I thought it was so cool I wanted to share it with ALL of you! Can I?
Once upon a time, a long time ago...there was a small town. This town was known for it's 5 mystical magical areas. There were forests with big rolling hills. The town also had beautiful magical rivers and streams. The sand found along these rivers was soft and magical. It was said, that "Great thinkers would travel from far away places to come to the rivers just to think and it would help them to get the answers they wanted or needed." After they thought, they would take a small bottle of the sand back home with them to keep as a treasure. It would help them in the future if they had a problem that needed to be answered. This was known as "Magic Sands Island".
There was another area that had the most colorful birds! They were of greens and golds, reds and blues, and many other magnificent colors. Well colorful birds lay colorful eggs. These eggs weren't just ordinary eggs. Instead of eating these eggs, visitors would open them to find two magical coins. They were told by the towns people to keep one for luck and give one to someone they thought was special. The coin would be a token to say "Thanks for helping me" or "Just have a nice day." This special area was "Egg Island".
There was another area of the town that if you were a kind and generous person, gold and silver nuggets would magically appear as you would leave the town. The towns people always told travelers "Just take one, it is all you will ever need." So the travelers would only take one. This area was known as "Silver and Gold Island".
There was an interesting way to get into this town and for some reason they always had circular roadways so they wouldn't bump into one another on their way in and out of town. They marked this area with a flag pole so that any newcomers would know that this was a special area and the entrance to this magical place. I was told that if visitors worked together that sometimes they would find a small treasure box with treats in it. There was always enough to share with others. The towns people alsays said to make sure you share these treats with your friends and family. This area was known as "Treasure chest Island".
As more and more travelers came to see this small town, they would be so thankful about ALL their magical gifts they received ... that as they left the town they would write down something special about someone OR something that happened to them while they were there. They always left these scrolls behind for newcomers. It would welcome them to the land and let them know how much they had enjoyed their own visits to this town. These scrolls ALWAYS would reapppear on a special day and have their name on it so they could pass it on. This area was known as "Scroll Island".
Well, as time passed, guess what happened? So many people had traveled to this mystical magical place that they started to move closer and closer. Well the more people that moved closer they needed to find places to live. So trees were cut down and houses built near and around the area where the forests, rolling hills rivers, and streams were. There were so many children the towns people decided that all our children need a place to go to school and learn.
One day while lying at the mysterious mystical stream, one of the greatest thinkers of ALL times (His name was Mr. Turner), had a great thought. "We need more space", he thought. "Our children need a place to go and learn, have fun and meet special friends." He thought some more..."YES! This is the perfect spot!"
Well, Mr. Turner jumped up and ran to the other towns people. "I have a place to build a school!", he yelled. He told everyone, "This is such a wonderful magical spot that I'm sure it is perfect!" Everyone cheered for him and agreed.
So they began taking down some trees and building their school. They made sure to keep the circular roadways, flag pole,and rolling hill...hoping that the magical ways of this area wouldn't disappear. Guess what? I know they didn't. I heard the man say that one time a year "If the children truly learned, had fun and met some special friends" that he was sure that the magical Islands would appear on a special day. He ALSO said It usually was on a Wednesday at the end of a school year. What's today? He said you'd be able to find some of the magic sand, an egg, a piece of gold, a scroll with your name on it, and if you are part of a team...a team treasure box! Oh! Guess what else I heard him say? He told me where this magic place was...The Turner School! Can you believe it? Do you think we should go see if this is the day?
(Idea submitted by Lynn F., North Reading, Mass.)
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