Guest teacher author, Aoife, shares an activity she uses to help develop collaboration and communication skills while encouraging student independence.
This is a wonderful idea for older classes to help develop independence. I have found that children absolutely love the adventure aspect of this task and it is a cheap and fun alternative to an expensive school tour or trip.
By extending the adventure beyond the school grounds and into the local community, the benefits and opportunities just expand. When you invest a little time in creating a Local Scavenger Hunt, you will also have it on hand for years to come.
Getting ready for the adventure
- Prepare all of your resources.
- Split the class into teams. I would recommend teams of 4 but you can adapt for your class as you see fit. Ask each team to choose a captain and a team name. If they don’t usually work together you may want to help them collaborate on organising themselves.
- Set boundaries. I find a Google Maps Satellite View of the school useful to create clear boundaries as to where the children can/cannot go to complete the treasure hunt. Reinforce safety rules when moving in and around the school. Remind all pupils to show due care and respect for school property and staff.
- Set a time limit – for example, children have 45 minutes to complete as many tasks on the scavenger hunt as possible. They will likely not complete all of the tasks – this is part of the fun! Teams must strategize to maximise the use of their time.
- Provide each team with the equipment they will need: team sheet (see downloadable template sheet below), scavenger hunt clues, iPad, paper, pens and a bag.
Exploring beyond the school bounds
Depending on the local environment around your school and with safety in mind, you can adapt the tasks as you see fit. Perhaps, there is a local monument or statue near your school. Children could get a photo at the monument. The possibilities are endless.
Do remember that this task takes a lot of trust. Setting boundaries is extremely important for this task. However, when executed well, the children will never forget the fun they had.
Children will develop many important skills while completing a local scavenger hunt including team building, collaboration, communication and most importantly, strengthening relationships and building morale. This is also a very fun activity to do with 6th Class/Leavers.
Download a template (MS WORD format) to get started.
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