I've mentioned in a few of my posts that one of our Christmas traditions is having at least one scavenger hunt. We do a scavenger hunt the morning after Thanksgiving when our Elf on the Shelf, Nick, comes back from the North Pole. It doesn't have to be Christmas to have a scavenger hunt. It can be for Easter, a special present, or just for fun. Kids love scavenger hunts and the activity is something they remember and treasure. I had a request from a reader (and friend) to help her make a scavenger hunt for her kids. Sadly, we did not have the time to get one together before Christmas but it gave me the idea to share my process with others who would like to do this for their children.
When planning a scavenger hunt like mine, you need to work backward to begin. Our Christmas kickoff scavenger hunt leads to a gift from the North Pole (wrapped in official Santa wrapping paper, of course.) This year the gift was the Elf on the Shelf Reindeer Pet and book set. I knew the gift was going to be hidden in the dryer. Once I know what and where I can begin.
The next step is to find a picture online that has relevance to the hunt itself. Since the gift is the Reindeer pet (they got the dog last year), I selected the following picture:
The picture can be any size you want. Next, we need to turn it into a jigsaw puzzle. I Google "jigsaw puzzle blank" and select (in images) the jigsaw pattern that has the number of pieces that I want. For this example, I'll do nine total pieces. I print the pattern and I can adjust the size on our work copier that I absolutely never use for personal things.
Once you have your pattern the right size, you need to trace it onto the back of your picture. I tape the pattern to the window and then tape the picture to the pattern backward so that I'm tracing the jigsaw pattern to the back of the picture. I trace the lines in pencil and I do not cut it out.
Now that you have the jigsaw pattern on the back of your picture, you can write in your final clues to the gift. Use pencil so that ink doesn't bleed through the paper. Since the gift is in the dryer, I write the letters D, R, Y, E, and R on five of the jigsaw sections but they are random and do not spell out the word. The other spaces have little doodles of a Christmas tree, a candy cane, etc.
Now that your final clues are on the back of the jigsaw pieces, it's time to reinforce that puzzle. This is super wasteful but I use clear packing tape to laminate the front and back. I used a laminator (definitely not the one at my work) one year and it warped the picture and made the puzzle difficult for the kids to assemble. After you carefully cover each side in your wasted clear packing tape, trim your edges and carefully cut out the pieces of the puzzle.
Now that you have your ending, it's time to start at the beginning. Our scavenger hunt in designed by our elf, Nick, and he brings it from the North Pole along with a letter. The letter talks about how much he has missed us and some other warm and fuzzy letter fluff. The letter always contains the first clue. This is where you have to really think because you have to place your clue in the next location. Subsequent clues are on the front of an envelope and each envelope contains the puzzle piece. I tape the clue to the front and try to reuse the envelopes. We have nine puzzle pieces and nine clues, which means we need nine hiding spots but only eight envelopes with clues, and one blank envelope.
Before you hide your clues, lay out your envelopes and use a sticky note to write where you are hiding that clue. For example, in this scenario, the envelope that reads "It Takes SIX Tickets to Win" is going to have a sticky note that says "china hutch." I'm not sure if it's just me but after doing all this work, my brain turns to mush and I need those sticky notes so I don't f*ck up the whole scavenger hunt.
The first clue was in the letter. Clues usually start out easier and progress in difficulty. The first clue is:
You go to the stocking and there is an envelope with the next clue on the front and one puzzle piece. The clue is:
This leads you to page 89 in Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. There is another envelope with a puzzle piece and another clue:
The flag for China leads you to the china hutch, of course. There you find another envelope with a puzzle piece and another clue that reads: It Takes SIX Tickets to Win.
You know that Ticket to Ride: First Journey requires six tickets to win. You search the box and find another envelope with a puzzle piece and another clue that reads: Eat Me, Drink Me.
An obvious reference to Alice in Wonderland, you find the envelope in the book. The next clue reads: Java.
Behind the coffee machine, you find another envelope with a puzzle piece and another clue:
In the Monopoly box, you find another envelope with a puzzle piece and another clue:
That's Rob Vanwinkle aka Vanilla Ice. Of the Ice Ice Baby variety of fame. That line of thinking leads you to the freezer, and under the bin that holds the ice, you find the final envelope and puzzle piece.
Now that you (your kids rather) have all nine puzzle pieces, they assemble them and tape each section to another. Wasteful! I know. This way they can flip it over to reveal the final gift location. Or, if you scrambled the letters, they will unscramble the letters, find the gift, open the gift, and love you forever. Or, in my case, they will love the elf and give him all the credit.
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