Scavenger Hunts For Kids

On most of our hunts, you and your students are not collecting objects (drop that pigeon!)—you’re searching for answers to tricky, humorous questions about the amusing things and cool places you discover. No previous knowledge is required: you just need a sharp mind and comfy shoes. The best teams quickly learn that they must use the strengths of everyone in the group.

The hunts are led by our acclaimed Hunt Hosts. Depending on the size of your group, the Host might be accompanied by assistants. Once the game begins, the teams hunt on their own, and usually encounter the Host at least once for a bonus challenge.

In-person Watson Adventures scavenger hunts typically last between 1.5 to 2 hours. Virtual hunts are slightly shorter at around an hour.

There is no cap on the number of participants for a Watson Adventures scavenger hunt. We’ve organized outdoor scavenger hunts for as many as 500 people, but any scavenger hunt listed on our site—whether a location-specific scavenger hunt or an “Anywhere” hunt—can be booked by private groups of any size.

For smaller parties and events (4-12 people), we offer discounted small group scavenger hunts in select cities.

Our hunts offer the opportunity to…

• Develop critical thinking and sequencing skills. Students must follow directions, pay attention to the wording of clues, and work together to navigate the hunt route. There’s no passive learning on one of our hunts—the students are actively doing and thinking the entire time.

• Stimulate students with cooperative learning in the form of team-building activities. You can create teams ahead of time and even pre-assign roles to team members. For example, one student can be the navigator, another can be the recorder for the team’s answers, another can be the organizer who keeps the team on track, and others can be readers who make sure that the team is paying attention to the details of each clue.

• Integrate curriculum with real-life experiences. Students are often told to make text-to-world connections, and by seeing the actual historical artifacts in a museum—such as dinosaur bones, suits of armor, and portraits of famous people—or visiting places where history actually happened, they get a richer understanding of the material in their textbooks.

These suggestions just scratch the surface of what an adept educator can do on a field trip with Watson Adventures. After more than 10 years of providing hunts for students, we’re still learning new ways students can benefit from our hunts!

Since 1999, thousands of school children have explored some of America’s best museums and history-packed neighborhoods on our Field Trip Scavenger Hunts. They are designed to accomplish several objectives:

• Get adults and kids working together on a shared adventure, whether it’s with teachers or chaperones. (Please note: you must provide at least one adult chaperone per team.)

• Pose questions that spur teamwork and discovery without requiring previous knowledge—but providing many opportunities for learning along the way.

• Introduce young minds to the breadth of a museum or historic location so that each hunter gets the chance to discover what most intrigues him or her.

• Stimulate curiosity so that students are eager to learn more and explore further in the classroom and on their own.

Dozens of schools have turned to us for fun, educational hunts.

Ages: The hunts are appropriate for ages 7 and up, with special versions for teens.

Group size: We can handle groups large and small. And more than once, we have even had hundreds of students hunting simultaneously at such locations as the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, the historic streets of Philadelphia, and the Freedom Trail in Boston.

Next step: Choose your location to discover what scavenger hunts are available near you! Take a look…