Now that I have a teenager, birthday parties are a bit easier. Just get them all together and provide pizza. What more do you need? Well, you need *something*...
Enter the Teenage Scavenger Hunt. It gives some of that craved independence (I let them go out on their own in teams), puts those ubiquitous smartphones to good use (seriously, the endless scrolling?!), and adds some fun (the laughs and smiles were proof of that). I scoured the internet for ideas. A compilation of the best I found, plus my own ideas, resulted in what's provided here. (Plus some minor improvements based on our experience!) Feel free to use as-is, or use as a springboard for your own hunt.
As
the judge, my favorite definitely was the bonus "Gertrude the Llama"
video challenge. So hilarious. This was one stolen from somebody who
stole it from somebody else who was labeled as "Source Unknown." So,
thank you Source Unknown. It was brilliant. I'd link to you. Buuuut, you
know.
In coming up with your own scavenger hunt, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Know your neighborhood. Tailor some hunting to what you know is in the area. For example, we live near a park, so having all team members go down a slide was one challenge.
- Create a map. Set clear boundaries for the hunt. Ours was a seven-by-three block area to include two nearby parks, and to exclude crossing any major roadways.
- Definitely have rules. Have a debrief with the teams before they leave to stress safety and respect. It's teenagers. So, quiz them before they go!
- Have a dedicated team member whose phone number you have and who has yours. Along with being available for their questions or concerns, I could text them much-needed 15-minute and 5-minute warnings!
Other things to think about?
Timing. I did this between pizza and dessert. They could eat their dessert while I judged the results.
Stick to your guns. The rules are your friend. Think about them, then stick to them. Teens can be surprisingly competitive, and having rules to point to helps when you have to disappoint one who's facing a loss.
Prizes. Gotta be honest. I did not know what to do here. I can tell you that stickers and bookmarks aren't all that desirable. But, for some reason, neither was the mini Sasquatch (?!). Your comments on good teenage prizes (that don't break the bank) are welcome for the next time I do this...
Team spirit. I drew names at random to mix teens up and try to break up cliques. Different colored bandanas served as team identifiers. Next time, I also would have them come up with team names.
So there you go. Teenagers are simple. So is this game. Winner!
