Easy Entertainment for Your “Staycation” Vacation

Here’s how I made my scavenger hunt:

1.       Develop the theme. Some ideas for themes include animals, shapes, colors, modes of transportation (trucks, planes, trains, boats, etc.). You can also use seasonal themes as I did for my summer hunt.

2.       Decide on which specific objects would be fun for your child to find and take digital pictures of your chosen objects.

3.       Type the words that match the chosen objects in Microsoft Word or another word processing system. I used the column feature to set up my text and photos into four columns (2 text columns and 2 photo columns). I have provided a template for the layout I used, check it out here. There are many possible layout options you can create using columns, rows, text boxes, colors, and shapes so you can customize it exactly how you want it to look.

4.       Insert photos. You can digitally insert them directly into your Microsoft Word document or print them out at your local FedEx Office and attach them later.

5.       Take your finished design to FedEx Office and have it printed on heavyweight paper or cardstock. You can even bring your file in on a USB flash drive and print directly from the FedEx Office® Print & Go copiers.

6.       If you want your scavenger hunt card to be reused several times, be sure to laminate it and use dry erase markers when marking off the objects as you find them.

7.       You can also coil bind several different scavenger hunt cards together to create a book filled with different theme ideas to captivate the kids’ attention longer!

Fellow blogger Leah came up with a similar idea I wanted to share. She put a nice twist on an old classic by turning the scavenger hunt into a photo ID chart for your child to identify birds, animals, bugs, etc. Similar to the scavenger hunt, the chart includes the name and picture of all the chosen objects/animals and is printed and laminated at FedEx Office. Using a dry erase marker, your child can circle what they see on your next zoo, aquarium, camping, or road trip. They can also use it throughout the year to count how many different animals they can find or start up a neighborhood bird watch! This is a fun and inexpensive way to pass the summer (prices start under $10 for laminated cardstock in the 11” x 17” size) .

Get ready, set, and go take a fun quest with your child!