Get Moving with Scavenger Hunts

How much recess time do you get in your day? I think most of us would agree that our kids need to move more.  Unfortunately we don't always have a say or control over adding more recess time, so my solution has always been to add active learning whenever possible.

 Here in Wisconsin the winter can seem never ending so I need to find ways to get moving that don't always involve going outside.  One way I have incorporated more indoor movement is with the use of academic scavenger hunts. These can definitely be done indoors or out, and in homeschool or the classroom. This morning was snowy and wet so we chose to stay inside. Here's how it works:

First, print themed cards with the numbers 1-10.

Next, hide them all over the house or classroom.

Then give each child a clipboard, recording sheet and some crayons and send them off to find the first card. You can choose to have kids search for them in numerical order or in whatever order they find them first.

We are working on number recognition, so after finding a card my Madelynn would tell me the number, then color it on her paper. In a large classroom, students may tell you the number or just find it on the paper whatever is manageable for you.

To spice things up I gave Madelynn a different action to do as she searched for her next card. My favorites? Fly like a bird, crawl like a turtle, gallop like a horse, run like a cheetah, slither like a snake, walk like a bear, tiptoe like a ballerina, and hop like a rabbit. This definitely helped to get a little extra energy out and prevented her from just slowly walking to each new card.

I created different levels of response sheets to practice counting sets and writing numbers as well. If you'd like a copy you can grab them here:

This seed themed alphabet scavenger hunt is also included FREE with 3 leveled response sheets for uppercase letter ID, upper/lower case match, and letter writing.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!