Scavenger Hunts

A scavenger hunt is a chain of hiding places, and the whole game lives in one decision: how obvious each clue is. Too obvious and the hunt is a walk. Too clever and a child stands in the hallway with a piece of paper, waiting for someone to tell them.

The rule that fixes it is that a clue should name a place the player already knows, in words that take a second look. "Where the cold things live" is a refrigerator to a six year old after a pause. "Where winter sleeps" is not, and never will be.

Eight to twelve stops is the usual length for a house. Fewer feels thin, more and the last three get rushed because somebody wants the prize. If you are running it for a group, hide two parallel trails in different colors rather than one, or five children will crowd one drawer while the other three drift off. Everything here prints on plain paper and sets up in about ten minutes.