Activity Treasure Hunt

Skill: Catch, Hop, Jump, Run, Skip, Strike, Throw
Time Required: 30
Activity Type: Physical, Wellness
Group Size: Large Group, Medium Group, Small Group
Age Group: 6 - 9yrs, 9 - 12yrs
Play area: Outdoor - Field
Safety Considerations: Ensure the area is free of hazards and obstacles.
Ensure participants have proper shoes on, and that they are tied.
Ensure that the activities are age/level appropriate for the participants.
Equipment: Bean bags - 1 colour for each group (same amount of bean bags in each colour) or tennis balls with numbers on each to represent each group.
Piece of paper with activities written on to put on each bean bag or tennis ball.
Bag or bucket for each team.
Objective:
For groups to work together and find their own activity treasure, and then do the activity as a group.
Set up:
Divide the group into smaller teams (3-4 participants for each team).
Have approximately 8-10 beanbags of the same colour for each team. Or have 8-10 tennis balls for each team and a number/letter/name on each one to represent each team.
Give each group a colour (beanbag), or number/letter/name (tennis balls).
The beanbags will have already been hidden around the area and within the boundaries (make sure to explain the boundaries to the participants), and with an activity written on each activity. Have the same activities for each team, you can hide all the beanbags with the same activity together, or have each teams' beanbags be separate.
Step by Step:
1. The group will be divided into teams of 3-4 and the beanbags with activities written on would have already been hidden.
2. The goal for each team is to find their colour beanbags, and do the activity written on each beanbag as a team.
3. Once they complete the activity, they will put that bean bag in their bag/bucket and try to find another beanbag.
4. If all the beanbags with the same activity are hidden in the same area, encourage participants to find their beanbag and then discreetly walk away from that area and do the activity elsewhere so that other teams don't know where they found the bean bag.
5. Once they have found and completed all the activities, they run back to the starting position and have a seat. A leader will make sure they have all the beanbags and anything else that they were required to find along the way.
6. Examples of activities: (Make them relevant to the environment where your activity treasure hunt is taking place)
- Throw this bean bag to each other 10 times without dropping it.
- Each member of the team must run and touch a DIFFERENT tree.
- Run and find a leader and give them a high five.
- Each member of the team must do 25 jumping jacks.
- Must find a rock, stick and pinecone and put them in the bag with the bean bags (leader will check that these are there when you're done)
- Skip back to the starting area and then continue your hunt.
Variations:
Increase or decrease the number of beanbags.
Have riddles, word puzzles and/or questions on the beanbags instead of activities, that the participants have to answer.

Adaptations (General):
Try to develop fitness activities which correspond with the strengths of all participants. Encourage participants to look out for one another and to offer assistance to those who may need it throughout.
Sources: Developed for the Leisure Information Network.