Embedded Files
Nature Scavenger Hunt
Nature Scavenger Hunt
Type: Active/No Contact
Age: Any
Group size: Any
Supplies: none
Instruction: Circle up your campers and ask them what the five senses of the body are (hear, touch, see, taste, smell.) Explain that they will be using some of their senses to go on a scavenger hunt and identify different objects. For the scavenger hunt, campers will have 30-60 seconds (adjust as needed) per round to find an item that fits your description. Share with the campers that its totally okay if the items they find do not exactly fit the description you gave. encourage them to be creative and do their best! Remind campers to only grab items that are in easy reach and easy to carry. Also remind them to practice LNT! They can point to the object they found without disturbing it if need be. Set boundaries for the activity by walking around an area or pointing out landmarks that indicate the barrier. Begin the Scavenger Hunt! After each round, have campers share the item that they found and why they chose it. Play for 15 min or longer depending on camper interest. Adjust the energy and difficulty of the scavenger hunt each round as needed. You can use this as a restful activity or amp it up and make it a fast paced running activity!
Example items: Something that starts with the letter C, Something red, Something fuzzy, Three different kinds of leaves, Three different colored leaves, Something hard, Something soft, Something that makes a noise, Something that smells, Something that can fit in your hand, Something bigger than your hand, Something circular, Something you could use to build an outdoor shelter, Something that smells, Something you can eat (but don't eat it!), etc. You can even have the campers come up with additional categories on their own for one another!
Owl Eye
Owl Eye
Type: Restful/ No Contact
Age: Any
Group size: Any
Supplies: None
Instruction: Select a camper to be the ‘mouse’. The remaining campers will be the ‘Owls’. Spend ~30 seconds for everyone (‘the owls’) to observe and memorize the current appearance of the mouse. Tell the owls to close their eyes (no peeking!) or have the mouse walk a short distance away and be partially hidden (make sure you can still keep an eye on them). The mouse will change one thing about their appearance (e.g. tying their hair back, taking off a sock, rolling up their sleeves, tucking in their shirt, etc.). While the mouse is altering their appearance, the owl’s countdown from 15. If you find this is too short a time for your campers, adjust it. When the mouse returns, have owls take turns guessing what the mouse changed. Switch mice and repeat so every camper has a chance to be the 'mouse'. If campers are super engaged, cycle through the rotation a couple more times. Encourage the mice to make each round more challenging than the last (ex: Start with the mice just changing one thing about their appearance, then the next rotation, have the mice change multiple things about their appearance at once.
Blind Walk
Blind Walk
Type: Active/No Contact
Age: Any
Group size: 2 or more
Supplies: Blindfolds (optional)
Instruction: Divide the group into pairs with one member of each pair blindfolded. The seeing partner leads the blind partner on a walk. The walk should be challenging, including such obstacles as climbing over tables, crawling under chairs, walking up or down hills, etc. Challenge the campers to guide their partners using only their words. Give each pair a minute to prepare before they begin. Share any safety concerns with campers before you begin. Have the campers go for a specific amount of time before they switch.
Camouflage
Camouflage
Type: Active/No Contact
Age: Any
Group size: 2 or more
Supplies: None
Instruction: Make sure you are in an area free of hazards (poison ivy, thorns, etc.) and that there are enough places to hide. One camper is chosen to be the spotter and has to stand in one place, shuts their eyes and counts to 30 while the rest of the group hides. The campers who are hiding must hide in a place where they can see the spotter. When the spotter opens their eyes, they have to scan the area and try to find the rest of the group without moving. They can circle in place to view around them. If the spotter sees a hiding camper, they must call out who it is that they see, or at least the item of clothing that they see (ex: yellow shirt). When a camper has been found, they must stand up and hang out by the spotter. Once the spotter has found all that they can find in that round, they will close their eyes again and counts to 15. During this countdown, those who were not found and are still hiding must find a new hiding spot that is closer to the spotter than they were before. After 15 seconds, the spotter opens their eyes and begins looking again. This continues for 3 rounds. If not all the campers are found after 3 rounds, the spotter will close their eyes and begin counting to 15 again. The camper who is hiding and can run up and touch the spotter first will be the winner! The winner becomes the new spotter.
Optional: After each round, you can have the spotter hold up a number on one hand so the remaining hiding campers can see it. After the 3 rounds, the first camper to tag the spotter must be able to recite the 3 numbers that were held up after each round, if they can’t (demonstrating that they weren’t hiding in a place where they could see the spotter), then the next camper who tagged the spotter has a chance to recite the correct 3 numbers and win!
Sardines
Sardines
Type: Active/Contact
Age: Any
Group size: 6 or more
Supplies: None
Instruction: Gather everyone together and explain the rules and boundaries of the game. Be sure to keep everyone safe and ensure no one wanders into areas that they aren’t supposed to be in. When everyone understands the rules and boundaries, ask for a volunteer to be the first person to hide. Give the person a set amount of time (e.g. a few minutes) to hide, while everyone else closes their eyes or sits in a neutral spot away from the playing area. When time is up, everyone splits up and tries to find the hidden person. When someone finds the hidden person, the game is not over! The person who found the hidden person quietly hides alongside them. Over time, several people will be hidden together, resembling a bunch of sardines.
The last person to find the hidden party loses that round. They then are the next person to hide. Alternatively, you can reward the first person to find the hidden person by allowing that person to hide if they want to. There are other variations to this game, such as playing it in pairs. This adds a little more teamwork to the game.
Animal Charades
Animal Charades
Type: Active/No Contact
Age: Any
Group size: 3 or more
Supplies: None
Instruction: Select one camper to act first. Everyone else countdown from 10 while the acting camper thinks of an animal to act like. Camper acts out their chosen animal (no sounds or words!). Other campers guess what the animal is. Whoever guesses correctly is the next one to act. Continue as long as campers are engaged and time permits. Feel free to switch up the category of thing the campers are acting out (ex: adventure sports, movies, food, etc.)
Ghost
Ghost
Type: Active/No Contact
Age: 2nd-7th grade
Group size: 6 or more
Supplies: None
Instruction: 2 or more players are chosen to be the ghosts (depending on the size of the group). The rest of the group scatters across the playing space and chooses a spot to stand in. All campers (except the ghosts) need to close their eyes. The ghosts will roam about the playing space. They will try to eliminate the other campers by standing close behind the players for 10 seconds without them knowing. If this happens, the ghost will tap them on their head and they will sit down quietly. If a camper suspects they have a ghost behind them, they will ask out loud, "Is there a ghost behind me?". If they are right, then they become a ghost. If they are wrong, they are out and should sit down. Play until all players are either ghosts or are out.
Jedi
Jedi
Type: Active/Contact
Age: 2nd-7th grade
Group size: 4 or more
Supplies: Any light object to grab
Instruction: Have the campers stand in a circle with one volunteer in the center. Explain that when some senses are taken away, others work overtime and compensate. You can use the example of Luke Skywalker training with Obi Wan Kenobi with the blast shield and light saber. If you don’t know it, a kid will. Explain that the person in the center will be blindfolded with an object that they are standing over. The Jedi must sense when a person from the outer circle is trying to come and steal the object and point directly at them with their finger. The group must be silent while this is being done. Choose one person from the circle to go and grab the object. If the Jedi points at the person trying to steal the object, that person has to go back to the edge of the circle and the Jedi gets a point. If the Jedi points incorrectly, they lose a point. Play until someone steals the object, or the Jedi gets a certain amount of points. Give all campers an opportunity to be the “Jedi”. To make the game more challenging, you can allow for more than one camper at a time try to steal the object. You can also limit the number of incorrect guesses the Jedi can make before they lose.
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