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End of School Year Scavenger Hunt: Mystery Prize Box

Scavenger Hunts are great for all ages, and they are a great way to wrap up a school year.  Moreover, scavenger hunts after a week of state testing, trump all kinds of fun.  Here’s the scoop on the details of the day.

Each classroom will end up with their own prize box after completing the hunt.  I recommend staggering the start times of the classes so they don’t end up at the same location at the same time.  We staggered a 15-minute delay between each class.

I purchased the scavenger hunt from this website.  I printed multiples pages of each mystery puzzle.  Each puzzle was placed in an envelope with a different teacher’s name on the front of the envelope.  As students arrived at the location, they opened their class envelope.  If they arrived in a place without an envelope, they did not solve correctly.  There are about 11 puzzles to solve before they reach the final location and locate their prize box.

INSIDE THE MYSTERY BOXES

Each box contained about the same items with a variation of a few items- a ball (football, kickball, or basketball), paint set, chalk, water guns, bubbles, spray chalk, frisbee, Little Debbie snack cakes, coloring books, markers, crayons, etc…

The box is a group prize and must be shared with everyone in the class.  Pictured below are items that were purchased for multiple boxes.

 RECOMMENDATIONS

Assign different students leadership roles at each station.  For example, if you have 20 students in your group, have 3-4 students attempt to solve the mystery.  At the next location, I recommend switching and having another 2-3 students solve.  This gives everyone a chance to show their leadership skills and play the game.  Mysteries are a ton of fun, especially when there is a big reward at the end.  

THE STRUGGLES

Some of the puzzles were tricky.  The students had to use their critical thinking skills on some of the stations.  This struggle is good.  Don’t be so quick to jump in and give them the answers or tell them how to solve the puzzle.  Problem-solving is the best skill we could ever give our students.
Prior to starting the puzzles, I asked all the teachers to join me for a quick meeting.  I went over how the stations were organized and the answer to every puzzle.  Trust me on this when I say you should do this.  I simply had a printed copy of all the puzzles in the staff room and showed the teachers how each puzzle looked and the answer to it.  

IN THE END…

Students have worked hard all year completing study plans, attending tutoring, and diligently working toward mastering their goals in RtI.  I felt the need to reward them (and their teachers) with a Work Hard, Play Hard Day.  The items can be played inside or outside (mostly outside).  This day was filled with full joy and some very eager students.  We didn’t expect the students to be perfect in the halls.  However, we did set ground rules about sharing the clues to any passing players.  We didn’t want to spoil the fun for any of the remaining participants.  
Stephanie McConnell

Stephanie McConnell

I’m Stephanie, and I’m the face behind Principal Principles. I’m a former principal turned educational consultant, presenter, and edupreneur. I’m obsessed with giving school leaders the tools they need to lead a successful school.

One Response

  1. I visited the site to purchase. There are sooo many! What is the name of the one you purchased?

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Stephanie

Hello friend! Welcome to Principal Principles. I’m Stephanie, and I’m the face behind Principal Principles. I’m a former principal turned educational consultant, presenter, and edupreneur. I’m obsessed with giving school leaders the tools they need to lead a successful school.

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