Take a look around… X marks the spot where fun can be found with this awesome tent and backyard scavenger hunt! This week, we’re going outside looking for some good ol’ fashioned outdoor fun with our Backyard Scavenger Hunt! The best part? If you’re not able to get outside, this activity (AND tent!) can be brought inside as well! We’ve got a bunch of great ideas to make your backyard scavenger hunt the most awesome activity of the week that your kids are sure to love. Of course, every scavenger needs a base and what’s better than our Hunt’n Cabin House Tent?

Hunt’n Cabin House Tent

Perfect for inside or outside, this hunting cabin makes playtime extra fun with it’s adorable log cabin design. This cabin has two windows, an entrance and a tunnel port to connect your favorite tunnel so that your little one can have plenty of options to let their imaginations run wild while on the hunt. Perfect for both a backyard or a playroom, this tent does not include a floor so a small table and chairs can be added inside to kick back and relax after a long day of searching and counting up all their items!

You can take this cabin outside and get to hunting almost immediately with the color-coded poles to help you with easy, quick and foolproof setup. Measuring at 48″ x 38″ x 48″, the Hunt’n Cabin House Tent is made of super durable fabric sure to last you for years of hunting, it wipes clean with a damp cloth and it even comes with a sturdy bag to make travel and storage easy! The mesh panels allow for great air circulation on those hot days while the no cut hook and loops are easy on fingers. The patented G-3 Safety Coated Poles also prevent splinters or shattering in the unlikely case of a break. Now, let’s get to scavengering!

The Backyard Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger Hunts are the ultimate in easy and cheap fun! Since you’re using things that already exist in your home and backyard, there is no shortage of what to hunt for – all you need to do is take a look around! If you are stuck on ideas or how to compile everything into an easy to read list, we have created a printable for you to use – click here! If you don’t have some of these items or would like to create a whole new hunt of your own, we’ve made a little list of some of our favorite scavenger hunt ideas and tips below!

What you’ll need

• Theme
  • Theming your scavenger hunt makes it extra fun! Why not make it flower themed, bug themed or even pirate themed? You can also keep it simple with just a Backyard theme like we did!
• Paper
• Pens/markers – or just type and print off your computer!
• Buckets or bags for the scavengers
• At least 5-10 items for the scavengers to find
  • Some ideas are: leaves, flowers, rocks, pinecones, something soft, something round, something square, something dark, something light, a berry, a twig – the possibilities are endless!
  • If you need to bring your scavenger hunt inside, hide extra items around the house for the kids to find that wouldn’t normally be inside! Ideas can be: gold foil chocolate coins, rocks, plastic eggs, small balls and more.
• Prize for the winner
  • Up the stakes with an awesome prize! Prizes can be an extra 15 minutes of screen time, or even as simple as a piece of candy or really just about anything your children would love!

How to make

1. On paper, write or type out the 5-10 items for your scavengers to find.
   1. This can be laid out in two ways – you can put the items in list form or in a photo bingo card form like our printable. It just depends on how little your children are, how well your children can read and what they would have the most fun with!
2. Give each scavenger a list and a bucket or bag.
3. Gather all the scavengers at a starting line or “meeting point”, such as the Hunt’n Cabin House Tent.
4. Countdown! 3…2…1…GO!
5. Whoever is able to successfully collect all the items on the scavenger hunt and bring them to the meeting point first, wins!

TIP: For parties and larger groups, a great group idea can be to divide into teams! Just don’t forget the golden rule of team scavenger hunts, which is: All team members need to stay with their team at all times! Teams cannot split up, assign scavenger hunt tasks to each other or find other ways to have others complete your tasks for you.

Also, remind your little ones to never forget the most important rule of scavenger hunting: Cheaters never win! If anyone on your team cheats or breaks the scavenger hunt rules, the whole team (or individual, if there’s no teams) gets disqualified. That’s no fun!

What to do with your items

So now you’ve had everyone collect all sorts of items from your home and backyard – now what do you do with them? Here are a few tips:

• Surprise the kids with an extra prize for whoever can put everything back where they found it first! Get the timer out and see how quick they can go.
• Some items that were collected may need to be disposed or recycled – this is a great way to teach kids about which items could go in which can.
• You know we would suggest for this – make a craft! Check out this DIY from a previous blog for an adorable pinecone wall hanging idea.
• If the items are small enough, fit them all into a mason jar and make a label that says “[child’s name]’s First Scavenger Hunt” with the date on it for a sweet keepsake

Let us know!

Did you have an awesome scavenger hunt, play in the Hunt’n Cabin House Tent or come up with a great craft idea for all your scavenger hunt items? Tell us in the comments below!