I'm sure that, like me, many of you spent a part of yesterday's holiday watching little ones racing around the backyard, basket in hand, searching for brightly colored eggs. Children of all ages love a hunt, but it doesn't have to be a once a year children's activity. The key to a good hunt is two-fold:

1. Either hunt for something inherently rewarding in and of itself, or offer a reward if the hunt is successful.
2. Vary the difficulty of the hunt according to the age and/or developmental level of the child. 

                                                         

Here are some ideas for hunts that will bring the excitement of Easter morning to your grandchildren, any day of the week.

• Alphabet Hunts - Use Bulletin Board letters from the Teacher supply store or cut them from construction paper. Hide them around the house, on walls, stuck to furniture, etc. This can turn into a word hunt for early readers, for example, tell them to find all the letters you need to make one word or a sentence, or find a whole word written on index cards, hidden around the house or backyard. For preschoolers, this works just as well with cutouts of shapes, or colors.
• Nature Scavenger Hunts- Make a list of things to look for in the woods, or on the beach, or in the back yard. For non-readers you can make this a matching game by giving the child a box with things already in it like an acorn, a seed casing, a red leaf, a three leaf clover, etc. and let them use that as their list for what to look for.
• Newspaper Hunts - These are a lot of fun for even older children, especially on a rainy day and when a treat is promised for finding everything. Typical things to search for are "A picture of a man with a mustache", "A picture of a woman with glasses", "A world leader", "An advertisement for ______", "A picture of a cloud"", etc. It is especially interesting (and educational) to ask them to find things that will take them to all sections of the paper. For older children, making a race out of it, or giving a time limit adds to the excitement. Just make sure there is a treat for all who participate with something special for the winner...for example, ice cream for all with chocolate sprinkles only for the winner and everyone will be happy in the end.
•  Treasure Map Hunts - For a really special treat, plan ahead and bury a treasure, making a map ahead of time for your grandchildren to follow. Even a preschooler can follow a rebus map with drawings instead of words, and the older grandchildren will enjoy a map that includes riddle clues hidden along the route.

The preparation for these activities are well worth the effort when you see the delight on your grandchild's face, and I assure you that this is the kind of activity that the children will remember with fondness long afterward. Have any ideas for an interesting hunt, or an experience using hunts with your grandchildren?  If so, I'd love to hear about them!

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