Find me, follow you
You’ll need
- Sticks, leaves, and stones
- Treasure
Before you begin
- Make sure you’re allowed to use the area for this activity.
- Set a track in your local park or woods using track signs from the ‘Tracking signs examples’ sheet. The more trees, bushes, and obstacles throughout your track the better! Make the track about one hundred metres long.
- Use the ‘party split up’ sign near the start of the track so everyone splits into two groups to follow two track to the same end point. You may want to set more than one track if you have a larger group.
- Decide whether you’ll hide treasure at the end of the track. You could leave a well-wrapped tasty snack, or the equipment for a popular game. Make sure you remember where you hide everything, so you can make sure you take it all home with you.
- Some people could set up the tracks while another person talks about the signs with the group.
Find out about track signs
- The person leading the game should show everyone the ‘Track signs examples’ sheet.
- Everyone should get into pairs and create some of the signs on the sheet using sticks, stones, and leaves.
You could do this inside, before you head outside to follow the track, if you want to.
- Each pair should set up a mini track using three signs. They should swap mini tracks with another pair, and challenge each other to guess the signs.
Follow the trail
- The person leading the game should remind everyone that they should work together to follow the tracking signs. Good teams wait for each other and solve clues together.
If you have a lot of people, you could also split everyone into smaller groups and stagger their starting times. The groups waiting to start could continue practising their signs.
- Once everyone’s reached the end of the track, they should enjoy the treasure and reflect on the activity.
Reflection
This activity gave everyone a chance to enjoy being outdoors. What did people enjoy about making and following tracks? Did people find it easy to spot and follow the tracks once they knew what they were looking for? Did people feel comfortable being outside to lay and follow the track?
This activity needed everyone to communicate. When might people use a track to send a message to someone else? People may think about alerting someone to a hazard up ahead, or letting someone know where the camp or base is. When might laying a track be more useful than having a mobile phone? People may think about when you don’t have a signal, if you want to tell people you don’t know – or just that laying a track is fun!
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
- Outdoor activities
You must have permission to use the location. Always check the weather forecast, and inform parents and carers of any change in venue.
- Food
Remember to check for allergies, eating problems, fasting or dietary requirements and adjust the recipe as needed. Make sure you’ve suitable areas for storing and preparing food and avoid cross contamination of different foods. Take a look at our guidance on food safety and hygiene.
Start with fewer track signs, and add one as the group becomes more confident. Put track signs at different levels – try on logs as well as on the floor.
Make sure the track is accessible for everyone in the group.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
Use the remaining sticks and stones to create a special sign that represents your group. People could make this sign when out and about to show that one of their members has been there. Don’t forget to only use found materials – you should never pick leaves or branches, and you should make sure that any track signs aren’t on pathways.
Groups or pairs can set their own tracks for others to follow.