International fact finder
You’ll need
- International flags and facts sheets
- International snacks
- Access to a printer
- Access to a laminator
- Bowls, enough for one for each person
Before you begin
- Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Additional help to carry out your risk assessment, including examples can be found here. Don’t forget to make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
- Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help if you’re short on helpers.
Setting up the activity
- Colour code the facts – you could print them onto different coloured paper, or use a sticky dot (or pens) to mark coloured spots.
- Cut up the sheets and hide the facts and the flags around the space
- Gather and hide your snacks. As an example, France could be chestnut spread, India kashmiri mix, Spain chorizo, Iceland Skyr yoghurt, and Egypt falafel (to represent ta’meye).
- Make sure they’re separated into individual bowls so everyone has their own.
- Check if anyone has any allergies or dietary requirements and adjust the snacks accordingly.
Play the game
- Everyone should split into five teams. The person leading the game should tell each team which colour they’re looking for.
- The person leading the game should count to three in a language of their choice, then each team should try to find the four facts in their colour.
- Once a team’s found four facts, they should decide what country their facts are about. Once they’ve decided, they should hunt for their flag and snack.
Share facts
- Once everyone’s found their flags and snacks, they should sit in a circle to enjoy their snacks and talk about what they’ve learned.
- Each team should share some of the facts from their country.
- Everyone should try saying the greetings in the different languages. If they want to, anyone who speaks other languages at home could share some greetings with everyone else.
Reflection
This activity reminded everyone that they’re local, national, and international citizens. What was the most interesting thing they learned? People could share their ideas if they haven’t already.
Why do people think it’s important to learn about other countries and cultures?
As well as being fun, it makes it easier to be friends with people from those countries and cultures, and people from different backgrounds can teach people new things too.
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.
- 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.
- Active games
The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.
You could give people hints, for example, saying ‘warm’ if they’re getting nearer one of their hidden facts, or ‘cold’ if they’re moving further away.
It’s up to you where you play and how tricky the facts are to find. You could make displays or posters with information, food and items from each country. This could be a great opportunity for parents and carers who know about other cultures to get involved.
People can play in pairs if they want to and less confident readers can work with more confident readers. They could also ask volunteers or young leaders for help.
Check if anyone has any allergies or dietary requirements and adjust the snacks accordingly.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
