Power cut treasure hunt
You’ll need
- Scissors
- Treasure (for example, chocolate coins or pretend money)
- Objects (or photos to represent items)
Before you begin
- Cut up the ‘Questions and answers’ sheet so each question and answer is separate.
- Hold onto question one – you’ll need it to start the activity.
- Put each answer on or in the matching item (or the photo, if you don’t have the item).
- Put the next question with the item too. For example, put the second question (about what’s useful to keep handy to see in the dark) with the answer to the first question (use box).
- Hide the items around your meeting place.
- Place the treasure with the final answer.
Hunt the treasure
- Everyone should gather at the entrance to their meeting place.
- The person leading the game should ask the first question – ‘what should you check when the electricity goes off?’
- The players should work together to figure out the answer to question.
- Once the players have worked out the correct answer, they should search for the relevant item or photo. When they find it, they should read the next question, figure out the answer, and hunt for it.
- Everyone should continue until they’ve found the last item and discovered the treasure.
Reflection
This activity needed everyone to work as a team. Do people think it was easier to find the items because they were in a team? Did different people have different skills? Some people may have been better at spotting, or planning, or keeping everyone on time. Did people find it easy to listen to everyone in their group? Did everyone always agree, or did some people have to compromise? Did everyone work towards the same goal?
This activity also helped everyone learn what to do in a power cut. If everyone could have one item in a power cut, what would they choose? Why? One clever answer could be a mobile phone, as it can be used to call for help and is also a torch. They’d need to make sure it’s fully charged, though.
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.
You could add extra questions and items to the treasure hunt.
If anyone’s struggling, the person leading the game could give them a clue, for example, telling people the first letter of the answer, or a word it rhymes with.
If anyone struggles with reading, make sure they’re with others who are more confident at reading and happy to help.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
