Birthday Party Game
Sometimes when we don't want to wrap a gift, we have scavenger hunts with clues, usually in rhyme, with a present at the end of the hunt. The clues don't have to be terribly clever, children are not harsh critics in the heat of a hunt for a birthday present. It might work something like this:
I hand the child a card or note that might say, "If your present you wish to see, you must play a game of riddle-me-rhee. I won't tell you exactly where to look, but you might check your history book."
Inside the history book there might be a clue that says, "It isn't time to go to sleep, but you might look around where you count sheep," and there would be another clue under the pillow, and it might read, "Gretel pushed the witch in here, but your next clue is safe, have no fear," and the next clue might be in the woodburning stove (if it's a summer birthday when the stove isn't lit) or in the oven in the kitchen. That clue might say, "Step outside and face the south. Be brave, because your next clue is in the dragon's mouth." The dragon here would be the snapdragon- these flowers open up nicely and hold small pieces of paper between their 'jaws.'
You could also do pictorial clues, especially with a digital camera. For these, you only take a picture of part of the place where the clue is hiding, how tricksie you are depends on the age of the child. If a clue is in the oven, for instance, I would just take a picture of the oven door handle, or part of the knob. If a clue is in my desk I might just take a picture of the leg of my desk.
The clues can be as numerous or as scant as your imagination and time. Another nice aspect of the birthday scavenger hunt is that the children find this sort of hunt highly diverting and entertaining. You can be cutting cake and dishing up ice-cream while listening to the trill of laughter and excited voices discussing the clues as they race about the house (or yard).
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5 Responses to “Birthday Party Game”
March 28th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
great idea!
March 28th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
That is a great idea! Love it!!
March 29th, 2008 at 3:33 am
my kids will love this! i’ll definitely do this on their birthday.
March 29th, 2008 at 11:09 am
I used this idea about 20 years ago when we were going thru a really rough financial patch. To this day, my kids (25,30,& 35) ask if I remember. I used it for birthdays and also for other days that needed a little brightening up – for instance, one day during Easter vacation I used it for an outside picnic, they picked up everything from plates, cups, utensils along the way to the food at the end.
March 30th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
We do this with my eldest child at xmas. I choose about 10 – 12 presents (most of them!) and hide them. Each present has a clue leading to the next one. The first clue is hidden somewhere on the xmas tree. She must find all of the presents and bring them to the tree before she can open them. The clues we use with her are in code or riddles. Harder as she is now 14. Doing this gives us a chance to relax and makes her appreciate the presents a little more. Slows her down and makes her work for it! LOL She loves it and would be disappointed if we did not do it.
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