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Entertaining and need a fun-filled game to keep your guests involved
and having the time of their lives? The answer is a scavenger hunt, a
game that may have started in the 1930s in the United States and has
never showed signs of waning.
The concept is simple. You provide your guests, either as individuals
or teams, with a list of items -- the zanier the better -- that they
must find. First to report in with the required items wins. The only
rule for you as the host/hostess is that the list can't be impossible.
A sample list of things to find might include, for instance, a
cancelled check, two safety pins, a pair of pink socks, an avocado, a
certain brand of dog food, a calendar from a particular recent year, a
bar of hotel soap and a red ballpoint pen.
Make it tough, but not so tough that the guests get discouraged and
give up. And don't stymie them with a whole lot of rules. Specify that
none of the items may be purchased, for instance, or put a time limit
on the search.
Tailor your scavenger hunt to a holiday or special event such as a
birthday or anniversary, selecting items that relate to that particular
day. Or if it is kids you are entertaining, make the scavenger hunt a
learning experience. Send them in pursuit of a black rock, a bird's
feather, a particular flower or tree leaf, a bug and a blade of grass
as long as their little finger. They'll vote you the hostess with the
mostest. Fun, that is.
Scavenger hunts likely evolved from ancient folk games, experts say. In
America, Elsa Maxwell, a noted Hollywood gossip columnist, was notable
for the zany hunts she threw together. The current Guinness
record-holder for the most people involved in a scavenger hunt is the
town of Provo, Utah, which sponsored a hunt that attracted 2.079
participants.
If you are part of the technological mania, take a scavenger hunt to a
new level with "geocaches" spread around the world for savvy GPS users
to locate. Or keep your adult guests busy looking for architectural
details, tidbits from local hot spots, ads or other details in your
home city. The only limit to scavenger hunts is the amount of
imagination you bring to the event. So think it over and be prepared
for the most fun youo've had in awhile. You might have a prize, or
offer the first refreshments to the winners.
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