A Non-Traditional Scavenger Hunt

Do you remember the wonderful games you played at children’s birthday parties and summer camp? Perhaps, you had the opportunity to go on a scavenger hunt or two in your day.

While it likely isn’t practical to imagine doing so again in quite the same way, you might enjoy the following suggestions just the same.

And if you’re bold enough, why not invite others to go on this non-traditional scavenger hunt with you?

And what will you be looking for? There is a list below, but feel free to make your own additions.

1. Before you even get out of bed in the morning, think of three things you’re thankful for.

2. Make note of the name of the first person you see. If you don’t know his or her name, just ask.

3. When choosing your clothes for the day, see if you can select no two items of the same colour.

4. At breakfast, introduce yourself to two people you don’t know and make note of their names.

5. Select a book you’ve never read and write a synopsis of the first chapter.

6. Participate in an activity that hasn’t interested you previously and write a pro/con list to determine if you’ll participate again.

7. Find someone who was born in the same month.

8. Find a staff member with pink on his/her shoes and make note of his/her name.

9. Find a resident who has lived in the care centre for less than a month. Chat about his/her first impressions.

10. Spend some time outdoors—or looking out the window. Name as many plants, flowers, trees, and birds as you can.

11. Make a list of six people you haven’t been in touch with in a while and drop each of them a note just to say hello. (People still enjoy getting “snail mail,” but email is another good option if you have access to a computer.)

12. Make a list of four of your favourite songs. (If you have access to the Internet, you may want to listen to them on YouTube; you can find almost anything on YouTube.)

13. If you watch TV or listen to the radio, make note of people’s names that begin with A, B, and C; place names that begin with D, E, and F; and objects whose names begin with G, H, and I.

14. See how many of your teachers’ names you can remember. How about names of childhood friends?

15. Make a list of all the colours you see around you.

16. Make a list of things you would appreciate others doing for you and choose one of those things to do for someone else.

17. Think of five things you enjoy about being older. This is an especially good list to keep track of and add to. You can look it over when you’re having a rough day.

18. Before you drift off to sleep, think of three things that happened during the day that brought a smile to your face.

May you succeed on your hunt for happiness each day!