We’ve had a bit of a cold spell here in Arkansas, which means we’ve been stuck indoors for way too long. The downside of living in a tiny little speck of a town, is that there is nothing. to. do. Story time at the library is our only saving grace, and even that has been cancelled!

So instead of pulling out my hair and going completely nutso, I decided to make things a little more fun.

I put together a scavenger hunt for the little monkeys – and it was a huge success! I wrote out all kinds of clues and hid them around the house. Some of them were simple – little poems or pictures.

Some were more complicated! This one was a secret code that came with a “decoder” to figure out the message. For being so young, Soph did a great job! Owen contributed by chewing on an ice cream scooper. So… yeah.

Wanna know the best part of all of this?? Because I love you all so much, I put together my clues in a printable that you can download HERE for free!

{Answers for printable clues: oven, medicine cabinet, car, dresser, scrabble game, bed, shower/bath)

It has a few poems, the secret code and decoder, and a scrabble clue! Here are the instructions…

Start off by giving your kids the first poem (it explains the game) and the first clue. The clues can go in any order you want – it doesn’t matter! To set it up, just walk through the hunt and plant the clues. Set aside the first poem and clue, then go to the spot the first clue tells you to go (ours was the oven). There, you hide the second poem (which tells them they did a good job and they have to keep going!) and the second clue.

Then, go to the spot where the second clue tells you to go, and hide the third clue. And just keep going until you’re done!

Along with the printable clues, here are some other ideas…

Trash can – a piece of garbage (we used a crumpled-up napkin)
Bathtub – rubber duck or other bath toy
Mail box – envelope with a stamp
Washing machine – dirty sock
TV – A picture or toy from your kids’ favorite show
Kitchen sink – sponge
Computer – flash drive

Another great option is to do a collage of pictures. For example, to lead your kids to the fridge, put together a picture of things that relate to cold/food like snowflakes and milk.

At each point of the scavenger hunt, I left a little treat. By the end of the hunt, they had everything they needed to create a pretty awesome ice cream sundae! They’ve never had sundaes before, so it was a pretty big deal.

All in all, it was a big hit. Especially the ice cream part 🙂

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