Get your big kids out for a walk in the neighborhood with this DIY Photo Scavenger Hunt. I’m sharing mine, then you can make one for your street!
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As families are sheltering in place, they’re also outdoors getting some much-needed sunshine and exercise. In my own neighborhood, our Facebook group has been organizing fun activities for the littlest ones.
First, we hung shamrocks in our windows on St. Patrick’s Day, so kids could “hunt” for them on a walk with their families. Now, we’re doing teddy bears.
You’ve probably seen the super popular Bear Hunt, created by my friend Crystal at Kreative in Life. Our neighborhood has over 50 teddy bears up in the windows! I know it’s meant for little kids, but I thoroughly enjoy seeing them all when I’m out walking the dog.
Last time I was out, I thought of a great idea for big kids–like tweens and teens. I snapped a bunch of photos of unusual or unique things, then I put together a fun Photo Scavenger Hunt using Canva.
If you’re not familiar with Canva, it’s an easy-to-use graphic design program. It’s what I use to make Pins for my blog posts. Down at the bottom of this post, you’ll find step-by-step instructions.
You could also pull your photos into PicMonkey or Microsoft Word to make your own photo scavenger hunt.
Ideas for Photo Scavenger Hunt
Choose unique features like architectural details, unusual permanent decor, etc. to be sure that the item isn’t gone when hunters go looking for it.
For example, a holiday flag may not be a good idea, since it could be removed anytime. Similarly, a flower bed or tree may look very different in 1-2 weeks, so avoid those.
Look for things there are only ONE of on the street, like a particular birdhouse or type of roof. You may see decorative hardware
Keep people’s privacy in mind. The architecture I used was visible on people’s houses from the sidewalk and wouldn’t require anyone to go onto someone’s lawn or near their front door.
How to make the hunt more difficult
When I made the Hunt page, I kept objects in the order that I found them while walking the route. That way, if kids miss one, they have a general idea about where to go to look again. It would make the Hunt much harder if you mixed the order!
Another way to make the hunt more difficult is with your photos. Take photos at different angles and with unusual points of view rather than always centered and straight on.
How long should the Hunt route be?
That depends on your neighborhood. In many cases, you can contain the photo scavenger hunt to just your street or one block. I chose a street in my neighborhood that is a circle, which makes the route easier.
Keep safety in mind! I kept all the photos to one side of the street so kids would not be running back and forth across the street. That also makes the route easier.
Can this Photo Scavenger Hunt be done while social distancing?
When doing the scavenger hunt, practice smart social distancing. Stick with your own family members, and stay away from other neighbors out on the street.
Staying apart may be more challenging for teens and tweens who usually do things in a social group. I’m suggesting to my kids that they do the hunt separate from their friends in the neighborhood, then do a group chat or Zoom to compare answers.
More family fun while social distancing:
- 100 Movies for Family Movie Night
- Our Favorite Family Games
- Fantasy Books with Strong Heroines
- Shared Journal for Moms and Daughters
- How to Solve Rubik’s Cubes
Step-by-Step Canva Directions:
DIY Photo Scavenger Hunt
Use this Canva template to make your own Photo Scavenger Hunt for your street or neighborhood. Great way to get big kids and tweens outdoors!
Materials
- 9 photos from your neighborhood/street
Tools
- Canva (free program)
- Smartphone or digital camera
Instructions
- Open the template in Canva. Before you proceed, you must make a Copy to leave the template available for others.
- Click on File, then Make a Copy. This will open YOUR scavenger hunt template. You can change the file name at the top by clicking on it.
- Change the red Street Name to the route you have chosen, either one street, block or whole neighborhood.
- In the left sidebar, click on Uploads. Choose images to use for your hunt, and upload to Canva. You'll see the photos populate on the left.
- Drag each photo to one of the squares on the template. If you need to adjust a single photo, double click on it and you'll be able to move it around.
- When you're finished, click on the arrow next to Print Flyers on the top right of your screen. Click Download, then decide if you want to save as a PDF or .jpg.
- Share your Photo Scavenger Hunt with your neighbors and friends!