For those still at school, or for anyone running a summer school or otherwise wrangling groups of children over the summer, here’s a suggestion for a Thinkers’ Scavenger Hunt to enjoy the outdoors while being creative and puzzling.
Split into groups of 4 and give each group one thing at a time to find, then they can go off and return with their find to be given the next challenge.
1. Two things that are the opposite of each other.
2. Something man-made that looks natural.
3. Something natural that looks man-made.
4. A song.
5. Something that isn’t an animal that looks like an animal.
6. Something symmetrical.
7. Something beautiful.
8. Something ugly.
9. A joke.
10. Something unique.
11. Something exactly the same as something else.
12. Something more than 1000 years old.
13. Something less than a day old.
14. A fascinating fact.
15. Something invisible.
16. Something from the future.
17. An object you can convincingly sell as a lucky charm.
18. An object that had a surprising use in a lost civilisation upon which you are experts who can explain all about it.
19. A visitor from an undiscovered tribe, who will talk about their life and customs in a strange language that the rest of your group can translate.
20. A thirty-second sales pitch for a new film in which a character confronts ones of life’s biggest questions. Bonus points for including a walrus as a supporting actor.
My present self is now on holiday and my future self will be back in late August! Enjoy the sunshine, I hope.
Best wishes,
Jason Buckley
P.S. While this particular activity isn’t part of the programme, combining outdoor fun with creative thinking challenges is very much the stuff of the Outspark Days my team and I are now offering to primary schools from £25 per person per day. They’re a combination of traditional team-building with special Thinking on Your Feet sessions that draw on philosophy, debating and improv. Something to consider adding to the mix in the autumn!