Scavenger Hunts

One of the perks of working at private schools is that they usually have English camps every year. Although the timing of the year depends on the school, it is commonly done around April, July or October.

These camps are kind of like intensive English courses, mixed with spending time outdoors. Students will generally be split into small groups, with a native English teacher in charge of each group.

English classes are obvious staples. Generally a couple of hours of formal classes each day, and usually a presentation on the last day by each group based on the the learnt content.

So what happens throughout the day when there are no formal classes? It’s time for the students to interact and engage with the teachers and each other, using as much English as possible.

There might be a head teacher who plans and organises all activities, often including camp fire, outdoor cooking, kimodameshi (‘test of courage’ / ghost walk), outdoor sports, team building activities, etc.

However, there are times when plans need to change due to weather and other circumstances. At these times, the head teacher may call upon the other teachers for ideas.

If it comes to this, I recommend scavenger hunts.

Why?

It requires minimum prep time and materials - just a piece of paper and trash bag for each group.

It gives the students a 'break' from formal English lessons.

It’s very fun for the teachers to come up with the list of ‘treasures’ (scavenger hunt in Japanese is known as takaramono sagashi).

It involves team work to decipher the English and search for the treasures.

It’s a race to be the first group to collect all treasures on the list!

So, from the top of my head, here’s a small list to get you started.

-a leaf with insect bites

-a Y-shaped stick

-an animal shaped stone

-a piece of trash

-a feather

-something yellow

-something that smells nice

-something that doesn’t belong on the campsite

-something ‘interesting’ (you’ll need to convince your teacher!)

-etc… I recommend 15-20 items.

The possibilities are endless. With a whole team of teachers, you’ll come up with an interesting list in no time at all.

Happy hunting!

*Scavenger Hunts are not limited to the outdoors. If your school allows, and if you could tie it up somehow with the curriculum and/or target grammar, maybe you could incorporate it into your regular classes at school some day.