I don't know where the summer has gone. It seems like just yesterday that we had the whole summer stretched out in front of us and now we are preparing for back to school time. I am trying to savor the last few weeks before the kids go back to school and we get back into the busy flow of school days. While the weather has been warm, we have been enjoying the last days of summer by spending time outdoors and being active. Since I am a former teacher, I love to combine activity with learning, like we did when we played this Alphabet Scavenger Hunt.
This Alphabet Scavenger Hunt takes just minutes to put together. You will need a plastic shower curtain liner to make an alphabet mat (I picked mine up at my local discount store for $1), a permanent marker and scissors. I found the shower curtain liner to be a little big for my purposes, so I cut it in half and wrote the alphabet on it with a permanent marker. I made each letter between 8-10 inches long and spaced them about 6 inches apart so there would be room to place items on the letters.
I set up the alphabet mat outside, using some large rocks to hold it down so that the wind wouldn't blow it away. I then challenged the kids to find objects, inside or outside. that started with each letter and bring them to the mat and place them on the correct letter.
You can set this up as a timed game and give your kids a certain amount of time to complete the challenge, or you can just let them do it at their own pace. We played the game untimed. This alphabet scavenger hunt teaches letter sound concepts, cooperation and gets kids moving. My kids ran all over the yard looking for objects and then ran inside and upstairs to find items for the letters. Our shoes from Famous Footwear kept up with them every step of the way. To help minimize kids looking for items that started with the same letter, my kids started telling each other what letter they were looking for. "I'm looking for B," my daughter would call as she ran to look for a ball. It was great to see the kids working together to complete the alphabet scavenger hunt in an efficient way.
When we got down to the last few letters, things got tricky. Certain letters were more difficult to find objects for, but the kids were able to think outside the box. For the letter Z my daughter got a sweater with a zipper.
The kids got more and more excited as the scavenger hunt neared completion. Soon it was time to place the final object.
Then we checked our work, making sure that each letter had an object and that the object started with the correct letter.
What do you do when you complete a challenge? Jump up and down of course!
Karina
Love the shoes that both your girls received, they are great for having fun at school. This is definitely a fun and easy game to make at home and play at the park 😉
Kim
That is so fun and creative! I need to try it with my toddler who is learning his alphabet.
Rebecca Bryant
those are cute shoes. Plus a good scavenger hunt is always fun.
OurFamilyWorld
This sounds like a super fun game for the kids. Those shoes are so adorable and they look very comfortable.
Amanda Love
That's such an easy game for moms to setup and it's going to keep the kids busy for hours! I think it's really fun and it's also a great way to keep them moving. The shoes look great!
Michelle @ Sunshine and Hurricanes.com
I'm totally in love with this scavenger hunt idea! My Kinder girl would love this hands on learning experience!
Louise Bishop
I just think this is too clever! I love it and wish my kids were younger again so they wouldn't find it boring haha
Nadia
Aww, this looks & sounds like SO. MUCH. FUN! Best way to say good bye to summertime! Plus, who doesn't love a good scavenger hunt 😀
<3
xox Nadia
http://www.mielandmint.com
liz cleland
I LOVE this idea. We do scavenger hunts walking around our neighborhood but this would be great too! Nike are our choice for shoes they just seem to hold up and really are comfortable for my son.
Rachel
What a fun activity for kids! My daughter would love something like this. The shoes are super cute too.
Toughcookiemommy
I can't believe school is already starting next week. This is a great way to enjoy those last moments of summer vacation.
Brittany
What a fantastic idea! My three year old is starting to learn the sound that each letter makes so this is right up his alley. And those shoes are so cute!
Vicky
Thanks Brittany, we love the shoes!
Vicky
The summer has gone so fast!
Vicky
Thanks Rachel, we love the shoes!
Sona Sethi
Brighty brights....love the shoes and the outfit...I love kids when they wear super bright clothers..make them look more adorable and cheerful. 🙂
Nikki
Super cute shoes! I They didn't have those sparkly glitter kinds of shoes when I was little, and I always think they look too stiff for kids to wear to school all day. Glad to know Famous Footwear carries some comfy Sketchers!