Spring Scavenger Hunt for World Language Students

This is my FAVORITE time of the year for getting OUTSIDE with my classes. If I can’t be outside, I still like to create opportunities for lots of MOVEMENT with my students!

I wanted to revive a SUPER FUN activity that I blogged about a few years ago! At the time, I was working at a private Christian school so I did a scavenger hunt with Easter eggs. I’ve updated the activity and made it even more EPIC and can’t wait to share it with you today!

I’m calling it a “Spring Scavenger Hunt”! It involves movement, reading, writing, coloring, and a whole lot of JOY! My students absolutely LOVED this last week, and I only got to play it with half of my classes. the rest will be playing next week!

Before you start trying to create something from scratch, know that I’ve already made this whole activity available for you and your kids in Spanish, French, and English. It is easy peasy, beautiful, and ready to go, so just keep reading and relax! I’ve got you!

Creating the Spring Scavenger Hunt

I started with writing questions for my students knowing I wanted to hide 20 questions throughout my room. I made these questions unique to the different classes I was teaching because I wanted them to focus on the language each class had been working to acquire. For example, in two of my classes, the language focused on the book we finished reading and the other was based on our latest Señor Wooly song and reviewing the previous week’s Clip Chat.

I then cut the questions up, stuffed them in envelopes, and hid them around the classroom and for one class, our outdoor courtyard. Next, I prepared the color-by-number coloring and answer sheets. I went a little overboard and made 13 coloring pages because I wanted to make sure all of my kids had something that they liked for their coloring page. My sixth graders were ADORABLE as they “ooooh’d and awwwww’d as I showed them the options.

Spring Scavenger Hunt in Action

My students ran around the classroom looking for 10 hidden clues. I mentioned 20 envelopes were hidden. That is because I made two questions for every number. For example, if a student found an envelope with a question #4 in it, wrote their answer on their page, and then later found another envelope with a #4 in it, they could just put the question back and go seek another because they only needed 10 questions to complete the scavenger hunt.

Once they found a correct answer, they rushed to me to show me their answer. If correct, I would give them one of the envelopes I was holding with a random color written inside of it. If I had a colorblind student, I handed them the color they should use instead.

Then, the student would either flip their paper over and color the corresponding numbers that color OR they would just write the color word next to that answer so they could continue finding questions and answers and just color at the end. For example, if they answered #4 and I handed them an envelope with the word “Azul” (blue) on it, they’d color all the #4’s blue on the other side.

I really left it up to the students on how they wanted to complete the activity.

Tips for Playing

In my smallest class, also the first group I tried it with, it worked well to have my envelopes with the colors on the inside labeled with the numbers of questions students were answering. If they answered #4, I’d hand them envelope #4. I quickly learned in my larger classes that it was too hard to manage that. Instead, I handed students a random envelope with a random color when they answered a question correctly or, at one point, I even wrote the color next to their correct answer when I had a longer line of students waiting.

The result was lots of beautiful coloring sheets, smiling faces, and re-energized students. They loved the novelty of the activity, and it also gave me a day to be more voice off/hands off and just watch them as they moved around the class/courtyard engaging with the Spanish and each other.

Spring Scavenger Hunt Resource

The resource I created for you includes a detailed description of how to use the activity as well as a question page with 10 questions that should be cut into strips and hidden in envelopes. You also get 13 color-by-number coloring pages, an answer page, and color cards to cut and put into answer envelopes.

Here is a video explaining the resource and of my students “in action”. So much FUN!

I am excited to hear how you like this activity, and I hope it brings you AND your classes some much needed JOY and movement!

Click each image below to read more about each version of the resource and to purchase it so you can start using it now as Spring gets under way!

Until next time, sending you JOY and Positivity!

Love,

La Maestra Loca