Alternate Activity 1: Scavenger Hunt
Part of Wonderful Welcome
Activity time: 20 minutes
Materials for Activity
- Copies of Handout 1, Scavenger Hunt Questions, for each pair or small group
- Pencils
Preparation for Activity
- Enlist the help of the junior and/or senior youth group in your congregation. Try to pair each child with a youth or have each youth lead a group of two or three children; if you do not have enough youth, enlist adult volunteers.
- Review Handout 1, Scavenger Hunt Questions. If necessary, adapt it so all the questions apply to your congregation. Print out copies.
- Ask your religious educator for guidance about scheduling this activity and arrange youth participation with youth leaders. To avoid disrupting the worship service, consider doing this activity during coffee hour.
Description of Activity
Today we will learn together about our congregation by going on a scavenger hunt. Does anyone know what you do on a scavenger hunt? Well, you find things from a list. Sometimes you have to collect things, and sometimes you have to find out information. Today, this hunt will be to find out information that we will share with each other when we get back. We will have 15 minutes to find out this information. There are ground rules: the first is to remember our group covenant and the second is to be considerate of others by being as quiet as we can, politely asking questions, and not running. Have fun and remember to work with your partner(s).
When everyone returns, read aloud the questions, one at a time, and invite answers. See if everyone was able to find out all the answers. If an answer is disputed, use the situation to learn together the best answer. There is no need to award material prizes. Instead, highlight that the fun of this activity was the opportunity to learn with and from others. You might also want to recognize the person in the congregation who supplied the most answers to the group.