Recently I created a scavenger hunt and the most difficult part was not finding clues.
Once I knew which direction I wanted the hunters to take finding subtle pointers was easy.
The clue writing wasn’t particularly taxing either. Making the hints cryptic was simple when you knew the answer.
The hard part was watching the hunters struggle and not blurting out the answer.
All the fun of a scavenger hunt comes from the confusion and problem solving.
So I had to exercise all my self restraint not to ruin the fun.
The clue was obvious to me because I knew the answer.
So it was agony to watch the hunters make mistakes, jump to the wrong conclusions, and allow false assumptions lead them in the wrong direction.
But overall I thought it was a great metaphor for learning.
If I had simply given them the answer it would’ve robbed them of the joy of figuring it out themselves and the growth of their problem solving confidence.
Thomas Duggan 