Operation 8th Birthday Party: Scavenger Hunt

Following lunch in the mess hall, the soldiers were presented with their top secret mission for the day - To find their desert!

Nicole prepared an awesome scavenger hunt with pictures as clues that had been cut into puzzle pieces for the kids to assemble. The first location they were challenged to find was the Tire Swing (which was just a hop away from where they were eating lunch).

From there it would get more and more difficult.

The second clue led them to the end of the long driveway that leads to our house from the road, the kids hopped on their bikes (All 16 of them) and headed off!The next four clues took the kids on their bikes closer and closer to Nicole's house, where they found the last clue...

The last clue wasn't another puzzle like the others. Instead, it ensured that each and every one of the kids participated in the solving process. When the kids registered at the beginning of the party Nicole and I wrote a number and a letter on their shoulder. When they got the last clue, it was just a puzzle with numbers. Using the codes on their shoulders, they had to figure out which letters went with which numbers and then plug them into the puzzle to spell out the final location of the prize. The kids were marvelous at solving the puzzle, and before too long had spelled out "Go Directly To The Tree House" and were off and running to the tree house to collect their treats. Awaiting them in the tree house were army canteens for the ride home, and a box of "muddy bears" (chocolate covered gummy bears).

This was a great activity for the kids and a super example of what these kids are capable of if given the room to roam.