QR Code Scavenger Hunt!

I usually do a scavenger hunt every year with hard copies of the clues placed in envelopes and hidden around the school. I teach 6th graders, and this is their first time coming to the big, scary middle school, so this is a fun little way to show them around. This past year, a sweet little student asked me why I didn’t just save time/paper/effort and use QR codes. DUH! Thanks, Meredith! :)


Thus, the QR Scavenger Hunt was born! It took me a while to figure the logistics of the whole thing out--my brain just doesn't work that way! Honestly, I haven't tested this out with kiddos yet, but I pink puffy heart love how it turned out! 

HOW IT WORKS:
Basically, all you have to do is divide the students into groups, making sure that each group has at least one smartphone/ipod/ipad/etc. with a QR code reader on it. (This is a FREE app. Just type in "free qr code reader" into the app store, and pick one to download. Some are more fancy than others, but they all get the job done!)


Once the students are divided up, go over the rules--don't run in the hallways, stick together, inside voices, no running away (you think I'm kidding--happened to me last year...IN 6TH GRADE!), etc. Then, have each group scan the first clue. You could either print it off, or project onto the screen.

Scavenger Hunt Clue Number One!

(This is what the students will see!)

I send the groups off a couple minutes apart so that they are actually reading the clues, and not just chasing each other around the building. I'm going to have one person in each group be in charge of "keeping time" on their phones. The group that finishes with the shortest time, wins! But really, they're all winners. They got to do something really fun at school! Heehee!


TEACHER STUFF:
Open up this file, and print the pages. Each page will be a poster to hang around the school (they're labeled with the location). Next, work your teacher magic on the kids so that they know how to behave in the hallways. (I usually send out an email to the whole school to let them know that I have groups of kids wandering around the hallways WITH my permission.) Finally, send them off on their hunt! There are 10 clues total, so it shouldn't take too long...


*In order for the QR codes to actually link to something, I created a very, very, very basic website. Nothing fancy. Here's the link to that site: http://qrscavengerhunt.wordpress.com/ There are different pages for the clues, but the kids should only see the clue that they scanned.

Well, what do you think? Hopefully, you can use this with your class!  
~Ansley