First Day of 10th Grade, Scavenger Hunt

 

We have begin our tenth grade, new school year and and we have stopped using the curriculum we have used since Kindergarten! 

As we get used to our new HIGH SCHOOL CURRICLUM, I wanted to start our school year with the same Back to HOMESchool Traditions we have done since Kindergarten!

After a special breakfast of cinnamon rolls, we have our annual First Day of School Scavenger Hunt! The prize at the end is always inexpensive.  It only take maybe FIVE minutes at most, so there is no worry about derailing your schedule for the day. It is OK that the clues are easy because the object of the game is NOT problem-solving hard riddles.  The object is to start the school year with fun!

CLUE #1

The hunt was started by me handing them this clue:

Poke around the Pale Pachyderm

CLUE #2

Second Clue was found on my white elephant statue:

Find the panda food near the pooper. 

CLUE #3

Third Clue was found behind the bamboo plant in the bathroom:

Pop can plinkers. 

CLUE #4

Fourth Clue was found on their BB Gun ammunition:

Partake in a snack prohibited to people with braces.

 

CLUE #5

Fifth Clue was found inside our Whirley Pop popcorn maker.  This one almost tripped them up, they looked int he cabinets at the popcorn kernels and in the snack cabinet. It was fun watching them figure it out:  

Move to the machine that removes moisture.

PRIZE

The Prize was in the dryer!  Tis year the prize was just a ton of SNACKS! 

Name brand snacks are a luxury in our house, so I filled a bag with half a dozen random foods I knew my bottomless-pit teenagers would love to snack on during school.

For more First Day Scavenger Hunt Examples:

• First Day of School HAMILTON Treasure Hunt 

• First Day of School Scavenger Hunt- Part One

• First Day of School Scavenger Hunt- Part Two 

First Day of School Treasure Hunt- Strange Planet

 

It is that time of the year again, First Day of School Treasure Hunt!  We have done a treasure hunt as our Back to School Homeschool Tradition since my kids were very little and they have never grown out of it!! 

When the kids were younger we did simple clues. Here are a few samples

First Day of School Treasure Hunt- Part 1

First Day Treasure Hunt Part 2

As my kids become middle schoolers and high schoolers, we have started doing fun themes!

First Day Treasure Hunt- Hamilton Themed

STRANGE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 

TREASURE HUNT

This year I decided to pick the theme for our first day of school based upon on our 

favorite book of comics, Strange Planet by Nathan Pyle!

Clue #1- Begin by looking beneath leaves that sooth star damage

(under aloe plant)

Clue #2 Visit the room where you clean your mouth-stones

(bathroom toothbrushes)

Clue #3 Look inside the box that keeps the sustenance from spoiling

(inside refrigerator) 

Clue #4 Check where the ingredients for jitter-liquid are stored.

(coffee cabinet)

Clue #5 Go to where you imagine pleasant nonsense each evening.

(your bed)

 

First Day of School HAMILTON Treasure Hunt

 

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
HAMILTON TREASURE HUNT

Start your school year with FUN!  A Treasure Hunt on the first day is a great way to get your kids excited about starting the school year! It seemed only fitting that this year's treasure hunt is themed after our new favorite Historical Musical, 

HAMILTON!

We have started our year with a Treasure Hunt for for almost six years now.  We change them up each year, but here are a few examples of Treasure Hunt Part One and Treasure Hunt Part Three.  I thought that my middle school aged children may not enjoy it as much as they did when they were in 2nd or 3rd grade, but it is still a huge hit.

CLICK HERE FOR HAMILTON SCAVENGER HUNT CLUES

TREASURE HUNT TIPS

1. Depending the age of your children, try to number the clues so they go from room to room, preventing them stumbling onto Clue #4 before Clue #2. For example, Put clues #2 and #3 in the first room of your house, Clues #3 and #4 in the second room, etc. 

2. For younger children, have the clues on the outside of objects so they can be found easily.  For older children, you can tuck them inside things, but be there to provide guidance (see tip #4).

3. If possible, hide the treasure in a different level, so that they don’t come upon it while searching for clues. For example, our boys’ treasure basket will be on their bed, and I don’t have any clues in their room, so they won’t happen on them.  You could end in your basement or outside in the garden to prevent them from finding the treasure too soon. 

4. Keep is short and fun.  The point of this is not to solve a super hard riddle, but to start the school year with some fun and a prize.

TREASURE HUNT CLUES

Clue #1- Hand it to them

Ooh, if the shoe fits, wear it

If New York’s in debt—

Why should Virginia bear it?

Clue #2 In the Shoe Bin

The President is going to bring the nation to the brink

Of meddling in the middle of a military mess,

A game of chess,

Where France is Queen and King-less.

Clue #3 on our chess board in game closet

Why do you write like you’re

running out of time?

Write day and night like you’re

running out of time?

Ev’ry day you fight, like running out of time

running out of time

Clue #4 Behind the clock

Hey yo, I’m just like my country

I’m young, scrappy and hungry

And I’m not throwing away my shot!

Clue #5 In or On the Fridge

Then a hurricane came and devastation rained

our man saw his future drip-dripping down the drain

put a pencil to his temple connected it to his brain

and he wrote his first refrain a testament to his pain

Clue #6 On the Pencil Holder

Look around look around the revolutions

happening in New York!

look around look around at

how lucky we are to be alive right now!

Clue #7  On New York on our Globe

Come back to bed, that would be enough

Put Treasure on their pillows

Keep the prizes inexpensive. This year I bought them:

• Hamilton Soundtrack- Clean (yes, my kids do still sometimes listen to CDs, I also got it in MP3 format)
• Replacement whoopie cushion from Dollar Tree 
• Silly putty from Dollar Tree (they love to love with it while doing school)
• Fakes Mustaches from Dollar Tree (they are making a movie and they need costumes)

BUY PDF DOWNLOAD 

I have created a PDF download with 14 different Hamilton Clues so you can personalize it to fit your own home! 

CLICK HERE FOR HAMILTON SCAVENGER HUNT CLUES

When Should I Start My Homeschool Year?

 

Homeschool is about freedom, freedom to chose when YOU start. Don't chose for others, and don't let others chose for you.

There is no time that you "should" start, except for the time that works for your family, and it is ok if that takes a little bit to figure out what works best for you.

In years past we have have tried on several different start dates; after Labor Day, at the beginning of August, same time as our local public schools, and one year we tried year round.

After eight years of homeschooling, we have figured out that starting mid August works for us, for now.

A few reasons starting mid August works for my family during this season:

1.  My husband works in the schools and I like to be on his schedule.
2. We take a lot of November & December days off to work on my in-laws Christmas Tree Farm.
3. We attend a weekly co-op and Bible Study that begin in September (when it isn't a pandemic) so I like to get into our routine for a few weeks before our schedule gets interrupted.
4. Because of those weekly outside activities, we usually do a 3 day week, and I need the extra time given by starting early to get through our year long curriculum if I want all of June and and July off (which is what we like because of family birthdays).
5. I NEED two months off by May, but we all start aching for routine again by August.

But those are OUR reasons, and you don't live my life. You don't have my kids or my schedule.

Did you just have a baby and need to take an extra month off, do it!

Did you set up your classroom and your kids are excited to begin, go for it!

Do you have a pool membership through September and can't bare to end summer just yet? That is great!

Did you plan to start last week, but had a super stressful weekend, so you postponed a week? Yep, that's me! 🙋🏼‍♀️

YOUR life is what determines your homeschool start date?

Whatever you do, don't judge or compare yourself with anyone else because of their schedule.

First Day Traditions, Scavenger Hunt Part 2

For the past four years, we have begun our school year with a simple scavenger/treasure hunt.  The prize at the end is always inexpensive and usually related to school. It only take maybe FIVE minutes at most, so there is no worry about derailing your schedule for the day.

The past few years I have made cute printable with rhyming clues that I printed from my computer, but due to technical difficulties this year we just did simple post-its and silly clues.  It is OK that the clues are easy because the object of the game is NOT problem-solving hard riddles.  The object is to start school with fun!

  

We have each boy take turns reading and solving a clue.  Make sure you have enough clues for each of your children.

 CLUE #1 

Harry's Electronic Wand - Hand them this clue, or on front door as they begin hunt.  It led them to our Wii Remote for their Harry Potter game.

Variations-  This can be any remote or video game you have.  I would suggest "The TV's Boss" and put on your remote control.

CLUE #2

 Foot Sweat Catcher-  leads them to a sock drawer

CLUE #3

 Germs Killer-  Leads them to disinfecting wipes OR any soap dispenser in the house.  

 CLUE #4

 The Stinky Place-  Leads them to the bathroom of course....yes, I live with boys who enjoy bathroom humor.

PRIZE

Their Prizes this year included Erasable Colored Pencils, a clearance Lego Star Wars ship, and a few packs of gum. You can do anything you want, keep it simple and inexpensive!  This isn't Christmas day, just a fun way to begin your year with excitement. 

AFTER OUR HUNT 

We took our first day of school pictures after the hunt.  These always go better after they find their prizes, because they have real smiles.