Let’s Go on a Library Scavenger Hunt!

Perhaps you might be considering going away on a family trip to visit places around the world. This can be costly and not a feasible option for your family right away. However, there is always an adventure waiting for you in a book! The best part is books are free — all you need is a library card. You may not have considered doing a library scavenger hunt, but the library contains a wealth of information for your community and can be a great asset for homeschoolers on the whole. 

Why Go to the Library?

1. Affordability: Homeschoolers know this is the best affordable option when it comes to getting books for teaching, but it’s also the best way to feed those avid readers who love to devour books as soon as they get them. 
2. Variety: As homeschoolers we like to create an atmosphere of learning where no matter what the topic, there is choice involved to allow children to explore a variety of topics, not just one. Your children may just discover a new hobby or interest on their next visit!
3. Unique finds: Your local library may hold some rare books, documents, or artifacts that you can access for free that cannot be found anywhere else.
4. Explore different cultures: Many libraries hold events each month to celebrate different cultures. It’s a great way to learn more about people and their ways of life.
5. Get help from a librarian: A librarian is trained to know more about the books and resources available to you and can even help you learn more about a particular topic if you suddenly need to find more information.
6. More than just books: Most libraries have videos, computers, and magazines full of information for you to discover. If you have a child that may not like reading regular books, these formats of information may be what gets your child interested. 

Ready to Go on a Scavenger Hunt?

A scavenger hunt is a great way to really get to know your local library. Some may consider the library a boring place to be (mostly because it’s so quiet), but the library is full of resources and can be a fun place to be if you know what to do when you get there. With a scavenger hunt, you’ll allow your child to go exploring in a safe and fun way, and most importantly, it will be a free field trip for you!

The first thing you need to do is reach out to your local library. Talk with the librarian and let them know you’d like to plan a scavenger hunt. Your librarian may offer some helpful hints in getting to know more of the resources available in your library that your child can discover. 

Once you have clearance to go forward, the next step is planning out the scavenger hunt. We’ve got two options for you, but you can always create your own, based on suggestions from your local librarian. The goal with any library scavenger hunt is to encourage your child’s love of reading and to explore different genres, topics, and formats of getting information that are available to them. This will of course depend on the ages of your children.

Print out your Scavenger Hunt PDF

For younger kids

For older kids

A few notes before you say 1, 2, 3 . . . go!

• Before you begin, remind your child that this isn't a race to see how fast he/she can find the items. The goal is that each book will be read at home so take the time to choose books that are interesting. 
• Make sure your child meets the librarian before getting started so he/she knows where to ask questions if they get stuck!

Have fun!

Once you’ve collected your scavenger hunt treasures, make a plan to read them before they are due to be returned. You can decide on a special reading time to do it together, or if you had more than one child participate and they found their own sets of books, then set aside some reading time for everyone to just have quiet time each day.

After each book is complete, have your child tell you all about what they learned from that book and their favourite part. 

This activity may be the most fun for your child, but you’ll most likely discover more about how you can use its resources as a parent and teacher. You’ll probably also discover new interests, hobbies, and books for yourself as well! You can do this scavenger hunt every year as a practice for getting to know what’s available in your library and to encourage the love of reading in your family.

This article has been written by homeschooling staff writers of The Canadian Schoolhouse (TCS). Enjoy more of our content from TCS contributors and staff writers by visiting our themes page that has a new theme topic added every month!