Number Scavenger Hunt

Players: 1 or more
Ages: 4 and up
Cost: Free! (Print the worksheet from here)
Math Ideas: Counting, Quantity
Questions to Ask: 
   Could you count something else about this group?
   What was the hardest amount to find?

Something really special happens in Minnesota every Labor Day weekend.

It's called Math On-a-Stick, and it sounds like one of the most incredible spaces for kids to explore that I've heard of. At the Minnesota State Fair, a bunch of volunteers set up an entire area dedicated to letting kids play with mathematically rich toys. 

It's run by Christopher Danielson, who is the author of How Many? and Which One Doesn't Belong?, as well as the creator of Tiling Turtles, 21st Century Pattern Blocks, and all sorts of other amazing math toys and ideas (I promise someday I'll stop constantly complimenting him (no I don't)).

Some day, I'll find a way to make it up to Math On-a-Stick. Maybe I'll even bring a game or two to play with! But until then, let me share a little game they play at the fair that is playable all over the place: Number Scavenger Hunt

How to Play

To play Number Scavenger Hunt, you can give your children a print-out of this slip of paper with the numbers from 1-20 on it. (They call it The Number Game at Math On-a-Stick, but since that name describes ~150 games I've already shared, I'll use a different name)

The goal of the game is to find groups of items that match each number. This is important: You are not looking for the numeral, but the actual amount. So you are not looking for the numeral 8, but rather eight bananas, eight ducks, or eight legs on a spider.

This game is perfect for a trip to the grocery store, a travel day when you'll be stuck at an airport, or of course at a state fair! It helps your child direct their wandering minds in a mathematical direction.

At Math on a Stick, they award a blue ribbon to anyone who brings back a completed sheet. I highly recommend some sort of similar reward for your kids!

Where's the Math?

Number Scavenger Hunt is a counting game, of course, but it has a deeper meaning as well: it gets your kids viewing the entire world through the lens of quantity.

Do you remember the moment you noticed that the FedEx logo had an arrow inside it (maybe that moment is right now)? I was a full grown adult when someone pointed it out to me.

I was amazed that I had spent decades seeing that logo without noticing that arrow that was now blindingly obvious to me! For the next few weeks, I looked at every sign I could, seeking out hidden shapes, symbols, and messages. It was a new way for me to view the world.

Similarly, your kids will start hunting for quantities as they try to fill in their scavenger hunt sheet. As they go, they'll start to think of everything through the lens of counting. What can be counted, and what can't? Can you count the same item in multiple ways to find multiple quantities? A simple carton of eggs can be considered 1 carton, 12 eggs, 2 rows, 6 rows, and all sorts of other things as well. 

If you're noticing the connections to Christopher's book How Many?, that's no accident. He's basically created a portable version of the book that you can take with you anywhere. By the way, if you haven't seen inside that book, check out my recent video where you get a glimpse at that awesome book.

Questions to Ask

This game is an excellent activity for a child to use to occupy their time alone, so you might not be around to ask questions while they explore the cereal aisle of the grocery store or the candy section of the airport kiosk.

Still, you might give them some ideas for completing their lists: "Can you count the same item different ways? How many rows on your sheet can you fill up with the same item?" 

This might give them ideas for creative counting that they otherwise might have missed.

After the game, you can process the challenge with your kids: "What was the hardest amount to find? Why do you think so?"

My contention is that 17 and 19 will both be harder quantities for your kids to find than 18 or 20. I have my own theories as to why, but I'm more interested in your child's theories. What makes those numbers harder to find?

One last question will help you dive right into the heart of quantity: "Did you find anything that was impossible to count?"

Your child might have all sorts of answers to this question! Maybe something was too numerous to count, like the grains of sugar in a bowl. Maybe it was impossible to count because it doesn't have a clear quantity, like the water in a pool. 

You and your child could talk about counting vs. measuring, and how we can also measure the same item many different ways to find different numbers.

All of these little chats will give your child a new lens through which to view the world: the lens of quantity.