Cultural, Environmental Photo Scavenger Hunt

This activity explores the connections between people, place, environment, culture, and government through art, technology, writing, and hands-on learning. 

1. The teacher will introduce the photo scavenger hunt concept to the class by engaging students in a discussion both to better understand students' current perspectives and to inform them about the process for the lesson. Students will be encouraged to ask their families about local landmarks about which they would like to know more.
2. Through a student-centered approach, the teacher will lead the class on a scouting expedition around the environment. The objective of this expedition is to identify significant landscapes or land features that can be used to map a photo scavenger hunt route for a class who will be invited to the community for a scavenger hunt event. Students will be encouraged to use local names for landmarks and to create their own memorable names for unnamed landforms. The names they use or create may describe the land's features or hold stories related to that location. 
3. Incorporating community history and cultural knowledge is an integral part of this expedition. Providing opportunities for students to share their stores about the place in which they live and how they identify with each location will provide context and meaning to the scavenger hunt. The stories that students attach to landmarks or landforms can be shared with the visiting students. In Norman Bay, where this lesson originates, there is a helicopter pad. In this community, the visiting students would have to come by helicopter if the scavenger hunt is scheduled post-ice breakup, which is usually within the first week of May. There is also a government wharf, the bay nestled between hills on either side, and a power plant in the distance. Along the roadside, from the helicopter pad to the school, there are some older houses that are no longer inhabited. Students have stories about the family history connected to old houses. There is a pond, which would be considered a lake in other areas of Canada, and an island on which a pair of loons nest. Another notable area is behind the students' houses to the north, called Big Hill, there are caves where bears hibernate. During the scouting expedition, it is important to provide students with time to discuss the significance of such landforms as it will add value to the experience and help to inform the photo scavenger hunt route.
4. After the scavenger hunt route is determined, students will return to the school and begin to design the photo scavenger hunt using an application, such as Actionbound, which allows them to create activity prompts for each location. On the day of the event, visiting students can view and complete each activity using the application on school iPads and/or on personal cell phones.
5. In preparation for the event, some students will be designated as guides for the scavenger hunt map. These students will be posted at points along the hunt route on the day of the event to assist the visiting students in completing each activity.
6. Students will also create an alternate plan for an indoor scavenger hunt in the event that inclement weather prevents students from safely participating in the outdoor scavenger hunt.
7. An indoor map will be created, using student photographs posted on a wall in a central location of the school. This indoor map route may be limited to the school building or include neighbouring buildings (with special permissions). The Actionbound application can be used to complete activities at the alternate indoor locations.
8. As part of the full day event, guests will be offered a meal. Students will be responsible for creating the menu and writing the grocery list of items required to prepare this meal. This meal may be prepared by some of the students, with the help of teachers and/or community members, for invited guests on the day of the scavenger hunt.
9. A traditional craft activity will follow the meal on the day of the event. To offer this part of the lesson, the class will invite a community member to lead the activity. It is important to consider the most appropriate way to engage the community and to ask for the sharing of knowledge and skills.
10. Students will create an invitation and/or decide on the method of invitation for the visiting class. Options may include a typed and mailed invitation or an email to the classroom teacher to be shared with the class. Invitations should include a description of the event.

• Spiritual - Students share their knowledge of, and personal connection to, local places on the scouting expedition.
• Emotional - The stories students share highlight their relationship with their environment.  
• Physical - Students determine a scavenger hunt route by scouting local landmarks.
• Intellectual - Students learn about their community through conversations with family members and through reflecting on their own knowledge of the local landscape. Students are encouraged to draw upon the history and stories connected to their community and to challenge their imaginations to create new narratives for unnamed areas. This information will weave together a story of place for visitors during the scavenger hunt event. 

This activity promotes the physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual well-being of students through experiential learning. It encourages cooperation, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, it provides opportunities for personal reflection as well as verbal and artistic forms of expressions.

• Welcoming the guest students and teacher to the community and the school.
• Introductions and a brief overview of the planned activities.
• Scavenger hunt activity guided by the hosting students and supervised by the teacher, followed by a nutrition break.
• Sharing pictures and discussing the scavenger hunt experience in a classroom equipped with an interactive whiteboard.

• Gathering for a meal planned by the hosts and prepared for their guests and community members.
• Participating in a traditional craft activity led by a community-member. Students will make their own craft to take with them when they leave.
• Closing reflections, thank-you's, and departure.

• Spiritual - Students guide guests on a scavenger hunt that captures special cultural aspects of the community.
• Emotional - Students become guides and share their stories with visitors about their surroundings. After the hunt, students reflect on what they have learned through the experience. This activity encourages introspection and supports identity.  
• Physical - The scavenger hunt event is an example of learning by doing. Students also learn how to create a traditional craft under the guidance of a community member. This is an example of experiential learning.
• Intellectual - Students learn about their community through conversations with family members and through reflecting on their own knowledge of the local landscape. Students draw upon the history and stories connected to their community and challenge their imaginations to create new narratives for unnamed areas. They use this information to weave together a story of place for their visitors during the scavenger hunt event.