Scavenger Hunts That Your Students Will Love
GooseChase
GooseChase.com
Scavenger Hunts In The Classroom
Scavenger hunts have long been popular in the classroom. The GooseChase scavenger hunt app takes scavenger hunts to a whole new level with some great features for creating, managing, and participating in scavenger hunts.
Creating a Scavenger Hunt
Setting up your first scavenger hunt is easy. The Game Info screen is pretty straightforward but knowing the benefits of the different fields can prove helpful once you launch your game.
- Students will search for the game by name.
- The description can be a great place to add the teacher’s name. It’s a great way to differentiate between multiple different games by the same name. Adding a distinct image at the top of the Game Info screen can also provide students with an easy way to find the correct game.
- All games are publicly searchable, making it possible for anyone to join. Using a Game Password limits game play to only those you provide the password to.
- Entering the location where your game will be played (typically your school) is one of my favorite features. If students allow the GooseChase app to use GPS, those games that are geographically closest to them will be displayed upon opening the app.
Select or Create Your Missions
GooseChase gives you the option to choose from pre-made missions, or create your own. You can choose missions from the “GooseChase Mission Bank,” although few of their missions appear to be of any educational value. All of the missions you create are added to “My Mission Bank” which you can pull from while making future games.
Challenge Students with Different Mission Types:
Photo & Video
Let students document their findings by using the app to take a picture or submit a video clip. You also have the option to restrict submissions to only photo, or only video.
Text
Students provide a text-based answer. Teachers can set responses up to be checked automatically against one or more correct answers.
GPS
Students check in at specific locations or checkpoints using the GPS feature in their mobile device. Teachers must specify the correct location by entering coordinates or searching for a location on Google Maps.
All mission types can be enhanced by adding a picture (as in the octagon example above) or by adding a link.
Managing and Playing the Game
Individuals or Teams?
After setting up your missions, you’ll need to decide if you want students to participate individually or in teams. Teachers can make teams, or allow students to create their own.
Playing the Game
Students need to download the GooseChase app (available for iOS and Android) and create an account. After searching for the correct scavenger hunt by name, they can create or join teams by entering a team or game password.
Start and Stop the Game
Teachers can opt to have the game end after a specified amount of time, or manually end the game with the click of a button.
Monitoring the Game
Teachers can monitor student progress using a near real-time submissions, activity feed, and leaderboard.
Get Started with an Educator Account
Create a free recreational account then activate your educator account. I’m currently using the free account, but more features can be found with paid educator accounts.
How Will You Use GooseChase?
I’d love to hear how you’re using GooseChase in the classroom. Share your ideas in on social media or in the comments below.
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I love the GooseChase app! I can’t wait to try it in my classroom! I may use it as a learning game/class reward. I could see it being used as part of a Science Curriculum where students in small groups are asked to find different types of rocks, plants, trees, flowers, etc. They could document their finds using the camera app so that they do not disturb nature. Thanks for sharing this great app!
I love that idea Kristy! I’ve done similar scavenger hunts in the past with just the camera app and had students turn in their work using Pages, but GooseChase makes the whole experience so much nicer.