From a Tyrannosaurus Rex to a Stegosaurus, learning about dinosaurs is fun and exciting! Kids love to learn all of the fascinating facts about these creatures that once ruled the earth. When teaching young children about dinosaurs in a classroom setting, there are endless activities you can try. This Free Dinosaur Scavenger Hunt was certainly a favorite for my class!
This scavenger hunt is created to be done in a school. The activity is perfect for a rainy day, or any day you want to move around beyond classroom walls. Each riddle takes you, and your class, on an adventure to a new location around the school.
The riddles can be printed and set up in minutes. You don’t need any extra materials other then the locations (listed below). The clues no only lead your students on an adventure, they also teach a few littles facts about dinosaurs. It’s a great way to learn through play!
If you’re doing a dinosaur unit with young children, make sure to check out my collection of over 30 Best Dinosaur Activities for kids in kindergarten and preschool. If you’re looking for more scavenger hunt ideas, check out a collection of 35 Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Kids.
Free Dinosaur Scavenger Hunt Materials
The only materials you need for this scavenger hunt are the printable riddles. There are five pages of riddles. Four of the pages each include two riddles. Cut these pages in half so that each riddle is on a separate page.
The final page includes two completion certificates. You can print as many, or as few, of these pages as you need. You can place a small treat or prize for your group with this final certificate.
Dinosaur Scavenger Hunt Locations
Each of the riddles need to be placed in a specific location within the school. The locations don’t have to be exact, but they need to be placed in a location players will think of when they read the clue.
For example one of the clues talks about books. This clue may suggest the school library, but it could also mean a classroom collection of books. It’s up to you how far you want your class to travel.
The location of clues are listed below.
- Gym
- Library
- Main Door
- Photocopier
- Storage Room
- Art/Storage Room
- Office/Phone
- Technology
On the bottom of each riddle, the location that the clue needs to be placed is written. This is to help make set up as easy as possible. Please note that the location written on the bottom is not the solution to the riddle on the page. It is the place the sheet needs to be hidden.
If you have a young, or small group, you can make the hunt easier by not hiding the clue in each location. Instead you can tape the riddle to the nearest door of the solution for kids to find, or visible as soon as they walk into the location.
Alternatively, you can hide the clue in each location and children have to search to find each riddle. This can make your game run for a long time, but it’s up to you how challenging you want to make each puzzle.
Dinosaur Hunt Clue #1
The first clue can be placed somewhere in the room for players to find right away. The educator can also simply read the riddle to get the game started. The first riddle reads:
They are extinct, but the fun of learning about dinosaurs has just begun!
The Ornithomimids were some of the fastest dinosaurs, check the gym because they liked to run.
Kindergarten Game Clue #2
Next race to the gym for the second clue!
The scariest dinosaur that ever roamed the earth was the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Check where you can still read about them in books and lots of other types of texts.
School Scavenger Hunt Clue #3
Players search the library for their third clue. Once they find it, it reads:
Some were bigger than a school bus, with a big and loud roar!
Go to the front of your school and check the main door!
Dinosaur Scavenger Hunt Clue #4
If you have more than one copier in your school, you can choose any of them that you think players are most familiar with and will check. However, if players go to the wrong copier, that’s okay too.
If they go to the wrong copier, they will need to consider if they read the clue wrong, or simply need to keep checking other copiers in the school.
You won’t find a dinosaur walking down the street, as you know they’re all extinct.
Make your way to the photocopier, but make sure not to get inked!
Dinosaur Game Clue #5
Once players find the fifth clue at the photocopier, they will read their next riddle:
It’s fun to learn about the different periods, including Cretaceous and Jurassic.
Check where supplies are kept, from paint, paper and elastics.
Treasure Hunt Clue #6
If you have a school storage room, or a storage space in your classroom, this is where the sixth riddle is found.
We learn about past life on earth from ancient bones,
Visit where you go if you need to make a call on one of the phones.
Printable Game Clue #7
Children will quickly go to the school office, or the location in your school that they would use a phone, or go to if a phone call home needs to be made.
They had three horns and plants were all they consumed.
You don’t have to worry about running into a triceratops when you visit the washroom.
Dinosaur Scavenger Hunt Riddle #8
In one of the school washrooms, the final riddle is placed. You can tape it to a washroom door or somewhere on the wall. Once players find it, they read it to solve their final clue!
It’s the study of ancient life, called paleontology.
Return to your classroom and look around each piece of technology.
Completion Certificate
The final riddle is written so that you can return to your classroom quickly in order to complete the scavenger hunt. Once back in the classroom, children check around a piece of technology. It may be a classroom computer, digital board or simply an electronic device.
With the piece of technology, children will find their completion certificate.
This is a fun activity to teach kids a few fun facts about dinosaurs, while getting kids up and moving.
I hope you enjoy this Free Dinosaur Scavenger Hunt and are able to add it to your dinosaur unit! You can download the scavenger hunt, for free below.
Free Scavenger Hunt Printable
Click the image below to download all of the riddles featured above. Make sure to subscribe to PlayLearnInspire.com so that you hear about all of my latest freebies and activity ideas!
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