Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts get your students to notice interesting themes that cut across exhibit areas. The Exploratorium has six main galleries, each focused on a different area of exploration. You might want to choose one or two themes from the list below for your students to hunt for—or you could discuss a few themes with the class and narrow the choices as a group. The students should spend time playing with each exhibit to see what they notice.

You may want your students to document their exhibit explorations so they can share their experiences back in the classroom. For documentation, you could print the scavenger hunt worksheet (PDF), ask them to take photos or videos, or come up with other creative ways to document the experience.

Scavenger Hunt Themes

• Search for patterns
• Explore pendulums
• Investigate curved mirrors
• Create images of yourself
• Locate spinning things
• Test your physical abilities
• Test your mental abilities
• Find exhibits that require you to use more than your hands
• Do something weird to your speech
• Get a shock
• See something that isn’t really there
• Use your body as a conductor
• Make or manipulate colors