The Harvey Summer Scavenger Hunt – From Survival to Summer Fun

Sponsored: The Scavenger Hunt – From Survival to Summer Fun

Survival

As my staff and I plan for new ways to make our 2021 summer session full of fun, I know from my more than 40 years of camp experience that the annual Scavenger Hunt never disappoints. Perhaps the enthusiasm and joy the campers have for the “hunt” is, unbeknownst to them, deeply embedded in their psyche. Anthropologists tell us that with pangs of hunger, the ancients would wander through the forest and over fields in search of food, scavenging the earth for their next meal. Hunting is an animal instinct, a contributing factor to survival. Over time, the need to hunt became less relevant with the convenience of supermarkets, delis, and fast-food restaurants. Despite this, the hunting instinct still remains embedded in our collective DNA.

According to The Daily Beacon out of the University of Tennessee, Vladimir Dinets, a research assistant professor of psychology, published a case study that examines the evolution of the natural instinct to hunt. Dinets explains: “The inner hunter aspect has its roots in a time when grocery stores did not exist and hunting was the only way to survive. The way that this instinct plays out now is different than when hunting was imperative. Now, there are other ways to feed the inner hunter.”

Fun

Childhood games, like Ringalevio, Hide and Seek, Tag, and Capture the Flag exercise the hunting instinct. In play, searching for something or someone is great fun. Think of the Easter egg hunt, searching for the Passover matzah, and going door to door on Halloween. These activities provide hours of entertainment, satisfaction, and a great sense of accomplishment. For my money, though, no other hunting game compares to The Scavenger Hunt. Getting a list with hard-to-find items and the free range to search an entire lawn, campus, or house triggers excitement and anticipation. Most young people dive all in to join the search and satisfy their inner hunters.

The Scavenger Hunt became popular during the Roaring ‘20s. New Yorker writer Patricia Marx explains that “during the 19th century, iterations of the game like letterboxing and orienteering gained attention.” Marx goes on to say, “But when it comes to popularizing the scavenger hunt, the credit has to go to the Jazz Age gossip columnist Elsa Maxwell and her raucous parties.”

(Smithsonianmag.com)

The Scavenger Hunt and Summer Camp Tradition

It isn’t hard to imagine the potency of a game if it proved to be popular in the party decade of the 1920s. The appeal of the scavenger hunt lasted for generations and ultimately became a staple of summer camp programs everywhere. As someone who spent most of his summers in camp, I always smile when I think back on scavenger hunts circa 1976. I remember the camp director creating a list that included hard-to-find items like a four- leaf clover, a camper with two different eye colors, and a firm handshake from Phil, the often-elusive head of maintenance. We spent hours on our search and enjoyed every second.

As a camp director, I look forward to the scavenger hunt each year. And though the groups are competing with each other for the grand prize of a pizza party by the pool, nothing unifies the camp like the scavenger hunt.

The competition is soaked in nostalgia, collaboration, and tradition. We keep tallies of the counselors who won the most over the years and we recall with great delight some of the most memorable hunts. The Scavenger Hunt is a tradition that evokes ancient tribes seeking survival – a tradition that continues to be everlasting fun.

Watch and enjoy the first few seconds of a Harvey Summer Scavenger Hunt:

Written by Vinny Alexander – Edited by Chris DelCampo