# Treasure Hunt Small teams solve a sequence of staged clues and challenges across a physical or digital space to reach a final destination or target token. **Time:** 45 minutes. Public sources suggest 30 to 90 minutes. This 45-minute structure provides a reliable four-clue run. **People:** 6 to 24. Small teams of 3 to 5 people. Groups of 3 or 4 are standard; use a group of 5 when arithmetic requires it. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Observe and practice small-group coordination, task delegation, and collective problem solving under clear sequential milestones. **Use it when:** Use during team onboarding, orientation, or workshop transitions to encourage cross-functional collaboration and practical role division. **Skip it when:** Skip when the venue presents unmanageable mobility barriers, when available session time is under 30 minutes, or when quiet focused work is required. ## Materials and tools - Prepared clue cards or envelopes (4 unique clue stages per team) - One tracking sheet and one pen per team - One final token or marked card per team at the final location - Central countdown timer or stopwatch ## Before participants arrive 1. Substantial setup required before session start. 2. Write and hide clue cards in distinct locations across the permitted venue. 3. Stagger station routes so teams visit locations in different sequences to avoid clustering. 4. Check that every station is physically accessible, well-lit, safe, and clearly identifiable. ## Say this to open Welcome. Today each team will solve a four-step clue sequence. Your goal is to work together, decipher each prompt, locate the next station, and retrieve your team token. You will get your first envelope now. Once you find a station, leave the station marker in place and take only your team card. You have 25 minutes for this active hunt phase. When the timer hits zero, return here immediately. ## How to run it ### 1. Form teams and explain rules (5 minutes) Divide participants into teams of 3 to 5 people. Hand each team their starting envelope and a tracking sheet. State the physical boundary lines, safety guidelines, and exact stop time. Read the opening script. ### 2. Solve clues and navigate stations (25 minutes) Teams open clue 1, decipher the text, and travel to the indicated station to locate the next envelope. Facilitator circulates and provides a prepared standard hint if a team remains stalled for more than 5 minutes. Teams finish by collecting their final token and returning to home base. ### 3. Verify completion and gather tokens (5 minutes) Call time at 25 minutes. All teams gather in the main room. Inspect collected clue slips and retrieved tokens against tracking sheets to confirm full route completion. ### 4. Debrief team problem solving (10 minutes) Facilitate a full-group debrief. Ask 2 or 3 teams to share concrete examples of how they divided work, made decisions under uncertainty, and managed clock pressure. ## Debrief questions - How did your team decide who focused on decoding clues versus navigating the physical space? - What specific action did your team take when a clue was ambiguous or hard to solve? - What team practice or communication habit saved the most time? **Finished output:** Completed clue tracking sheets and retrieved team tokens from every participating group. ## Remote Run via breakout rooms using a single online form (such as Google Forms or Microsoft Forms) configured with response validation. Entering the correct password or riddle solution unlocks the next section containing the subsequent clue. The final section directs teams to a shared digital whiteboard (such as Mural or Padlet) where they post their team name and finish timestamp. ## Hybrid Each team pairs remote members with in-person runners. The in-person runner carries a smartphone on a video call. Remote members receive digital clue texts and decode solutions. The runner streams camera video of physical stations so remote members can visually confirm clues. Both roles verify clue answers together before moving forward. ## Access and participation choices - Place all physical clues between 75 cm and 120 cm from the floor along level, barrier-free routes. - Assign desk-based clue analysis, timekeeping, or route-mapping roles to any participant who opts out of physical navigation without disclosure. ## If the session gets stuck **A team cannot locate a clue at the correct station and stalls.** Provide a standard written hint card after 5 minutes of search time without penalty. **One team finishes the sequence in 12 minutes while others are on clue two.** Provide the early-finishing team a bonus decryption cipher or have them assist the facilitator at the score table. ## Terms used here - Staggered route: Ordering clues so different teams visit stations in different sequences, preventing room congestion. ## Participant material: Sample Four-Clue Card Sequence Clue 1 (Start Envelopes): 'Look where hot drinks brew and clean mugs wait. Under the tray lies your next step.' -> (Leads to break room counter) Clue 2 (Break Room): 'Unscramble this station: N R E P T I R O O M. Check beside the blue paper tray.' -> (Leads to printer room) Clue 3 (Printer Room): 'Count the total whiteboards on the second floor. Multiply that number by 10, and find room [Result].' -> (Leads to designated meeting room) Clue 4 (Meeting Room): 'Collect your team envelope from the podium drawer and return to base.' ## Participant material: Team Tracking Sheet Team Name: Station 1 Code Found: [__________] Station 2 Code Found: [__________] Station 3 Code Found: [__________] Final Token Collected: [__________] Return Timestamp: [__________] ## Sources and adaptation Observed in Participatory Methods as a collaborative clue-solving team activity. Station-to-station navigation hunts are widespread in experiential training and outdoor education. Public sources describe treasure hunts both as personal bingo icebreakers (TrainerBubble) and station clue hunts (Participatory Methods). This run sheet preserves the station-based navigation mechanic from Participatory Methods, standardizing a 4-step sequence, 45-minute running time, explicit digital form setup for remote delivery, and a smartphone camera hybrid procedure. [Participatory Methods](https://participatorymethods.com/activities/treasure-hunt/) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/treasure-hunt/