Report Copyright Infringement View in OSM UK

Description

Solve riddles to find the right item, as you discover what pets need to be safe and happy.
From Scouts website https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/play-a-pet-care-scavenger-hunt/

Resources

Printout of pet care items, or the actual items themselves.

Instructions

Setting up this activity
- You could book in a visit at your local Pets at Home store, and see if you can do this activity during your visit. Find out more on our Pets at Home supporter page. Make sure you've got enough adult helpers to accompany the pairs or small groups, as they search the store.
- If you’re running the activity in your meeting place, you’ll need to hide pictures around your meeting place before the session. You could use pictures we’ve attached to this activity, which include some other items too. You can decide if you want to just print one picture of each item, or have enough for each team to find one.

Run the activity at your meeting place
1. Gather everyone together and explain that you’re going to be playing a treasure hunt style game. You’ll all be finding out about different items pets need to be safe, well-looked after and happy.
2. Everyone should get into small teams. Make sure the teams are of mixed ages and abilities.
3. Tell everyone that you’ll read out riddle about a pet care item for a particular animal. Each team will then need to work out what the answer is. Once the team know the answer, one person from each team can then go to look for a picture of that item hidden somewhere in the space.
4. Decide on the order that people in each team will search in before you start playing. Players should take it in turns to go looking for the item, as you can only send one person from each team to search for the item in each round.
5. Decide how you want to score points and explain it to everyone. You may want to play it that anyone who finds the correct item in under a minute will get a point. You could also stop when the first team has collected the correct item or continue playing until all groups have completed the task.
6. Set any ground rules, such as no climbing or setting out boundaries for the space. You should explain if there are any no-entry areas and explain that the pictures will be at eye level or below, so they shouldn’t need to climb or reach up.
7. When you’re all ready to begin, read the first riddle.
8. When people have found the item, or when time is up, groups can share which animal they thought the riddle was about. People could share anything they know about what the item is used for, and how it is used.
9. Continue going through the riddles. You can do as many or as few as you like. You could make up your own, too.


Run the activity in a pet store
If you've contacted a store to arrange a visit and to do this activity in-store.

1. Gather everyone together and explain that you’re going to be playing a treasure hunt style game. You’ll all be finding out about different items pets need to be safe, well-looked after and happy.
2. Everyone should get into small teams.
3. Tell everyone that you’ll read out riddle about a pet care item for a particular animal. Each team will then need to work out what the answer is. Once they team know the answer, two people from each team can then go to look for that item hidden somewhere in the shop.
4. Players will need to look for the physical item then bring it back, before returning it to the shelf. Adult helpers should accompany the players whilst they're exploring the store.
5. Decide how you want to score points and explain it to everyone. You may want to play it that anyone who finds the correct item in under a minute will get a point. You could also stop when the first team has collected the correct item or continue playing until all groups have completed the task.
6. Remember to set any ground rules or boundaries, such as to not crowd round till areas, to not disturb other customers and to not leave the shop. You might want to tell people to walk rather than run, and that they need to leave the shelves as they found them.
7. Before you start, tell people of any areas they shouldn’t look or anything they can’t touch. For example, tell everyone that nothing will be hidden somewhere unsafe – like in the tarantula terrarium!
8. When you’re ready, read the first riddle.
9. When everyone is back together, groups can share which animal they thought the riddle was about. People could talk about anything they know about what the item’s used for and how it’s used. Groups could also talk about what specific item they chose and check it's suitable for the animal in the riddle.
10. Continue going through the riddles. You can do as many or as few as you like and you could make up your own, too.
11. To prevent people following each other or crowding in the space, one at a time each team could be given their own riddle then search as a team to find that item. They may get a point if they bring the correct item back in under a minute.
12. Before you finish, make sure all the items have been returned to where they were found.

Other ways to play
You can use these riddles in the way that works best for your group and the setting. Here are some ideas for other ways to play:

- When a team solves the riddle, they buzz in and shout out the answer. The team that solves the riddle first then works together to find the item as quickly as possible or within a set time. If you’re getting teams to buzz in with their answer, you could get them to choose an animal and use the noise that animal makes to buzz in.
- All the riddles are read out one by one for teams to solve. When all the riddles have been solved, teams work together to remember as many items as they can. They could write these down or draw them. They then have a set amount of time to find as many of the items as they can.
- Create a trail of riddles around the store or meeting place. Each riddle leads to an item, where you’ll find the next riddle. This riddle will then take you on to the next item. Teams take it in turns to see how many items they can get through in a set time and each team could have a different set of items.


Pet care riddles
Riddle: Looking after my fur keeps it healthy and lush,
Hop to the small animal aisle to find a _____

Answer: BRUSH - A grooming brush for a rabbit

Rabbits need to be brushed regularly to help look after their fur. Long-haired rabbits should be groomed every day, so their hair doesn’t get matted (tangled/knotted?) and uncomfortable.

Riddle: On spinach, greens and hay I like to gobble,
But it’s still very important I have a water_______

Answer: BOTTLE - A water bottle for a guinea pig

Guinea pigs need plenty of fresh water. The best way is to use a bottle with a drinking spout that clips to the side of their hutch. It needs to be changed and cleaned out regularly, so bacteria doesn’t build up inside.

Riddle: To help cats stay clean each day,
you'll need to clean out their ______ ____

Answer: LITTER TRAY – Litter tray for a cat

Cats like their privacy, so it’s best to put their litter tray in a quiet place. You should try to spot-clean the litter tray every day, and make sure you replace the litter at least once a week.

Riddle: When I’m going on a walk with you,
I’ll probably need a number two.
You can’t pick it up using rags,
so don’t forget to take ___ ____

Answer: POO BAGS - Poo/poop bags for a dog.

Dog owners are responsible for cleaning up after their dog. As well as being the right thing to do, it’s also written into law, and dog owners can be fined if they don’t.

Riddle: A water ____ keeps my tank clean,
So all the fishes can still be seen

Answer: FILTER – A water filter for a fish tank

Fish have a great sense of sight, touch and taste, so keep their tank clean by adding a filter so your fish stays healthy and happy.

Riddle: I’ve got long ears, a fluffy tail,
And I need something in a bale
To make sure I stay healthy each day,
80% of my diet should be made of ___

Answer: HAY – A bale or bag of feeding hay for a rabbit

80% of a rabbits diet should be made of hay. They also need to eat some fresh vegetables and a small amount of rabbit pellets.

Riddle: To look after my claws, there's an item I need most
See if you can find my lovely scratching ____

Answer: POST – A scratching post for a cat

Scratching is important for cats. They scratch to claim their space, and help take care of their claws.

Giving them a scratching post to use, can make it less likely that they’ll scratch the furniture.

Riddle: If you’re taking me for walks at night, it's a good idea for me to wear a collar _____

Answer: LIGHT - Collar light for a dog.

Having a light to go on your dogs collar, for a light up or reflective collar, will help keep your dog safe. You'll be able to keep track of them better, and it’ll help other people be able to see them.

Riddle: I’ll learn to come when you call, and love to play fetch with a tennis ___

Answer: BALL – Tennis ball for a dog

It’s important that dogs get the right amount of exercise, and that they have plenty of opportunities to play. Make sure you supervise them when they’re playing with toys, and check them regularly to make sure they’re not damaged.

Note: Collar lights may not be available to buy all year round. They're most useful in the winter months, when the days are shorter and it gets dark earlier.

Tags

(none)

Badge Links

• Animal Friend - Knowledge