History Scavenger Hunt

What You Need:

• Computer with Internet access
• Paper
• Pen or pencil

What You Do:

1. Choose an event in history. Try to choose something your child hasn't studied extensively in school, but also try to be somewhat specific. Instead of choosing World War II, try the start of WWII or a specific battle.
2. On a sheet of paper, write out the 5Ws: Who? What? When? Where? Why?
3. If you know additional information about the event you chose, feel free to add more facts that your child should inquire about. For instance, if you choose the March on Washington, you could ask a question like, "What memorial did Martin Luther King, Jr. stand in front of?" or "How many people participated in the march?"
4. Give the list of questions to your child and tell them that they must find the answer to each question on a different website and make note of the websites where they found the information.
5. Send them on the hunt for the answers!
6. If they come across a page with a lot of text and get overwhelmed, encourage them to scan the page for key terms, like Washington or Dr. King. Scanning is a skill that definitely comes in handy for research essays.
7. When they find the answers to all the questions, celebrate with a treat! It could be anything from a cup of apple cider to 15 minutes playing an online game.

If your child gets really good at these history scavenger hunts, add to the challenge a bit by timing them. Then, each time you do it, you can encourage them to beat their previous time while still finding accurate information. Being able to find information quickly and easily on the Internet is an invaluable skill that will serve your child well in middle and high school and, potentially, in their chosen career.