I think we can all come to the agreement that the past few months have been full of interesting twists and turns – but now that summer is here, many of us are looking for ways to get out of the house find some safe activities to do while on a bike ride, drive, or a walk around the neighborhood. If you are on the hunt for a fun learning activity for yourself or your family this summer, take our Traveling Scavenger Hunt out for a spin!
Find a helpful video on how to start your scavenger hunt below:
Materials
- Writing Utensil
- Scavenger Hunt List with Facts (below)
Instructions
- Before you head out on your road trip, bike ride, or walk, print out the scavenger hunt list below this instruction section. If you don’t have a printer, you can write the list out on a separate sheet of paper or have it handy on an electronic device like a smartphone or tablet.
- Get out and explore! Try to find as many items as you can. Depending on where and how you are traveling, you’ll find some items easier than others.
- As you check an item off the list, share the provided fact related to that item with your family or friends that are exploring with you. If you want to learn more, I’ve included the link to the source of the information!
Scavenger Hunt Items to Find
- Bees: Did you know that our state insect is the honeybee? They help pollinate crops and flowers across the state.
- Chickens: The average hen lays around 300-325 eggs each year. In addition, an average person eats around 200 eggs each year – that means one chicken can produce enough eggs for about 1.5 people!
- Corn: Each year in South Dakota, farmers plant and harvest over six million acres (or about six million football fields) worth of corn!
- Cows: South Dakota is home to 3.9 million cows – which means we have over four times as many cows as we do people in the state!
- Farms: In South Dakota, agriculture is the number one industry. In fact, there are over 31,000 farms in our state!
- Pigs: Pork is consistently the most consumed meat in the whole world.
- Sheep: South Dakota is the fifth largest producer of both lamb and wool in the United States.
- Soybeans: Not only do we eat soybeans in a variety of different foods, but it can also be used in non-food products. Did you know that the artificial turf on the SDSU football field is made with a soy-based backing?
- Sunflowers: Our state consistently ranks in the top sunflower producers not only in the United States, but around the world.
- Turkeys: South Dakota raises over 5 million turkeys each year!
- Wheat: While a lot of food products use part of the wheat kernel, whole wheat products use all three parts: the bran, germ, and endosperm!
Thinking Thursday projects will be posted each Thursday (except for holidays) throughout the museum closure for COVID-19. For a full list of previous projects, visit Thinking Thursday.
Questions? Contact Sarah, the museum's education coordinator.