Scavenger Hunts for Field Trips – 60 Finds for Any Trip

How it works

A museum, a farm, a factory or a historic house: these scavenger hunts for field trips fit any stop because they follow the day itself, from the bus number to the thank-you for the guide.

Read the full guide

One list for each part of the day

Choose a list in the menu beside the main button, then press Print this list. When you arrive opens first, because the meeting point and the restrooms come before anything else. Listen to the guide keeps a class paying attention during the talk.

For the chaperones

Give each chaperone one sheet per group. Hard finds, such as The reason this place exists, take a question to the guide; easy ones need only eyes.

Tips

Keep Lunch and the ride home for the bus back: it ends with a head count before anyone boards.

Questions and answers

What should be on a field trip scavenger hunt?

Finds that work at any stop: the sign with the place's full name, a map with a you-are-here dot, a number the guide says, a word you have never heard, and something older than your school.

Does it work for a museum, zoo or farm?

Yes. Nothing on it names a kind of place. For finds made for one place, the site also has hunts for a museum, a zoo and a farm.

How do you keep students safe on a field trip hunt?

Every find is done with the group and its chaperone. The rules printed on the sheet say so, nothing is bought or taken, and nothing is touched unless a sign or the guide allows it.

All 60 finds

On the bus 12

A building taller than your school Point from your seat. Nobody stands up while the bus moves.
A field with animals in it Cows, horses, sheep or goats. Name what you see.
A guess at how long the ride will take Write it down before the bus pulls out. The closest guess wins a cheer.
A sign with the name of the town you are leaving Watch the window near the edge of town.
A song the whole bus can sing Only if the driver says singing is fine.
The emergency exit on your bus Point to it from your seat. The driver explains how it works.
The first sign that names the place you are visiting The whole row calls it out together, quietly.
The number painted on your bus Say it out loud, so you know which bus to find on the way home.
The seat you will sit in on the way back Remember the row, or sit in the same one.
Something you can see from the bus that you cannot see from home A mountain, a river, a big city or a kind of tree.
Three bridges crossed before you arrive A bridge over a road or over water both count. Call each one out quietly.
Your buddy's favorite thing about going on trips Ask on the way there. Tell the class on the way home.

Show all 60 finds (48 more)

When you arrive 12

A map of the place with a you-are-here dot Trace the way to the first stop with a finger.
A person in a uniform who works here Wave hello. Ask what their job is called.
A place to fill your water bottle here Take a sip now if you are thirsty.
A sign in more than one language Count the languages on it.
A sign that lists the rules for visitors Read one rule aloud. Follow all of them.
The door or gate your class came in through Look back at it once, so you know the way out.
The meeting point if anyone gets lost Every person in your group says where it is.
The name of your group's first stop Find it on the map before you walk there.
The nearest restrooms Find them before you need them.
The sign with the full name of the place Read it aloud with your group.
The year this place opened or was built Look on a sign, a plaque or the entrance. Write the year down.
Your chaperone's name, said three times Easy to remember when you need them.

Listen to the guide 12

A fact that surprised your whole group Everyone in the group must agree it was a surprise.
A job that someone does here Name the job and one tool they use for it.
A living thing the guide points out A plant or an animal. Say its name.
A number the guide says A year, a size or a count. Write it down to share at school.
A story the guide tells, retold in three sentences Beginning, middle and end, to your buddy.
A thing the guide says visitors should never do Say why it is a rule.
A tool or machine the guide shows you Say what it is for.
A word you have never heard before Ask what it means, then use it in a sentence on the bus.
The oldest thing you are told about today Write down how old it is.
One question you ask the guide Think of it while you walk. Raise your hand to ask.
The reason this place exists Say it in one sentence. The guide can check.
Something the guide says you may touch Touch it gently, then give the next person a turn.

Look closely 12

A bird, bug or animal living here Look only. Nobody chases or feeds an animal.
A color you do not see at school Name it, or invent a name for it.
A label with a date on it Read the date. Is it older than your grandparents?
A picture or model that shows how something works Explain it to your buddy in your own words.
A sign that says do not touch Point to it, and keep your hands at your sides.
A sound this place makes by itself Water, a machine, a bird or the wind.
A thing that exists only at this place The guide or a sign has to say it is the only one.
Something made by hand Look for tool marks, stitches or uneven edges.
Something older than your school A sign, a date or the guide can prove it.
Something smaller than your thumbnail Look closely without touching anything that is not allowed.
Something taller than your bus A tree, a building, a statue or a machine.
Something you would like to see again Tell your group why.

Lunch and the ride home 12

A question you still want answered Write it down to look up in class.
A score for the trip out of five Hold up your fingers. Give one reason.
A thank-you for the guide The whole group says it together.
A title for today, as if it were a book Five words or fewer.
The bins for lunch scraps and wrappers Sort your lunch into the right one before you leave.
Everyone in your group, counted before you board Count heads with your chaperone. Nobody is left behind.
The gift shop window Look only. Pick one thing you would put in the class museum.
One thing to tell your family tonight Say it to your buddy first to practice.
Something you learned that your teacher did not know Tell the teacher back at school and see.
The spot where your class eats lunch Look around it before you leave. Leave nothing behind.
Thanks for the driver as you board for home Every student says it on the top step.
Your favorite part of the trip, drawn on the ride home A quick sketch on the back of this sheet.

How this list was compiled: Written for this site in September 2026: 60 original finds and tasks for a school field trip to any museum, farm, zoo, park, factory or historic site. Nothing was copied from another list, and no place, company or brand is named. The notes are simple rules for doing each task, not facts, so no outside page was read for them. Every task keeps students with their group and chaperone: nothing is bought, taken or touched without a sign or the guide's say-so. Levels are our estimate. Licence: own work