Scavenger Hunt for Kids on the Camino...ideas needed

[AndaPronto]

Hi,

Our family of 4 will be heading over to SJPDP in a little over 2 weeks to walk the Camino for 12 days with our 9 & 11 year old. I just had the idea of putting together a 'scavenger hunt' of interesting/odd things/Spain-specific items, for my kids to look out for or try along the way ("Scavenger hunt" in the US is basically a list of items you need to find and check off - normally a race between kids/teams). I really think that they would get a kick out of it and it would help them sink into the experience and culture in a special way (and hopefully distract them a bit from the fact that we are walking for hours a day).

I would love the input of all of you who are out there and have learned the common items and sights that are uniquely "Camino" or "Spain" that would be fun to discover. ...items that you might find in many of the villages (certain type of pastry, ice cream brand, special type of chocolate, Spanish name for 'laundrymat', items that you sometimes see hanging pilgrims backpacks, hanging from balconies, goat walking down the road, different way to flush a toilet, etc.). ...and it doesn't even have to be locating items, maybe it's trying a special dish or talking to someone in Spanish, or meeting someone from 5 different countries. I appreciate your help! Gracias por tu ayuda!

Best,
Susan

 

[C clearly]

That's a good idea. You have already started to list a number of the "sightings" you could do. Perhaps that would be the first thing to do each day - spend an hour discussing and deciding on what things to look for. It could be a different approach each day.

 

[whariwharangi]

Wildlife spotting:

Cantabrian Brown Bear

Seoane's Viper

 

[Icacos]

Storks nesting on a rooftop is something we don't see in North America - at least I don't think so.

Griffon vultures flying overhead.

 

[Mark Lee]

blackberries
eucalyptus trees
grapes
flags from different countries displayed on pilgrim's packs

 

[Icacos]

Hearing the Spaniards say, "Vale."
Listening:
- for the clacking of the storks.
- for sheep/cow bells, especially from the other side of a hedgerow.
- early morning birdsong, and the croaking of frogs.

 

[Mike Savage]

Oh, my. Where to start. So much to see but some unique items I remember: Signs in different languages, French, Spanish, Basque, and English all the first two days. Church tower with 1-5 bells, Different markers for the Camino on the roads: they change every couple of days as you walk through different areas. Banana slugs, European Robins, and Stork nests are all easy to find. Many different farm and wild animals, architecture of different styles, wildflowers of different colors etc. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area then later along the American River, so many plants, flowers, and crops are the same and easy to recognize if you are in to that sort of thing. I also agree with Mark that it was fun to see what flags people had on their packs and it was a great conversation starter. It was also fun to start a conversation and find our where people were from. I could see the kids keeping a list of states and countries. There were also many markers and statues as well as murals and graffiti. Oh yeah, blue, green, brown, and red doors and clothes of every type drying on the line or hanging from backpacks.

Have fun and Buen Camino!

 

[Kanga]

At this time of the year:
Wild horses in the Pyrenees
Black faced Brevis sheep
Ripe figs on a tree
Ripe cherries on a tree
Almonds on a tree (not yet ready, but forming)
Apples on a tree (not yet ripe, but forming)
Cows being herded through a village
Flock of sheep being herded along a road by a shepherd and dogs
Statue of St James (every one counts) and his symbol - scallop shell decorations on houses, churches, retablos, wrought iron.
In a bar (which is fine for children to enter, they are really more like our cafes) first tortilla Español
Aquarius
First sign for chocolate and churros
First advertising sign featuring a bull (huge one near Logroño)
At least ten statues of the Madonna and child (bonus points if she is pregnant)
Pilgrim with washing hanging off his back pack - actually this is so common you might have to nominate something -red socks?
Pilgrim using an umbrella
Pilgrim walking in sandals and no socks
A wild orchid
Lavender growing wild
Red poppies
Wild roses
Bag hanging on a front door for the delivery of the daily bread (extra points if the bread is inside it)
Laundry hanging from a balcony
Advertisement for "Pacharan"
Tetilla ("tit") cheese - you will recognise it!
Ancana brand Tarta de Santiago
Pastry filled with pelo del angel (hair of an angel - delicious)
When looking at churches you need a list to keep them busy, so a list of things specific for that would be good - cherubs, pilgrim staffs, birds, keys (St Peter), St Roche with his leg wound that never heals and his dog, scenes of the announciation, scenes from the life of Jesus - whatever!

I could go on forever.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I'm thinking that each could have a camera to get a shot of the object or activity that they are hunting for (or just find.) On the plus side they start looking for things and new ways to see them. On the minus side; they may not spend as much time thinking about or experiencing the things they photograph.

 

[Castilian]

Some ideas:

Food: Chistorra, Chorizo, Morcilla, Lechazo, Conejo...

Ask daily a local to tell them a refrán and write it down.

Spanish times: lunch times in restaurants, dinner times in restaurants (ask when Spaniards usually go to eat and to dinner), sunrise, sunset, ask a local about siesta, opening times of shops...

Fauna: you got already many suggestions about it but I would add: magpies and sparrows.

Look for local flags.

Brands of bus companies.

Look for someone using an abanico.

Write the Spanish alphabet. For each letter, look for a word starting by it and another one containing it but not starting by it. For example: letter A: Albergue and casa; letter B: Billete and Autobús and so on. Some letters are tricky and (perhaps) they won't complete the list but they'll be busy trying it.

First sign for chocolate and churros

That one is risky with kids. They may want a chocolate con churros every day...

pelo del angel

Cabello de ángel.

 

[AndaPronto]

Wildlife spotting:

Cantabrian Brown Bear

Seoane's Viper

Yikes! I didn't know that there were venomous snakes in the area. Are the Seoane's Vipers often spotted along the trail? Where do they like to hang out? We have plenty of rattlesnakes in the area where we live, but I have yet to see one (knock on wood). I will add it to the list - but maybe we will just see a 'picture' of one during our camino.

 

[AndaPronto]

I was excited about the trip before, but after reading all these suggestions - my level of excitement just skyrocketed! I think that the kids may need to try to keep up with me in spotting and experiencing everything above. "Aquarius" threw me and my son last night, when we were reading the list - trying to figure out in what context 'Aquarius' would be found. After he went to bed I looked up "Aquarius Spain" and found it's a sports drink. I will put it on the list, but won't tell then what it is...just to look for the word. It will make for a nice surprise when we go grocery shopping. I love the idea of taking of a photo of many of the items. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

[AndaPronto]

That one is risky with kids. They may want a chocolate con churros every day...

No, I think I am the one at risk.

 

[whariwharangi]

Yikes! I didn't know that there were venomous snakes in the area. Are the Seoane's Vipers often spotted along the trail? Where do they like to hang out? We have plenty of rattlesnakes in the area where we live, but I have yet to see one (knock on wood). I will add it to the list - but maybe we will just see a 'picture' of one during our camino.

No. Neither the bears nor the vipers are frequently seen. However, its a good thing to keep an eye out for them ... and keep a distance if they are seen.

You can find out habitat by looking them up online.

 

[Mark Lee]

Yikes! I didn't know that there were venomous snakes in the area. Are the Seoane's Vipers often spotted along the trail? Where do they like to hang out? We have plenty of rattlesnakes in the area where we live, but I have yet to see one (knock on wood). I will add it to the list - but maybe we will just see a 'picture' of one during our camino.

Don't sweat the lions, tigers and bears (oh my!) in the area of the Camino Frances. You are more than likely to see a deer early in the morning, if anything. Which is a very cool thing to see. Wild boar not too keen of the heat of the day. They are nocturnal for the most part during the summer. They won't mess with you. Spain is far from overrun with bears, and again it is an animal that in all likelihood wants to avoid us humans.
I only saw one snake on my CF's. A small one in the middle of the road that had been flattened by a car. Could not tell if it was of the poisonous variety.
I did see a lot of raptors such as vultures and hawks flying about. You see the hawks gliding low over the agriculture fields looking for mice and such and now and then you will see one dive down and grab something. They are cool to see.

 

[2sassytravelers]

Hi,

Our family of 4 will be heading over to SJPDP in a little over 2 weeks to walk the Camino for 12 days with our 9 & 11 year old. I just had the idea of putting together a 'scavenger hunt' of interesting/odd things/Spain-specific items, for my kids to look out for or try along the way ("Scavenger hunt" in the US is basically a list of items you need to find and check off - normally a race between kids/teams). I really think that they would get a kick out of it and it would help them sink into the experience and culture in a special way (and hopefully distract them a bit from the fact that we are walking for hours a day).

I would love the input of all of you who are out there and have learned the common items and sights that are uniquely "Camino" or "Spain" that would be fun to discover. ...items that you might find in many of the villages (certain type of pastry, ice cream brand, special type of chocolate, Spanish name for 'laundrymat', items that you sometimes see hanging pilgrims backpacks, hanging from balconies, goat walking down the road, different way to flush a toilet, etc.). ...and it doesn't even have to be locating items, maybe it's trying a special dish or talking to someone in Spanish, or meeting someone from 5 different countries. I appreciate your help! Gracias por tu ayuda!

Best,
Susan

No-one mentioned hearing and see Cuckoos. We heard them every day but never saw them. How about noting what countries pilgrims are from? Or learning how to say "Hello" or "Thank you" in their language. Buen Camino

 

[Mike Savage]

No-one mentioned hearing and see Cuckoos. We heard them every day but never saw them. How about noting what countries pilgrims are from? Or learning how to say "Hello" or "Thank you" in their language. Buen Camino

I wish I would have heard a Cuckoo. I walked in September and October and never heard or saw one. I did have fun learning (from the pilgrims) how to say Buen Camino in many different languages. Great suggestion.

 

[Kerstinh47]

I don't have much to add, but I love this thread - your original idea and all of the suggestions! This suggestion would involve a bit more stopping here and there, but you could challenge them to get stamps in their pilgrim passports in the same village, but different locations (so different stamp) and they could compare their passport stamps.
If you put 'tortilla' on their list to find, they'll discover a delicious Spanish food that is quite different from a Mexican tortilla )
Also, teach them what a cairn is - they could be on the lookout and count how many they find in a day.
Buen Camino!

 

[Kiwi-family]

Arrows!

Now can I say a little something? I've walked three caminos with kids 6-18 years. Beware of needing to turn it into a game. The Real Deal will be captivating to them. Well, that was my experience anyway. My kids were kept busy with wondering what of the many things they saw/smelt/heard/ate/experienced each day they were going to record in their journals. But at the same time, don't let me discourage you from having fun!

We had two caminos in which we heard cuckoos almost every day and by this latest camino (my fourth), I REALLY wanted to see one. Two of them flitted and zipped about beside us for about ten minutes on our walk into Santiago on the very last day. It was a fitting finish.

 

[JohnMcM]

Unusual doors, doorknockers and keyholes would give them something to look for that would last from start to end of their adventure.
Buen Camino

 

[Mangled99]

Just had a look at geocaching.com and there appears to be lots of geocaches along that route, my kids used to enjoy looking for them and it was how I used to get them out on a walk.

 

[Lisa HS]

Just had a look at geocaching.com and there appears to be lots of geocaches along that route, my kids used to enjoy looking for them and it was how I used to get them out on a walk.

I just finished my Camino and did some Geocaching along the way, especially in the cities. It can take you to interesting local things you don't find in guidebooks. Fantastic hobby to do with kids on or off the Camino.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Yikes! I didn't know that there were venomous snakes in the area. Are the Seoane's Vipers often spotted along the trail? Where do they like to hang out? We have plenty of rattlesnakes in the area where we live, but I have yet to see one (knock on wood). I will add it to the list - but maybe we will just see a 'picture' of one during our camino.

Here's a picture of one, on the Camino:

 

[SYates]

Yikes! I didn't know that there were venomous snakes in the area. Are the Seoane's Vipers often spotted along the trail? Where do they like to hang out? We have plenty of rattlesnakes in the area where we live, but I have yet to see one (knock on wood). I will add it to the list - but maybe we will just see a 'picture' of one during our camino.

Stop hyperventilating It is a venomous snake, but not in the same class as a rattlesnake when its poison is concerned and bites are also extremely rare. No human deaths ever reported. Just don't try to pet it and you and your family will be fine. Buen Camino, SY

 

[AndaPronto]

Arrows!

Now can I say a little something? I've walked three caminos with kids 6-18 years. Beware of needing to turn it into a game. The Real Deal will be captivating to them. Well, that was my experience anyway. My kids were kept busy with wondering what of the many things they saw/smelt/heard/ate/experienced each day they were going to record in their journals. But at the same time, don't let me discourage you from having fun!

We had two caminos in which we heard cuckoos almost every day and by this latest camino (my fourth), I REALLY wanted to see one. Two of them flitted and zipped about beside us for about ten minutes on our walk into Santiago on the very last day. It was a fitting finish.

Yes, I don't want to plan every moment with a game. I do want them to have room to have their own perspectives on their experience. We will keep the list light - and they can add their own items that they would suggest including on a future list for someone else. Just get them kick-started.

 

[AndaPronto]

Just had a look at geocaching.com and there appears to be lots of geocaches along that route, my kids used to enjoy looking for them and it was how I used to get them out on a walk.

Great idea! My kids are just starting to do that...although they are now begging for Pokémon Go. Won't happen on the Camino!