Kids' Scavenger Hunts, Mystery Games, a CSI Game & More

If you read only one testimonial on this page, this should be the one you read: My son is a bit of a loner so it was very stressful for him leading up to this (Operation Kovert Kids scavenger hunt) because he didn't know what I was planning. He was worried it was going to be to "kiddish" (his words not mine), and because most of his class was planning to attend he was worried of what they would think. On top of everything else my husband ended up being deployed to the middle east the day before the party which stressed my son out even more. When it was finally revealed that night that everyone was going on a scavenger hunt, they were THRILLED and were actually cheering, it was great and a huge weight off my shoulders that I chosen wisely for the planned activities. Everyone had a great time. I even had a group of girls come and tell me that if they had to grade this party on a scale of 1-10, they give it an 11!!! Many others told me its was the greatest party of the year. A few parents called the next day to say that their kids had such a great time that they were still talking about it! I think it helped my sons self esteem more than anything else. I've noticed that when I drop him off at school now a lot of the kids go out of their way to say hello to him in the morning, when before they didn't even seem to notice him. He has been smiling all week. Thanks again for the wonderful program you put together. It opened my sons eyes to the fact that although there are a few bad seeds (bullies) out there, there are more kids just like him then he could imagine. Forcing them to work together on a fun project was just what he and they needed to really get to know each other as my son was usually the one not wanting to participate in anything. He is continuing to interact more with the other kids little by little and one girl even called the house Saturday to speak to him. He was speechless, but thrilled beyond belief that she even called him. Overall, I owe you a huge thanks!! Its the best money I ever spent. Lisa Marten, Macomb MI

YOU WERE RIGHT!!! I had absolutely nothing to worry about! The party was a huge success. As one child said, "This is the best party ever." We had twelve boys altogether, 6 on each team. It was really a fun time. It kept those crazy, boys busy for 2 hours!!!!!!!!! A mothers dream! :) :) My skeptical husband, who I did let go with one of the teams, LOVED it! He said the boys really had a great time. His words, "Honey, you did a great job, you really did." THANKS A BUNCH!!! YOU ROCK! All the moms thought I was crazy for even having 12 boys......you proved you can have a large party and not go insane!! LOL Until next party.....Mollie Brown, Madison, GA

The birthday scavenger hunt was a huge success - thanks to you. I didn't have time to plan a scavenger hunt. The instructions, rules and supplies were all spelled out for me. I was able to change it a little bit so it was all done indoors. Thank you very much for putting it into Word. The girls had a great time!!I told my fellow co-working moms about the website. Thanks again from a working mom. Krista McGraw, Aurora, IN

We just wanted to tell you how much fun we all had with the Ghost of Marnie Anderson for 8 girls. The girls, between 10 and 11 really got into the whole idea. We live in a middle class town in northern Nevada where money is hard to come by these days, like the rest of the USA. The girls went to the thrift stores and put together amazing costumes. It was just a wonderful memory for all of us. My daughter was celebrating her 11th birthday and just hasn’t stopped thanking myself and her dad. You are extremely talented and you really write a great play! Lynn Berggren, Carson City, Nevada.

The kids has a ball with Operation Catch Me If You Can. I had 11 7-8 year old girls and things moved smoothly. We never had a dull moment; the girls never had time to "click" like they tend to do sometimes. No one ever felt left out and in the end when they watched their skits they wanted to do more. Shelly Husek, Sterling Heights, MI

<<< This was the BEST party ever for my 9 year old! The kids loved the Kovert Kids hunt and all the running around exhausted the 8 boys! I took pictures of them before the hunt next to a sign we had made and used the picture in an iron on graphic that said "The Hunt" in a cool font and ironed them on to t-shirts as the party favor (great idea!). My husband wore the t-shirt downstairs to greet the boys on Saturday morning and they went nuts for them! Definitely a great party! Kim Callaway, Marietta, GA

Hi Susan. I just want to let you know how wonderful our Girl Scout event turned out. Our girls are ages 6 through 13 so we chose "The Special Ones" We made some adjustments that I want to share with you. It was a family fun night event so we included the parents. We had set up tables and chairs and placed the badge supplies on each table. We then instructed all the "First Years" to create a name badge and had them think up special power. Then when the meeting was called to order, after the "Seniors" were introduced, we went around the room and everyone had to stand up and tell us their name and special power. Some of the parents were too funny. One dad said his name was Nutto and his special power was making peanut butter sandwiches without using his hands. The best part was seeing the parents participant in the hunt. We had a really nice time so I had to share this with you. Thank you again. Georgette Scolaro, Brooklyn, NY

Your Easter Hunt, Operation Egghead went Eggcellently!!!!!! The kids from 8 years old and up to 16 years old had a great time doing this hunt! They have already asked if we can do it again next year. They are also interested in other scavenger hunts as well. Thank you again for all this great information. We truly had a wonderful neighborhood party. Linda from New Jersey

The Ghost of Marnie Andersen mystery game skit was for my daughter’s 12th birthday party. The party was a great success. The kids really got into their characters. I provided the costumes and jewelry. The croquette game became an attraction for the neighborhood - the kids playing in their formal dresses with high heel shoes. -Lori

Hi there and thanks for checking in on me since I made my purchases from you. My son's birthday was a huge success, we did the Pirate Treasure Hunt Game and they had a blast. I had them come dressed in some sort of Pirate garb as well. My son said the kids were still talking about it four days later! Lindsay Heisler, Cadogan Alberta Canada

Thank you for saving the night! When I came up with the idea to have a scavenger hunt, I knew it would take hours to plan a successful hunt. I went on-line and within minutes, I had your Operation Kovert Kids Hunt in my hand. It was a beautiful thing! The hunt was a total success. I don't know who had more fun, the girls or myself. We had 12 teenagers for a slumber party. I noticed the age on the hunt said up to 12 years old. The girls I had were 12 and 13. I think they were at the perfect age, not too young to understand and follow the directions, and not too old to think it was boring. You know how teenagers can be. When the girls left the next day, several of them told my daughter and myself that it was the best party they had ever been to. My daughter was very excited about the whole night. Patricia Gringeri, West Palm Beach, FL

Operation Kovert Kids was a huge success. I keep talking up your web site and how great it was to have everything done for you. Great job! Thanks, Susan Jabel, Dumont, NJ

Thank you for your WONDERFULLY, AWESOME, FANTASTIC Adventure Hunt. The kids had an absolutely fantastic time with Operation Kovert Kids! We knew it was a success when the kids told us, "You guys are so cool! This was so awesome! Thank you for letting us do this!" Our 13 year old son said this was the BEST New Year's Eve ever! Steve and Susie Jones, Morton, IL

The kids loved your Christmas Scavenger Hunt, Operation Reindeer Games! Thanks so much! I will definitely us you guys again! Kim O’Day, Cumming, GA

Great ideas > I ordered The Special Ones for my daughter's 9th birthday. I tweeked the invitations a little to say that the meeting is disguised as a birthday party at a "seemingly" normal residential home which is actually Camp Fredo, a special training camp. The party was a huge success. As you can guess, very little went as planned. I basically did all the acting, but the kids had a ball. I had one of the Dad's playing Stevie Snooz, and I played Simone, Camp Fredo's "Executive Director". I enlisted my 18 year old and her to firends as "senior spies" playing the roles of Darlene Danger (boy did she get into that with her long black hair-she dressed like cat woman) Gyspy and Hunter. Then I broke the "first years" up into three groups and assigned a senior to each one to be over see the creation of the coats of arms and the hunting part. The "training ciruit" was a huge success. The kids really got into it and loved running up and down my stairs, jumping rope in the house, etc. My daughter said that the boys especially said it was the best party they had ever been to. Three of them asked me if I was doing it again next year. One of them said " can't believe you put paint on you face just for a birthday party." I put labels on the crazy string that said "Acme Spy Supply, Super Restraining Cord" and informed the "first years" that they were getting weapons because they had not had time to develop their special powers. So, I had 15 cans of silly string covering Stevie Snooze who was played by one of the Dad's-a very good sport. I also gave them pop guns that they all shot off outside to celebrate their awesome victory. Yes, it was a huge success and I am still cleaning silly string out of my house. Call me...A New York Mom

Susan, thank you so much for all your help. I was feeling overwhelmed because I had never taken part in a scavenger hunt much less put one together. Once I received my order I knew I had nothing to fear. Everything was done for me! Right down to the name tags and award certificates. Just when I thought I had hit a snag, you included alternate challenges that worked better for us. Customizing the hunt to suit our situation, time constraints, and limited space was a snap. The hardest thing I had to do was make sure the location hints weren't too hard or too easy. I decided to include the Boy Scouts with the Cub Scouts so the ages of the boys ranged from 8-17 and there were also two parents that took part. It was great because the teenage boys, who would normally have been too cool to "play," had a great time being silly. They had as much fun if not more than the younger boys. I really made them ham it up when they were bribing me and the facilitators got some really funny pictures. I even got a parent to do a booty dance for me! The pictures were awesome! What a great idea to have them take their own remembrance pictures as part of the hunt! Everyone, including me and the other facilitators, had a blast! I will most definitely be revisiting your site in the near future as I've already had a couple of requests to do an outdoor scavenger hunt. I'd also like to try out a Murder Mystery some time as well. Again, thanks for all your help! Candice Robertson, Calhoun GA

Just wanted you to know we had the Medieval Merriment birthday party today. What a huge success! It was an incredible party. We had 10 boys over. I converted my house into a castle - lots of crepe paper streamers - and the boys had the best time for two hours. By the time I "knighted" all of them and served pizza two hours later, they were exhausted and happy. The kids were completely engrossed in the various challenges. I had planned on doing some of the activities outside but it rained. It was very easy to bring everything inside. It was a great feeling when the boys had left and my son said to me that he and his friends thought this was the best party they had ever attended. Thank you! I'll be using another one of your packages next year! Arquelle Shaw, Danville, CA

I used the scavenger hunt for my daughter's 10th birthday party. It was great! I really enjoyed these documents. They are very detail oriented, easy to use and modify to your needs! Nancy Tretik, Orange Park, FL

Our birthday party hunt was a hit, even for finicky 13 year olds. My daughter thought it would be kind of dumb, but thanked me over and over since they had so much fun.The girls absolutely loved the picture taking, I think that was their favorite part. We gave riddle hints for everything as to where to find it and they loved that too. We did the baby picture collection and then had each team guess who was who. They really thought that was great. We did have a team facilitator for each team and we had a blast with the bribes. I think it really helped having an adult with each team all the time to keep them on track. We got bribed for everything and we were creative with what we wanted from them. Lots of goofiness. The girls were very creative. Of course, some more than others. Anyway, it was really terrific. Thank you. Angela Hammond, Winnemucca NV

We had a blast! I never saw that many teen girls in the same place with no "drama". They all had a great time. My daughter's birthday party will be the talk of the school for the next month! Thank you for such an organized and well developed package. I gave your web site to two of the mothers. Thanks again, Kelly Stephenson, Sanford, NC

Whoooooo hooooo! That's organizer-speak for spending hours modifying challenges, shopping, putting together albums and collection bags and then having a 15-year old voluntarily tell you, "Thanks for doing the hunt, we had a lot of fun and we hope you do it again next year"! It would not have been possible without your kit. Every 4th of July we have a nonprofit "Croaker Festival". I organize the kid's portion of it. The hunt was a fun, challenging and educational event for these kids. I had 2 teams of 6 kids each. I also had 2 facilitators and 2 judges and they were much impressed. The facilitators had as much fun as the kids. This is an awfully long message, but I'm still glowing from the success of this. My husband's eyes glaze over when I talk to him about it but I figure you'll be a more appreciative audience. Michelle Noevere, Oriental, NC

Anne has some wonderful ideas > I did your scavenger hunt for my twin 8yr old boys birthday party just today and it was a big hit. It took us 2.5 hours to complete and we had two teams of 4 boys each and it was just the right amount for boys for that age too. My husband took one team and I took the other. We varied a little from the hunt but not much. The kids loved the funny glasses we had them wear (the ones with the nose, mustache and big eyebrows) and wore them along with their colored bandana over their head as their disguise. For the invitations, we packed a magnifying glass, the bandanas, a notebook and pen, binoculars, candy and the funny glasses which got the kids excited about the upcoming party and told everyone to bring their "spy kit" with them and they all did. The night before, we decorated canvas totes, put our spy gear inside and were ready the next morning. I hid the party favors with the various puzzle pieces so the kids had fun finding treasure too and they could put their findings in the tote as they went along. It was a blast and we have great pictures to remember the event with. It was a party none will soon forget. Thanks. Anne Smith, Alpharetta, GA

Susan: Thanks so much for your thoughtful e-mail. We conducted the Kovert Kids scavenger hunt for our 10 year old son and five of his friends this past Sunday. The hunt was a real success. The boys had a great time. The scavenger hunt activities were plenty to keep the boys busy. The only regret I have is that I did not create individual awards for the boys at the end of the hunt as you suggested. Instead, each boy was given a goodie bag. It would have been a good idea to give the boys more recognition for all the effort they put into their challenges. You provided all the necessary steps to create a intricate and creative scavenger hunt within a very short time frame. Thanks so much!!! My only request is that you develop another scavenger hunt for 11-12 year olds by next Easter!! Thanks again, the product was well worth the price. Best Regards, Nancy Issac, Chicago, IL

Thank you for the great ideas you provided on the scavenger hunt! It saved the day when the camp out we had planned for my daughters 10th birthday party was spoiled by rain. With time running out I needed to scramble and replan her whole party which is when I found your web site I have gotten great feedback from the kids on the scavenger hunt. I will definitely come back to you again for other activities for different youth groups I work with and recommend you to friends! Shelly McCosh, Canton, GA

Thanks so much for your help and experience. We had my son’s 11th birthday party last night and your Kovert Kids Scavenger Hunt was a big success. Our world is a better place because of creative people like you. Kelli Bradley, Mill Creek, WA

I was so impressed with your pirate treasure hunt! I had promised my son he could have a party as just a "fun, you've worked real hard this school year" type of party and he picked a pirate theme. There is going to be an age range from 7-12. I had ordered 2 different online programs and was very disappointed with them because they wouldn't work for that age range. One I wasn't even sure teens could have used even though they were both labeled for kids. I gave your's a shot as a last resort after searching many hours one night and finding your website. Since we wanted to do this party before the school year ended, I was starting to panic. You can't imagine how relieved I was when I downloaded your package. How easy it is going to be to set up, the list of things to get, all the little extras like the names for the games, the pirate captain's names, etc. I already have most of the stuff bought and have gone over the games with my 10 yr old to see if he thought they would work. He is sooooo excited. He liked them all and can't wait for this party. I have bookmarked your site and will be buying more games in the near future! Thanks for taking the time and effort to put something like this together for us parents that time is limited. I have the creative part covered but I just don't have the time right now to devote to thinking up the ideas so this was a huge help. Thanks again, Teri Mitchell, Swartz Creek MI

The Operation Sunday School hunt was a huge success. The kids really loved it and so did I. Once it was all set up all I had to do was pretty much just sit back, relax, and watch the fun. Laurene Chapman, Lesmurdie Western Australia

Note: Many of these folks who were kind enough to let us post their email also had some terrific ideas they've kindly allowed us to add to the various games. Thank you to all of them for their creativity and their generosity.