Family Games: Fact-Finding Challenge/Treasure Hunt

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Games developed by UPF-Malaysia for the International Day of Families to give people the opportunity to compete in a fun setting, preferably in a park.

The game is competitive in nature requiring family members to work together and as a result promotes unity and harmonious relationship within the members of the family – husband and wife, parents and children, and inter-generational.

1) Where to play the game? Ideally in a large park.

2) When to play the game? In the morning or late afternoon where the sunlight is not strong.

3) How long is the game? Around 1 ½ hours.

How to play the games

This game is very similar to the famous television show “The Amazing Race” where teams compete going from one station to another and need to complete some obstacles successfully. This game is specially designed for the family. There is no limit in the number of families that can participate. It is also possible to combine single people with the families.

The location for our Treasure Hunt is unique in that there are designated areas in a park in Kuala Lumpur representing the following countries: Peru, Canada, Thailand, Indonesia, Iran, China, Japan, Holland, and England. [For a report of the 2011 International Day of Families event in Malaysia, click here.]

The game is organized in the following way:

Judges are assigned to stand at the gate of each designated area representing the ‘countries.’
All the groups gather in one location, where they are given a paper with ‘challenge question’ and need to figure out which country is indicated. An example of such a question may be, ‘Which country has the longest man-made structure in the world?’ Since there are nine designated countries, the questions refer to different countries so the groups are spread out.
The group needs to make their way quickly to the country of the challenge question and present the paper to the judge.
The judge confirms that they made the right choice and gives them a questionnaire about that country. Questions may be related to culture, history, famous landmarks, etc. They can also be asked to find a hidden item such as candy. Questions related to 'China' could include:
- What is meant by PRC?
- What is the favorite color that brings fortune in the Chinese New Year?
- What was the name of one dynasty in Chinese history?
- What famous landmark in Beijing was the Chinese imperial palace?
- Find and take only one piece of hidden candy, and give it to the judge.

After the group answers the questions correctly and finds the hidden items (if any), the judge gives them their next challenge question, in which the group needs to identify another country. This continues until the group completes the ‘trip’ to all the countries.