At Wondrfly, we’ve extolled the benefits of both outdoor and indoor scavenger hunts for kids. But today I’m here to discuss one more kind of scavenger hunt you may not have even considered.

Use Your Kids’ Screen Time Productively

Screens get a bad reputation when it comes to occupying and entertaining your child. They’re sometimes derided as a quick and easy-to-reach-for alternative to more constructive play and learning. But I’m here to tell you that screen time and educational play are not mutually exclusive.

There are several ways you can harness the educational power of technology in a way that kids find fun! Internet scavenger hunts are just one of the ways you can introduce your child to positive and productive screen time.

This is especially important in the present moment, where more and more parents are working from home, balancing childcare with careers. These internet scavenger hunts are activities kids can do all on their own, combining the convenient distraction of screen time with a truly exciting and enriching experience that builds practical skills.

Why Choose Internet Scavenger Hunts for Kids

The internet is a big, and sometimes scary, place. It has a wealth of possible benefits for kids. From exploring the internet, kids can glean new information and gain computer skills, literacy skills, number skills, research skills, and more. However, it can be difficult to ensure that your child’s browsing experience is both safe and kid-friendly. That’s where internet scavenger hunts come in.

Internet scavenger hunts direct your child’s attention to different pages of one single, parent-approved, kid-friendly website. They keep kids focused on educational content. They also provide the following benefits:

• Teaching kids the fundamentals of computer literacy, basic concepts underlying web design and coding, and how to navigate the internet

• Teaching kids to utilize the internet as a tool for research and information gathering

• Exposing kids to research techniques and principles

• Inviting kids to seek out and find the answers to their own questions, making them independent learners.

And many more…

Notes on Our Internet Scavenger Hunts

These scavenger hunts are designed for kids who have basic reading skills or are in the process of learning to read. Kids should also have a grasp of number skills. and the four mathematical operations: multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. You, as a parent, are the best judge of what your child will or won’t benefit from. However, we recommend these scavenger hunts for kids ages 7 and up. If you find yourself wanting an internet scavenger hunt for kids under 7, be sure to request one in the comments!

Your child should also have a very basic understanding of computer terminology. If your child doesn’t understand a term from the scavenger hunts, either you or they can look it up here or here. If there are any other words they don’t understand, you can aid them in looking them up in a trusted online dictionary.

Wondrfly’s Internet Scavenger Hunt for Kids: NASA Kids Club Edition

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Type the URL www.nasa.gov/kidsclub into the address bar of your browser window.
Hover over the text on the navigation bar (at the top of the screen) that says TOPICS.
Select Topics A-Z from the dropdown menu.
Select a topic from the alphabetized list that starts with the same letter of your first name.
Select the third article from the left on the top row of the grid.
Write down the date the article was last updated and the name of the editor who published it.
Write one sentence summarizing the article OR draw a doodle describing the article.
Return to Topics A-Z by hovering over TOPICS on the navigation bar and selecting Topics A-Z from the dropdown menu.
Select another topic, this time one that starts with the same letter as your middle name.
Repeat steps 5-8 with this topic.
Select a third topic that—you guessed it—starts with the same letter as your last name!
Repeat steps 5-7.
Now, have a look at the three summaries or doodles, dates, and editors you’ve collected.
Write the sentences or draw the doodles representing the articles in alphabetical order by the editor’s last name.
Now, do the same, except in chronological order, by the dates they were published.
Next, hover over the MISSIONS tab from the navigation bar, then select Launches and Landings from the dropdown list.
Find the upcoming launch currently scheduled for May 2022. Click on the hyperlinked name of the mission to go to a news page about the mission.
Scroll down to find an article published on August 2nd, 2021. (It may not be on the first page!)
Record the name of the author, first and last. Linda Herridge
Read the article and record the following facts:

a. The name of the Boeing-manufactured spacecraft being launched. Starliner

b. The time of the scheduled launch. 1:20

c. The percent chance of favorable weather. 60
Put the author’s first name, the author’s last name, and the name of the spacecraft in alphabetical order.
Now, label each of those words with how many letters are in them.
Add the number of letters in the first word in the list to the number of letters in the second word.
Next, subtract the number of letters in the third word.
Divide by the number in the hour’s place of the time of the scheduled launch.
Add the number of minutes in the launch time.
Now, subtract that number from the percent chance of favorable weather. (Just the number, don’t worry about the percent symbol at all!)
What did you get? To check and see if you got the right answer, you have to find the answer to this riddle.

“I'm a number with a first and last name. My last name is twice as long as my first, and my first name is the number of years that have passed since 2019.”

Looking for more ways to occupy and educate your child at home and out in the community? If you live in Jersey City or Hoboken, why not try Wondrfly? We’re dedicated to providing the best tools to allow parents to find and book activities for their kids in Hudson County. Outside New Jersey? Don’t worry, Wondrfly is expanding fast, and will be coming to a city near you before you know it.