Plan an Epic Scavenger Hunt Birthday Party for Your 11-Year-Old - Tips & Ideas!

I am planning my oldest's 11th birthday party. He's obviously a little too old for traditional party games and I just can't fathom spending $200 at a location for a 2 hour party. So, I am trying to plan a Scavenger Hunt. The theme I was going for was Devin's Favorite Things (his most favorite is anything to do with sports so I also thought that just having sports as a theme might work, but right now we're at all of his favorite things)

I am stuck at creating the clues. I want them to be challenging, but I don't want the hunt to last all day, ya know? I have a short list of his favorite things. I was hoping to have at least 10 things and making each thing a "clue" or location where they have to pick up something or get a signature from someone. Right now I only have 5 things on the list.

1. Sports
a. Football
b. Basketball
2. Creating Things
3. Friends
4. Swimming
5. Sisters

Has anyone ever put together one of these for their child? Any tips or suggestions? The party will be on Sat. June 21st. I want to keep the kids in the neighborhood. We have a park, 2 schools (elementary and Intermediate), a swimming pool, lots of houses all within relatively easy walking distance. I am borrowing walkie-talkies from friends so we can keep in touch with the kids. All the teams (maybe 3 groups of 3 or 4 kids) wil have 1 walkie-talkie and a disposable camera. I'm not sure what other equipment they'll need yet. I guess it depends on the clues and where they'll need to go.

The thank-you gift we'll give out to the kids is a memory book with the pictures they took a the party. We'll get them devolped at a 1-hr place during the food or something. I haven't quite figured out how I'l develop the pictures and still let them take pictures of the gifts and cake then develop and sort through the pictures and make 10-12 memory books. Maybe I'll make the party a slumber to give myself time to create the books.

As you can see I am in the very prelimanary stages of planning this party. I will take guidance and suggestions from anyone who has done this or can think creatively on this level.

THANKS!!

we did a scavenger hunt last year for my daughter when she turned 14 but we didn't base it on a themewe had 4 teams (as they came in the chose a bracelet then we divided them by bracelet colors so they didn't buddy up)
my husband, each of my sons and I drove them around we had 6 to a team and they could only get 1 thing per house.
they used digital cameras for street signs I had asked for or a child on a swing , man mowing his yard etc.things they had to bring back (from what I can remember)3 raisins
a walmart receipt 50 extra points if the receipt had a watermelon
a character band aid
a tealight 25 extra points if it was scented
a snack size baggie
a packet of equal
birthday candle
Lowe's ad& more things I can't think of nowthe winning team got an extra goodie bag

Thank you for your experience Teresa. I think I'm starting to formalize my ideas. It helps to hear what other people have done.

since we had teen girls I didn't mess with "clues" just gave them the sheet of paper the family had to sign when they gave something and the address

I think most people don't expect clues with a scavenger hunt,just a list of odd things they have to collect or photograph. Clues usually go with a treasure hunt, where the teams are finding more clues on the way to discovering a treasure with the last clue. If your kids are tech-savvy with digital cameras, that is a fun new way to do scavenger hunts. Good luck!

Oh no way would I send this group out with digital cameras. We will use disposable. Thank you though.

I will do the list of objects to find. Signatures to collect and a few set pictures to take, although I really just want them to capture moments from their afternoon together.