Schnitzeljagd - Scavenger hunt
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Schnitzeljagd - the German word for scavenger hunt translates literally to "schnitzel hunt". But it has nothing at all to do with a schnitzel. It does, however, refer to the German word papierschnitzel, which translates into paper scraps. It is a terrain game in which a group of people follow clues laid out by another group or person to either meet the other group/person or find a reward at a destination.
In the classic scavenger hunt, the two groups of hiders and seekers are formed first. The hider group marks a path from the start to the finish. The path is marked with scraps of paper or sawdust. The chaser group follows the first group at a distance and has the task of finding them. Once the chasers have caught up with the hiders, the game is over and the sides can be swapped.
Instead of snippets, agreed signs (written notes, arrows made of branches, stones laid on top of each other, etc.) can also be laid out; this is also more environmentally friendly.
Of course, there are also numerous variations here.
When I was about 7 or 8 years old, I took part in a "schnitzeljagd" (scavenger hunt) at a children's birthday party. The term in itself was confusing for most of us, as we had just been given cocoa and cake and now there was supposed to be a "schnitzel"...?
The father of the birthday child wrote down directions on a piece of paper (e.g. "Go to Park Street and look for an old blue bicycle leaning against a fence"). When you found the place described, a note with a letter was hidden there. When you had found all the slips of paper, the letters resulted in a word. In this case the word was "quince" and the last clue was at the bottom of a quince tree. The problem was that we were still at an age where most of us did not know the word quince and had never seen a quince tree. But that's exactly why this scavenger hunt has remained in my memory for a long time.
