Library Treasure Hunt using Dewey Decimal
A structured educational outing where children use basic library catalog skills (or pre-made clues pointing to specific classification numbers) to locate books on a specific topic. This reinforces structure and navigation skills.
- Takes
- 1–2 hr
- Your setup
- 10 min prep
- Ages
- Ages 9–14
- Mess
- No mess
- Cost
- Free
- Where
- Indoors
How to do it
- 1Before going, prepare clues that lead to specific sections (e.g., 'Find a book in the 796 section about sports').
- 2Explain how the Dewey Decimal system works (briefly: numbers = categories).
- 3Give the child the first clue.
- 4They must find the correct section, locate a book matching the description, and bring it back before receiving the next clue.
- 5The 'treasure' could be choosing a book to check out or a small treat.
What they're practising
- Information Literacy
- Structured Exploration
- Navigational Skills
- Following Multi-Step Directions