90-120min

Botanical Treasure Hunt

An interactive, outdoor language-learning activity where learners explore nature while solving clues and completing tasks in the target language. Ideal for building vocabulary, fostering teamwork, and connecting language practice to real-world cultural and environmental contexts. Combines hands-on discovery with collaborative problem-solving for an engaging, immersive experience.

Themes:

Game-based learning

Experiential learning

Outdoor setting

Objectives

  • Contextual language use and vocabulary development related to plants, nature, and the environment.
  • Strengthening team collaboration, practicing giving and following instructions, and enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
  • Promoting awareness of culture, ecology, and local biodiversity.
  • Reinforcing nature and plant-related vocabulary.
  • Creating interactive learning experiences in natural settings.

Settings

In-person: Natural cultural space, botanical garden, park, open-air museum

Materials

Physical

  • Plant guide or illustrated clues
  • Printed maps or QR codes
  • Clipboards or notebooks
  • Pencils and markers

Digital

  • Smartphones
  • Genial.ly/Padlet

Overview

What is it? Participants explore botanical gardens through guided clues that require them to identify plants, interpret signs, solve clues, complete tasks and communicate with peers - all in the target language. Treasure hunt activity in a botanical garden can provide language learners with an engaging, immersive and interactive experience that promotes language use, vocabulary acquisition, and cultural exploration within a natural setting.

Step-by-step description

  1. Introduction and Preparation: Gather participants at the entrance of the botanical garden. Introduce the treasure hunt activity, explaining that they will explore the garden while completing language-based tasks. Distribute maps of the garden and task sheets with clues, and explain the rules, provide examples and instructions in the target language. Divide participants into small groups of 3-5 people, ensuring a mix of language abilities if possible. Provide materials like clipboards, pencils, or mobile devices for documentation.
  2. Briefing on Language Tasks: Clarify the language objectives: participants will read and interpret clues, describe plants, identify botanical features, and communicate with teammates. Clues/tasks may include identifying specific plants, locating garden landmarks, answering questions about botanical features or describing plants in the target language. Provide an overview of key botanical terms (e.g., leaf shapes, flower types) and encourage their use during the activity.
  3. Treasure Hunt Begins: Groups start at a designated point in the garden and follow their first clue. Each clue leads them to a specific plant, tree, or location within the garden. At each stop, learners must:
    • Read the clue carefully and discuss possible answers within their group.
    • Identify the plant or feature described in the clue.
    • Complete a task, such as: describing the plant, photographing it, or answering questions about its characteristics. Facilitators can offer hints or vocabulary support at key points.
  4. Midway Check-In: After about half the allotted time, gather all groups to review progress, share discoveries, and provide additional hints if needed. Encourage collaboration and keep groups on track.
  5. Final Tasks and Wrap-Up: Once groups complete their tasks, they return to the starting point. Facilitate a wrap-up discussion where participants share their favorite plants, challenges, and new vocabulary. Groups can present their findings (e.g., photos, drawings, or descriptions) and reflect on how the activity helped them practice the target language.
  6. Reflection and Vocabulary Reinforcement: Conclude the activity with a reflection session. Ask learners to: Identify three new words or phrases they learned during the treasure hunt; Share one interesting fact about a plant or the garden’s cultural significance; Discuss how the activity helped them practice language skills in a real-world context. Provide a vocabulary list summarizing key terms and encourage future use of these terms.

Practical insights

What worked well:

  • Visual and Multisensory Learning: Using visual aids (e.g., maps with symbols, drawings, or photographs) alongside written clues helped learners of all language levels participate confidently.
  • Adaptability: The activity is flexible and can be adapted to different settings. It is versatile for various cultural and educational contexts.
  • Outdoor settings provide a calming and inspiring atmosphere, enhancing motivation and participation.
  • Discussion of the value of nature across cultures and share personal stories, fostering deeper connections and empathy. This approach enriched the language practice by tying it to meaningful, real-world themes.

Common challenges and solutions:

  • Varying language levels: Accommodation participants with diverse language proficiencies and be challenging. To make the activity accessible, it is advised to use visual aids, such as adding lists of key words with pictures and symbols to the treasure hunt map.

Field reflections


Participants in Florence had fun in the treasure hunt and appreciated the beauty and calm of the historical garden. The activities were enriched by a Sabir module to make them able to discuss the value of nature in the different cultures. They appreciated the possibility to share their thoughts and experiences telling to others their personal story or their origin.


In Cluj, educators adapted the activity to a ”Museum Treasure Hunt” for an open-air museum space, using its heritage households and natural setting to create an engaging learning environment. The activity retained the original aims - exploring, solving clues, and completing tasks in the target language, but focused on museum artifacts instead of plants. The main challenge was accommodating participants with varying language levels, including beginners. To support comprehension, visual aids, such as a list of key words with symbols or drawings were added to the treasure hunt map alongside the written instructions in the target language.

Further reading

García Laborda, J., & González Rodríguez, M. V. (2017). Using a treasure hunt game to promote language learning. In M. S. Khine (Ed.), New directions in technological pedagogical content knowledge research: Multiple perspectives (pp. 259-272). Springer.

Kerka, S. (1997). Using experiential learning in adult education. ERIC Digest No. 177.

Kershner, R. (2010). Treasure hunts and puzzles for the English classroom. English Teaching Professional, 70, 34-37.

Rahmah, A. M., & Rahman, A. A. (2014). Treasure hunt game in language learning: Malaysian learners’ perception. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 118, 306-314.

Stevick, E. W. (1980). Teaching and learning languages. Cambridge University Press.

Stockwell, G. (2007). Vocabulary on the move: Investigating an intelligent mobile phone- based vocabulary tutor. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 20(4), 365-383.