We're right in the midst of summer research season and around the chemistry department at Lafayette that can only mean one thing, video scavenger hunt time. As a department we try and do one fun event a week with the students. That can be things like a movie, mini-golf, bowling, etc. 14 years ago I came up with the idea of creating a photo scavenger hunt for the students and it was quite a hit. This morphed into a video scavenger hunt 11 years ago. From its humble beginnings it has grown quite significantly. The students get about 4 hours to complete as many of the various missions as possible. At the end of the night they show up at my house for ice cream and watching all of the videos they have captured. Upon completion the winning team is determined and they win the great prize of one movie ticket for each person on the winning team. So, in reality there isn't much to win but pride. But apparently pride is enough to get students to do some pretty silly stuff. Dancing in public squares, eating packets of Kool-Aid, shaving off an eyebrow, it has made for some tremendous laughs over the years. At the bottom of this post you'll find this year's list and the accompanying soundtrack. A recent development has been the teams dressing in themes and this year there were some amazing themes: frat bros, Powerpuff Girls, Scooby-Doo and the Spice Girls (not the musical group, shirts with various spices).
So , what does this have to do with technology. Well, this year I found something new, Goosechase. In the past we had just borrowed video cameras from our library. This worked ok, but there were some technical glitches and scoring was very difficult. I discovered Goosechase and was immediately sold on its possibilities. Live scoring! Students using their ever-present phones as opposed to borrowed cameras. Free for groups the size of our summer research contingent! It seemed too good to be true. Coming up with ideas for various missions is always fun. One way to do it is to listen to students and note things they think might be good ideas. It took some time to come up with a list and then a little more to enter it into Goosechase. But playing around with the technology made me think it was worth it. I did have some longer missions and I told students they had to record them outside the Goosechase app since that limits things to 15 seconds. This proved to be my downfall. It made for lots of mad file copying and filling flash drives. I also exported each individual mission and played them from the flash drive on my Roku. The problem here is that there were lots of folders and it made for a fair amount of dead time. I also made some of the longer videos too long. They were still funny, but it made it difficult to decide if I should just stop them or let them play out. So, the ending was a bit disappointing but it was still a lot of fun. I think my favorite thing to watch was the ballet to "We are the champions" in our gym. Two of the teams had students that have serious dance backgrounds and it showed. They were incredibly graceful. Unfortunately (or for the sake of humor, fortunately) their other team members were not as skilled. I think I will use Goosechase again next year, but I have learned some valuable lessons. And if you are still reading this and wondering, the Scooby-Doo team won for best theme, but they were barely edged out (243-240) by the Powerpuff Girls.
Rules
1. Obey all traffic rules and drive carefully!
2. No team members may be forced to do something they don’t want to do.
3. Teams may only use one vehicle and one camera (unless there are technical difficulties).
4. Rulings of the judge are final.
5. The video should capture the entire item which must be viewed by the judge to count.
6. Teams must be at the judge’s house by 8:15 pm, there will be a 1 point deduction for every minute late.
7. The ‘T’ column is the minimum length of time in seconds for the item.
8. No obscene pictures/videos.
9. The flash drive contains the needed music and the ‘M’ column gives the song number that goes with an item.
10. Music must be audible on the video.
11. If you are asked to leave a store/area/etc. please comply.
12. Videos of TV screens or computer monitors are not acceptable unless specifically directed to do so.
13. Items marked with a (*) in the ‘S’ column must include people that are not members of the Lafayette Community.
14. You should read all of the items and decide how best to spend your time.
15. Please announce the item number before capturing your video, it makes scoring easier. The ‘P’ column indicates points.
Hints
1. The app will record 15 seconds of video. Videos can be deleted from phones if taken in the app.
2. Longer videos should be recorded outside of the app, but an initial short video should be recorded in the app for scoring.
3. The scoreboard is not an entirely accurate reflection of the score as some points are up to the judge.
4. You are wasting your time if you watch videos from other teams during the hunt, we will watch them all together.
Missions and Point Values
# | Missions | T | S | M | P |
1 | Eat part of an onion as though it were an apple |
|
|
| 3 |
2 | Entire team performs acapella version of “Livin’ on a prayer” at a Burger King | 120 |
|
| 10 |
3 | Having a stranger join the group for #2 |
| * |
| 5 |
4 | Team member shooting a deer with a gun |
|
|
| 1 |
5 | Entire team doing a runway show in a mall | 60 |
| 1 | 8 |
6 | Having a stranger join in #5 |
| * |
| 2 |
7 | Two team members golf clapping for someone making a putt on a golf course |
|
|
| 2 |
8 | Entire team participating in carpool karaoke | 206 |
| 2 | 5 |
9 | Entire team wearing 80s German androgynous punk makeup for #8 |
|
|
| 25 |
10 | At least two team members make an infomercial for an incredibly stupid product | 30 |
|
| 2 |
11 | Best stupid product in #10 |
|
|
| 1 |
12 | Give a pen to Casi at Slate Quarry Hotel (must provide your own pen) |
|
|
| 20 |
13 | Entire team relay making one lap around a track, but each team member must run in a different silly way |
|
|
| 2 |
14 | Getting Ashley, Brittany or Kayla to say hi to me |
| * |
| 2 |
15 | A license plate from a state west of the Mississippi on a moving car |
|
|
| 1 |
16 | If a team member can name the capital for #15 while the license plate is on camera |
|
|
| 1 |
17 | A team member making a full-speed diving catch of a baseball or softball |
|
| 3 | 3 |
18 | Each team member that shows a special, hidden talent |
|
|
| 1 |
19 | Three team members doing an interpretive dance of the research of one of them at a car wash | 30 |
| 4 | 3 |
20 | Best interpretive dance |
|
|
| 1 |
21 | Get three strangers to honk to a “Honk if you like _______” sign (keep it clean) |
| * |
| 1 |
22 | Most original _________ in #21 |
|
|
| 1 |
23 | Team member sings along with this song while standing near a red light but not standing in the road |
|
| 5 | 3 |
24 | Getting a stranger stopped at the light to join in #23 |
| * |
| 1 |
25 | Three team members perform a ballet recital in APK | 181 |
| 6 | 10 |
26 | Two team members Irish step dancing in front of Slainte | 120 |
| 7 | 10 |
27 | Getting a stranger to join in #26 |
| * |
| 2 |
28 | Give a dramatic news report about grass being actively mowed | 30 |
|
| 3 |
29 | Interviewing a stranger as part of the report in #28 |
| * |
| 1 |
30 | Two team members hold a Hershey’s bar between their noses and each take a bite without using hands |
|
|
| 3 |
31 | Team member consumes a vanilla dipped in chocolate kids cone from Dairy Queen in one bite |
|
|
| 1 |
32 | Team member eating snack-sized boneless wings at Buffalo Wildwings without hands or utensils |
|
|
| 5 |
33 | Film the “lost” Dora the Explorer episode where Dora travels some place questionable | 60 |
|
| 5 |
34 | Best Dora episode |
|
|
| 1 |
35 | Team member with as many Hershey kisses in their mouth as possible singing along with the right line |
|
| 8 | 2 |
36 | Team with the documented greatest number of Hershey kisses in 35 |
|
|
| 1 |
37 | Lip sync and dramatic crossing of a body of water by a team member | 30 |
| 9 | 2 |
38 | In front of a pet store, make a convincing commercial to adopt team members as pets | 30 |
| 10 | 3 |
39 | Best #38 |
|
|
| 1 |
40 | Two team members pop a balloon without using their hands or feet |
|
|
| 1 |
41 | Team member eats a packet of Kool-aid |
|
|
| 1 |
42 | Two team members in a bath tub/shower singing Row, row, row your boat |
|
|
| 1 |
43 | A spider crawling across a team member’s forehead |
|
|
| 5 |
44 | Thumb war with a stranger |
| * |
| 5 |
45 | Get an Oreo from your forehead into your mouth without using your hands then eat the Oreo |
|
|
| 10 |
46 | Sword duel at Crayola Factory, loser beheaded, song plays as winner says “There can be only one!” | 30 |
| 11 | 5 |
47 | Entire team reaches level 3 in Spaceteam |
|
|
| 10 |
48 | Three team members doing the appropriate dance at the appropriate location, and you best spell it out | 60 | * | 12 | 5 |
49 | A stranger participating in #48 |
| * |
| 2 |
50 | An optical illusion (ie pouring a waterfall from a water bottle, holding the Leaning Tower of Pisa, etc) |
|
|
| 2 |
51 | Best optical illusion in #50 |
|
|
| 2 |
52 | Three team members perform the appropriate dance routine at a cemetery | 60 |
| 13 | 10 |
53 | Getting a stranger to participate in #52 |
| * |
| 10 |
54 | Four team members dancing in front of a large cowboy hat | 30 |
| 14 | 10 |
55 | Eat a Happy Holstein chocolate ice cream cone at Klein Farms |
|
|
| 15 |
56 | Three team members crying at C.F. Martin Co. | 30 |
| 15 | 25 |
57 | Check in at 40.751296, -75.328916 |
|
|
| 25 |
58 | Entire team production of Grease in front of a Giant Grocery Store not in Forks (must prove location) | 300 |
| 16-18 | 30 |
59 | Best overall production of Grease in #58 |
|
|
| 5 |
60 | Each stranger participating in #58 |
| * |
| 1 |
61 | Interview a stranger coming out of a movie theater about the movie they just saw | 30 | * |
| 5 |
62 | Team member that isn’t driving gets money out of a drive through ATM |
|
|
| 2 |
63 | Play-by-play and color commentary of a stranger getting gas at a WaWa | 15 | * |
| 5 |
64 | Entire team in a tree filmed from the ground |
|
|
| 5 |
65 | Entire team at the most unique place they can think of |
|
|
| 3 |
66 | Most unique place |
|
|
| 1 |
67 | Team writing on a piece of paper an 8 line poem about Moofie the cat |
|
|
| 5 |
68 | Team member doing a dramatic reading of the poem in #67 in the Easton Circle |
|
|
| 3 |
69 | Posting paper from #67 on a board or post near Easton Circle |
|
|
| 5 |
70 | Find a pair or leopard print shoes in a shoe store |
|
|
| 1 |
71 | Find a pair of leopard print undergarments in an undergarment store |
|
|
| 2 |
72 | Entire team frolicking in a field | 15 |
| 19 | 3 |
73 | Make a video for this song near a secret place | 60 |
| 20 | 5 |
74 | Best video for #73 |
|
|
| 1 |
75 | Entire team dancing on a golf course | 60 |
| 21 | 10 |
76 | Check in at 40.698516, -75.211239 |
|
|
| 1 |
77 | Check in at 40.713576, -75.285796 |
|
|
| 1 |
78 | Check in at 40.707052, -75.278642 |
|
|
| 1 |
79 | A stranger using a fidget spinner | 15 | * |
| 2 |
80 | Surprise your teammates saying “the floor is lava” in a public location with them giving the proper reaction |
|
|
| 2 |
81 | For each stranger that climbs up on something in response to #80 |
|
|
| 2 |
82 | Best team theme |
|
|
| 1 |
The Album of the Trailer of the Soundtrack to the Scavenger Hunt
- Im' Too Sexy - Right Said Fred
- Bulletproof - La Roux
- Centerfield - John Fogerty
- Chemicals React - Aly & AJ
- Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
- We are the Champions - Queen
- It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll) - AC/DC
- For the First Time in Forever - Frozen Soundtrack
- How Far I'll Go - Moana Soundtrack (Auli'i Cravalho)
- Angel - Sarah McLachlan
- Princes of the Universe - Queen
- YMCA - Village People
- Thriller - Michael Jackson
- Howdown Throwdown - Miley Cyrus
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The Beatles
- Summer Nights - Grease Soundtrack
- Greased Lightnin' - Grease Soundtrack
- We Go Together - Grease Soundtrack
- The Sound of Music - The Sound of Music Soundtrack
- Pocketful of Sunshine - Natasha Bedingfield
- Bet On It - High School Musical 2 Soundtrack