In Plain Sight Activity

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Need to keep a bunch of kids busy and not destroy your home? The in plain sight activity works.

This idea kept my son and his friends entertained, quiet and from getting stuck in the dishwasher!

I don’t remember how I learn this, but it’s so simple.

Here’s the basic idea

Before the kids show up, gather some small household items. Also, grab some different types of tape. Masking, clear and painters tapes. Also if you have any decorators putty, grab it too. Plus notepaper and pencil for each child.

Start by right down each household item on each sheet of paper. Easier to create one list and make copies.

Then pick one room in your home and hide in plain sight the items around the room. Use tape if needed to hide the items. Make sure the kiddos will not need to even pick up a pillow to see the items.

When they arrive, give them each a paper and pencil to mark off the items as they find them. Make sure they know to let the item in place. The first one to find all the items wins.

The winner can go get stuck in the dishwasher if they want too!

Here’s a list of common items to get your mind thinking.

• rubberband
• pencil
• paper clip
• peanut
• twist tie
• penny
• button
• comb
• paintbrush
• cotton ball
• safety pin
• pop cycle stick
• nail file
• puzzle piece
• piece of chalk
• board game pieces
• wine cork

Also things you can print.

• A turkey for Thanksgiving
• Santa hat for Christmas
• Letters and Numbers

Some of our themed in plain sight activities

For my nephew’s backyard birthday party I hid in plain sight items he loved.  A matchbox car, a printed logo of his favorite football team, fav candy bar.  Plus the letters of his name.  Some letters were written in chalk, some printed, one drawn in the dirt.  The J was the hardest. I use yarn and taped it around one window to form a J that was 5 feet high.  It surprised everyone once they found it. It stood out like a sore thumb,  yet they couldn’t see it easily during the activity.

I host family murder parties and hidden in plain sight activities are always part of the event.  Suspects have to find fingerprints, blood, and various other clues, weapons or red herons.  Once even sprinkles {yes the kind you sprinkle on cake}  The killer from that party added “poison” to sprinkles.

An online in plain sight activity

On the left is our entry area.  One the right is the entry area with hidden in plain sight objects.  There are 21 objects.  Can you find them all?

This is the objects hidden.

Ideas for themed in plain sight activities.

• Holidays
• Birthdays
• Parties
• Work {yes adults like it too}
• Period of Time – I love the 1950’s and have ideas for a 50’s murder party.
• Murder parties

Ideas to blend objects into the room

• Add on the same color
• Lay in the same shape
• Add to the same texture
• Lay in crevices

One of the hardest items I hid was a rubber band hanging from the ceiling fan chain. It was in the middle of the room ever so slightly above everyone’s head. No one found it.