Lost - DIY - 200

Objective:

Design an intricate maze for others to solve.

Details:

1) Watch Maze Making with Ben Pawlowski from Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning.

2) Keeping in mind what you have learned about Pawlowski’s methods, draw a maze of your own. As this is a 200 point objective, make sure you take the time to make an intricate maze that you feel proud to show.

3) Scan your maze as a pdf, and email it to hello@questscouts.com with the subject line “Lost Maze”. (You can do this yourself with a traditional scanner or the Adobe Scan phone app, or pay to have it done for you at the UPS store.)

4) Quest Scouts will then upload your maze to our Lost Games Micro Objective page for your fellow scouts to solve!

Lost - Research - 300

Objective:

Locate and play a PAC-MAN arcade game.

Details:

1) Do a bit of research, and locate the location of a pac-man arcade game that you can feasibly travel to.

Please note, for the purposes of this objective, an arcade game is a large, free standing console like the examples to the right. Please do not use an at home console to satisfy this objective.

2) Travel to and play the Pac-Man arcade game you previously identified.

3) Take a photo of yourself in front of the game (and/or a photo of your initial on the high scores screen) and share it in our Facebook group.  

Lost - DIY - 200

Objective:

Tell your clutter to "get lost" with a trip to your local thrift store.

Details:

For this objective, you’ll be getting rid of items in your house that no longer serve you. In other words, we’re telling our clutter to “get lost”!

1) Choose a focus.

This is a 200 point objective, so ideally it should take a few hours to complete. That said, the scope of the decluttering is up to you.

Before you begin, answer the following questions for yourself:

  • Is there a spefic amount of time you would like to spend decluttering?

  • Would you like to focus on a specific area of your home?

  • Do you have a goal of how many pieces of clutter you would like to get rid of?

2) Once you’ve got a clear goal, it’s time to declutter! Systematically work through your home with your goal(s) in mind, and create a pile of items you no longer wish to keep.

3) Get rid of your stuff! Take it to a thrift shop, give it to friends or find another way to dispose of it. This objective is not complete until the items have been removed from your residence. (We don’t want any lingering bags and boxes in the garage or car!)

4) Take a photo of yourself getting rid of your items (e.g. in front of a Goodwill or handing off the items to a friend) and share it in our Facebook group.

5) Alongside your photo, tell us a bit about your experience completing this objective.

Lost Micro Objective - Media - 50

 

Quest Scouts inspires your to squeeze the most out of life while collecting real-life, physical badges. 

Objective:

Learn about maze design through exploring Adrian Fisher’s work.

Details:

The Lost Travel Objective asks you to travel through a “life sized” maze. It is our hope that this micro objective further inspires you to travel through a larger than life maze through exposing you to the designs and ethos of the award winning maker, Adrian Fisher.

1) Watch Fisher’s TEDx Talk, The Hidden World of Maze Design.

2) Check out Fisher’s portfolio on his website.

3) In the comments below, answer the following questions:

  • If you could visit only one of Fisher’s maze’s, which would you choose and why?

  • What is something you learned from Fisher’s TEDx Talk?

  • If you had a large budget to design a maze, what would it be like?

 

Lost - Literature - 150

 

Objective:

Work your way through a "seek-and-find" book.

Details:

1) Choose a “seek-and-find” book that you would like to explore.

What’s a seek-and-find book? Seek-and-find books are picture books filled with pages of busy scenes. Within these scenes, you are tasked with finding specific people or objects. Classic examples of seek-and-find books are “Where’s Waldo” and “I Spy”.

You can choose any seek-and-find book, but we ask that you find something that will not only fulfill the objective, but that will also bring you joy. For instance, maybe you are a National Parks lover, so you choose Seek & Find National Parks. Or maybe you are feeling nostalgic and revisit a book from your childhood.

We’ve created a list of suggestions over at our online Quest Scouts bookshop, but feel free to choose a book that’s not on the list.

2) Get cozy and spend at least an hour immersed in your seek-and-find book. Really get into it! How many pages can you make your way through?

3) In the comments below, tell us about your experience. Let us know:

  • The title and author of the book

  • A brief description of the book

  • Why you chose the book you chose

  • What you thought of your time with the book

  • The item that you spent the most time looking for. Did you give up or eventually find it?

  • Whether or not you would recommend this seek-and-find book to a fellow scout

Lost - Photography - 100

 

Objective:

Create an image that captures the feeling of being lost.

Details:

1) Check out Cesar Blay’s photo series entitled “State of Discouragement”. Blay uses the figure of a solitary man holding an umbrella in a series of settings to communicate the feeling of being lost.

2) For this objective, we’d like you to create your own artistic photograph that captures the feeling a being lost. You can interpret the feeling of being lost in any way you would like.

3) Share your photo in our Facebook group.

4) Alongside your image, write a short description of the image explaining your rationale behind the photo. What is it about the image that convey’s the feeling of being lost?

 

Lost - Literature - 300

 

Objective:

Read any novel that features a maze or labyrinth as a central plot point.

Details:

1) Choose and obtain ANY* novel that features a maze or labyrinth as a central plot point.

We’ve created a list of suggestions over at our new online Quest Scouts bookshop, but feel free to choose a book that’s not on the list. Just be sure to do your best to choose a novel that truly centers a maze or labyrinth.

*Caveat- Please choose a 150+ page book for this objective.

2) Read the book! (Listening to the audio version is great too!)

3) Write a short book review and post it in the comments below. Be sure to include:

  • The title and author

  • A brief description of the plot and/or premise

  • What your thought of the book. (Did you love it? Hate it?)

Lost - Travel - 300


Objective:

Make your way through a life sized maze.

Details:

1) Identify a life sized maze that you’d like to visit.

What do we mean by “life sized”? The point here is we want you to think BIG. Find a maze that you can walk though. You might consider a corn maze, a snow maze, or even a meditation labyrinth. Examples include The Lavender Labyrinth in Michigan, The Maize at the Pumpkin Patch in Oregon, and this Haunted Corn Maze in Rhode Island!

2) Make your way through the maze.

3) Take a photo while in the maze and share it in our Facebook group.

4) Alongside your photo, let us know:

  • What maze did you visit?

  • What did the maze look like? How big was it?

  • Who did you go with?

  • What was it like making your way through the maze?

  • Did anything interesting or unexpected happen?

 

Lost - Find - 300


Objective:

Travel to a lighthouse and collect a passport stamp.

Details:

Did you know that The United States Lighthouse Society runs a passport program that allows you to collect unique rubber stamp images across the country?

These rubber stamps sit inside lighthouses and their gift shops, and can be collected in an official passport book, in a blank notebook, or on a loose piece of paper. Collecting stamps over time allows you to create a log of your visits to some of the most beautiful places in the world. 

For this find objective, we're asking you to visit a lighthouse and attain a lighthouse stamp. Whether you're a seasoned stamp collector or this is your first stamp, we hope that this will be a great excuse for you to visit many lighthouses to come.

Details:

1) Travel to a location that provides a lighthouse stamp.

You can find a list of participating US (as well as Canada and a few other countries) lighthouses here.

Notes: (1) If, and only if, you live in a country that does not have a lighthouse stamp program, you may complete this objective through visiting a lighthouse and not collecting a stamp. (2) If any of you know of lighthouse stamp programs in other countries, please send them our way.)

2) Stamp your passport! (A piece of paper or postcard can be stamped as well- your choice!)

3) Take a photo of yourself with your lighthouse stamp and share it in our Facebook group. (You may additionally want to share a few photos of the lighthouse itself!)

4) Alongside the photo of your stamp, let us know:

  • What lighthouse did you visit?

  • Who did you go with?

  • What was your adventure like? (Give us the details!)

  • What was something interesting that you learned while there?

 

Lost - Games - 300

scav·eng·er hunt

/ˈskavənjər hənt/

noun

  1. a game, typically played in an extensive outdoor area, in which participants have to collect a number of miscellaneous objects.

Objective:

Participate in a scavenger hunt or throw one of your own.

Details:

Your scavenger hunt should feature 10+ stages and/or require you to travel a significant distance. This is a 300 point objective, which means we’d like you to THINK BIG to earn your points.

1) Identify and, if necessary, register for your scavenger hunt.

Option A- Participate in a scavenger hunt

Where might you find your hunt? You’re going to need to do some research! You might consider:

  • Checking your local newspaper or asking in your local forums. If there is a live event that will be happening, this might be your best bet for finding it.

  • Googling it! I know this might seem obvious, but it’s worth a shot. You might be lucky enough to discover a live event in your area, but there are also a fair amount of companies that host ongoing hunts.

  • Checking out junior ranger programs near you. (Yes, most places allow adults to participate!) Some (but not all) programs feature a scavenger hunt component; You’ll need to find one that does.

  • Ask a friend to design a hunt for you. (This would be an awesome party idea!)

Option B- Throw your own hunt!

The world is your sandbox for this one! You’ll need to choose the locations and design clues for your hunt. Make your hunt is fun and challenging for your scavengers. You’ll also want to make sure the hunt features 10+ stages and/or requires you to travel a significant distance.

2) Complete the hunt! (Or follow along with encouragement as others complete the hunt you designed!)

3) Document your hunt with a photograph and and share it in our Facebook group.

4) Alongside your photo, let us know:

  • What hunt did you go on?

  • How many stages were on the hunt?

  • Where did the hunt take you?

  • Who did you do the hunt with?

  • One (or more) awesome or unexpected things that happened during the hunt.

  • Any other interesting details you think we should know?

Origins Micro Objective - DIY - 50

 

Quest Scouts inspires your to squeeze the most out of life while collecting real-life, physical badges. 

Objective:

Order your Origins badge!

Details:

Badges are a symbol of your completion of a quest! Displaying your badges not only provides a sense of accomplishment, but also a reminder of the memories you created while questing.

You can order your badges at any time, but we ask that you don’t display the badge until you’ve completed your quest!

1) This objective is pretty simple! Head over to the scout store and order your Origins badge.

As a welcome to Quest Scouts, we’d like to offer this badge FOR FREE* to anyone who has completed this quest.

To get a code for a free Origins badge:

  • Complete the Origins quest by earning 1000 points or more.

  • E-mail Dylan at hello@questscouts.com with the subject line: “Free Origins Badge?! That’s so awesome!!!”

  • In your email, tell him:

a) How many points you’ve earned toward your Origins badge,
b) How you found out about Quest Scouts and
c) Why you decided to join the Quest Scouts community.

Dylan will then email you a coupon code which will bring the cost of your Origins badge to $0*.

*Badge cost will be $0- You just pay shipping! While supplies last.

2) Wait for your badge to arrive in the mail! Once you’ve got it, take a photo of either yourself with the badge or the badge on display and share it in our Facebook group.

 

Origins - DIY - 300

Objective:

Create a wooden badge board to hold your Quest Scouts tag badges.

 
 

Details:

This objective is for anyone who collects (or plans to collect) tag badges! If that’s not you, no worries; Simply skip this objective! If that is you, excellent! By the end of this objective you’ll have an awesome display board ready to be filled with tags. 

1) First, you’ll need to assess your needs. How many tags will need to fit on your board? Some scouts have been questing for years, while others are just getting started. Your number of tags is reliant on both your longevity and level of participation within the community.

Let’s talk badge types and numbers! There are currently three types of badges:

Standard Quest (Round) Badges-

Series 1-3 offer twelve standard quests each. Series 4 will eventually come to being, and will likely offer twelve more standard quests, for a total of 48. All 48 quests will eventually be available to all scouts. (A few series I standard quests have been archived but will return). As standard quests are not achieved, you can plan on collecting all 48 at your liesure.

Special Quest (Shield Shaped) Badges- 

Special quests often don’t stick around forever. Long term scouts likely have some special tags that are no longer available. (Some may return in the future, but many will not.) Count the number of special tags you’ve earned in the past, as well as the number of special quests currently available to get an idea of how many spaces for special tags you’d like. Keep in mind that we are likely to release 2-4 special quests per year.

Achievement (Diamond Shape) Badges- 

Like special quests, some achievements are time sensitive. For instance, our yearly member badge is only available to members during the year it represents. (e.g. Only those who are members during 2023 may own the 2023 Member Badge.) Count up your past member badges, and count on earning another this year as well! In addition to member badges, there are ten available achievement badges.

We suggest you make a board with more spaces than you currently need to accommodate for future badges earned. This is NOT an exact science, and we’d like you to keep in mind that you can always make a new board in the future to accommodate more tags! (In fact, wouldn’t it be cool in a few years to pass on your smaller board to a newbie scout!) You can also make a modular board, and simply add an additional board below your first board as needed.

2) After you’re estimated how many of each badge type you’ll need to accommodate, you’ll need to design your layout!

Option A- Use or Modify Our Layout

The easiest option might be to replicate a version of our board! (We’ve even provided templates below!) If you’re new to Quest Scouts the number of spaces for badges on our board might be overwhelming… That said, it would give you room to grow!

Our boards are modular and utilized two 10x10 boards we picked up at Michaels. (One pack has two boards!)

You can download the templates we used to make out boards here:

Template 1 of 2:
Top Board- QS Title w/ Room for Standard & Special Spacing
Template 2 of 2:
Bottom Board- Room for Standard, Special and Achievement

IMPORTANT: When printing the above templates, be sure to check that your printer is set to print “actual size”. If you skip this step the template likely won’t be correctly proportioned.

Depending on how many tags you plan to make space for, you may want to adapt the templates accordingly. For instance, you could take our template and remove any number of columns or rows. Another idea for new scouts is to make only the “bottom” board for now and add the top when you’ve earned more badges. The bottom board will accommodate all badge types and is plenty of space to start with.

Option B- Design You Own Layout

If you decide to design your own layout, there are two main factors that you’ll need to account for:

Board Size-

This objective asks that your display board be wooden. Beyond that, choose the board shape and size that works for you. At Quest Scouts Central, our first badge board was a live edge wood piece. Recently we built our display with two 10x10 boards, with the idea that we can add a third board as our collection grows.

Badge Types and Spacing-

The trickiest part of the planning is that NOT ALL OF OUT BADGES ARE THE SAME SIZE. While our standard and special quest badges are roughly similar, our achievement badges are a little bigger. 

This means you’ll need to make a decision. You can either:

Space your tags far enough apart that all tags can fit in any row 

OR

Make some rows for standard/special tags with one type of spacing and other rows for achievement tags with a second type of spacing. 

Spacing tags evenly (but far apart enough to accommodate achievement badges) is a bit easier to do and is more adaptable, but leaves the standard tags hanging slightly further apart. (This may or may not be a big deal to you!) On the other hand, creating differently spaced rows (like our version) takes a bit more planning and limits where you can put each tag.

3) When you’ve planned out your design, you’ll need to to transfer your design to your piece of wood. We find that using paper over graphite paper and tracing the design is the easiest way to do this, but if you’ve got a better method (pencil through paper? freehanding?) by all means do what works best for you.

4) If your chosen design includes any words or images, you’ll want to make those portions permanent. (E.g. For our template, we’d want to fill in the words “Quest Scouts”.) We find that wood burning makes for a very cool, rustic looking board! Alternatively, you could try a very thin paint pen! (We don’t suggest using sharpie/markers on wood, as it tends to bleed.) 

5) Hammer small nails (we used 19 ½” wire nails) into your board following your transferred design. Make sure the nails stick out enough for the tags to hang from.

6) And just like that, your display board is complete! Hang your display on the wall, and your tags on the board!!!

7) Take a photo of your finished display board and share it in our Facebook group.

Origins Micro Objective - Art - 50

Art.png
 

Quest Scouts inspires your to squeeze the most out of life while collecting real-life, physical badges. 

Objective:

Create "Index Card Art" inspired by the provided prompt.

Details:

This micro objective is part of our ongoing series, "index card art." We chose index cards for two reasons. First, index cards are inexpensive cheap and readily available. We don't expect that it will be difficult for any of you to procure an index card. Second, many who don't consider themselves "artists" tend to stress about creating or sharing art. Using an index card instead of a sketch book lends itself to silliness. Have fun with the prompt! We're not looking for perfection, just a good time. You can save your index cards and look back at them over time, or throw them away. The choice is up to you!

1) Gather your supplies. You'll need an index card (4x6 or 5x7) and something to draw with. (Pencil, pen, markers... you get the point!)

2) Interpret the prompt below to make your index card art.

Origin

 

3) Take a photo of your Index Card Art and share it in our Facebook group. Alternatively, you can post it on Instagram or Twitter with the tags #QuestScouts and #NotecardArt.  

Origins Micro Objective - Literature - 50

 

Quest Scouts inspires your to squeeze the most out of life while collecting real-life, physical badges. 

Objective:

Take the time to reflect about the “why” behind YOUR Quest Scouts journey.

Details:

What's your goal? Write it down!

At Quest Scouts, our aim is to help you squeeze the most out of what life has to offer. A bit of reflection can go a long way in helping us live our lives more intentionally! This micro objective asks you to slow down and examine the “why” behind your participation in our community.

1) Let’s get ready to reflect! You’ll need a place to record your thoughts; whether that’s paper and pen or a blank word document it up to you!

You may also want to “set the mood” for reflection- whatever that means to you! For some it might be finding a nice quiet place to sit and think, while for others it may be finding a seat at your coffee shop.

2) Set a timer for 15 minutes. When you’re ready to write, start the timer.

3) Use the entirety of your 15 minutes to write about your Quest Scouts “why”.

Consider the following prompts:

  • Why did you initially join Quest Scouts?

  • Has the reason you participate in Quest Scouts changed over time?

  • What do you hope to gain from participation in Quest Scouts going forward?

  • Are you happy with the amount you’re currently engaging with Quest Scouts?

  • Is there anything you could change in order to better align your Quest Scouts ambitions with your reality?

4) When you’re done writing, take a few minutes to look over what you’ve written. What stands out to you? What is your Quest Scouts “why”?

5) Based on your reflections, answer the following questions in the comments below:

  • Why are you a part of the Quest Scouts community?

  • What are your current Quest Scouts related goals?

You can keep your answers brief with a single sentence each, or expand on your thoughts. The choice is yours!

Origins - Games - 250

Objective:

Learn and play any board game you've never played before.

Details:

This objective could very well be the “origin” of your love for a “new to you” board game. Our hope is that this is the first of many times your newly learned game hits the table!

1) Identify a board game you’ve never played before that you think you might like.

Ideas for identifying a game include:

  • Browsing Board Game Geek

  • Asking a game enthusiast for a recommendation

  • Checking out what your local game store has to offer

  • Checking your personal game shelf for an unplayed game

2) Find a copy of your game! If you don’t own the game, you’ll of course need to find a way to play it. Borrow it from a friend, visit your local board game store, or find it online.

3) Grab some friends and play the game you chose!

4) Post a photo that documents your gameplay in our Facebook group.

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