At our family reunion picnic last weekend, my sister put a modern twist on that old camp staple: Find the Dinosaur Egg. If you ever went to summer camp, I’m sure you remember hunting through the woods for the “dinosaur egg,” actually a big, green watermelon. After a hot day of hiking, it made for a refreshing treat and always led to another camp favorite – the long-range seed spitting contest.

To keep our hyper-active slew of small fry busy so the adults could catch up on family news, my sister planned an elaborate dino hunt using her handheld GPS. A series of clues and activities led the kids around the picnic site, over to the playground, around the pond and down a hiking path in search of dinosaur signs. Along the way they had to search out mini-caches, each of which directed them to play a game or engage in an activity before moving on to the next clue.

Using the GPS held the interest of our middle-schoolers who took charge of directing the younger kids. At one stop they engaged in a noisy game of dino hide and seek which quickly degenerated into a game of chase with roaring ”dinosaurs” racing around chasing each other. We hid multiple clues around the playground to give each of the older kids a shot at using the GPS while the small fry played. With frequent references to the GPS, they stalked around the pond and through the woods until they finally spied the “egg.” Upon their triumphant return to the picnic site (all too soon), chin-dripping slices of watermelon were carved. And, yes, a seed spitting contest quickly ensued.

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