The Badge Archive

Indoor Animal Track Hunt

Activity Description: Scouts hunt for printed animal tracks and match them to animal cards, using either direct track clues or visual reasoning to guess which animal made each set.

Info Needed: Animal are all unique. They have different bodies and features that help them live where they are. There is thick fur for colder environments, or fins and gills for underwater creatures. They make unique sounds, and each leave a unique print where they move, called an animal track.

Items Needed:

  • Several pages of printed animal tracks showing realistic walking patterns
  • OPTION A: Animal cards with matching track images
  • OPTION B: Animal cards without track images
  • (Optional) tape to secure track pages to surfaces
  • (Optional) clipboard or hard surface for scouts to carry cards
  • (Optional) pencil or marker for scouts to record guesses

Before the Meeting:

  • Set up the track hunt area (5–7 min)
    • Place printed track pages around the room or outdoor space.
    • Make sure tracks are spaced to show how the animal might walk.
    • (Optional) tape pages to walls or ground to keep them in place.

Instructions (Estimated Total Time: 20–25 min):

  1. Introduce the matching options (3–5 min)
    • Give each scout one set of animal cards depending on the challenge level they are able to handle.
      • OPTION A: Scouts receive cards with matching track images.
      • OPTION B: Scouts receive cards with only the animal image.
  2. Begin the hunt and match (7–15 min)
    • Scouts walk around and look closely at each track page.
    • They match each track to the animal card they think fits. They leave the animal card next to the track they believe match.
      • Scouts using track-image cards compare directly.
      • Scouts using animal-only cards use clues like size, shape, and stride.
  3. (Optional) Record and reflect (3–5 min)
    • The leader helps verify if they guessed correctly. Scouts can share which tracks were easiest or trickiest.

This Activity is a Part of the Following Meeting Plan(s)

Animal Fun Print and Play 2 Scout Meetings Plan

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Tia Kennard