Fun Party Idea for Teenagers with Riddles

This party idea takes a little preparation time but it can be a lot of fun. It took us about a week to come up with all the ideas for the clues that we wanted to incorporate into the game and then buy the few items we wanted to use that we didn't already have around the house. I don't expect you to have all of the items we used, but I hope you get the general idea and can come up with ideas of your own.

Since the clues have to be taken to all of the locations on the day of the party, it can also take some preparation time during the time you might want to be getting dressed for your party, or preparing food, or making other last minute preparations. Be sure to start early enough since you won't want your guests showing up before you are done. To be honest, this part took longer than I expected.

Weather can also be a factor. With a big enough house and some creative thinking, you could actually pull off this idea inside if the weather or time of day became an issue.

We live in the country and had the space to spread out outside so we opted to plan this party outside on a July afternoon just a few weeks before the kids were due to go back to school. This party ideas could be used for any occasion including a teenage birthday party, as well as for an adult party of any kind.

First, we planned this party around having two groups. You can plan for more groups but it increases your preparation time exponentially. With two groups we needed two sets of clues since you want all of your party-goers going in different directions and not able to hear the other team talking about their clues. You could opt to have all the guests do only one set of clues to save some time and preparation.

We painted the two rocks you'll learn about below, purchased a couple of dog bones, a package of 4-5 fake vinyl records (from a party supply store), purchased two kids' gardening spades, two blow-up beach balls, and two kids' puzzles (50-60 pieces work best) from a local dollar store. We put both puzzles together on cardboard and then flipped them over. We wrote a clue on the back that you could only read if you put the puzzle together and figured out how to flip it over. We typed up, and cut apart, all of the clues. We disassembled the puzzle putting about 5-6 pieces in individual baggies making sure not to mix up the two teams' puzzles.

In addition to all of the items we placed out in the yard as clues, we also put a large number of other items out just hours before the party so that they had a lot of things visually to take in and get confused by.

• 1. Each team was given a kids' spade and a sack. They would learn what each was for. They were told which direction was North since this would come in handy for some of the clues.
• 2. Both teams were told to find a specific rock and were pointed in a general direction that lead them both to a different part of the driveway. One rock was painted like an American Flag (red, white and blue). It was referred to as a "Patriotic Rock". The other was painted like a Dalmatian (white with black spots) and referred to as a Dalmatian rock.
• 3. Once they found their rock, underneath it was a baggie with about 5 puzzle pieces in it and their next clue. The bag they were given at the beginning was used to hold the bag of puzzle pieces they just collected. The clue they found tells them to take a specific number of steps in a given direction and "find Toby's stash". For both of them, it was North. Both teams knew the family dog's name was Toby. Therefore, they knew they would be looking for something he stashed. Since the clue led them to an open piece of land, they easily saw there was a spot that had been recently dug and re-covered with dirt. They knew then why they were given a spade. Once they dug up the dirt, they found a dog bone with their next clue and some more puzzle pieces in a bag.
• 4. From this location they were told to look in a certain direction (different directions for each team). This positioned them looking in the general direction of a couple of trees on our property. The clue said "search for a source of paper that holds a dark creature that flocks together. He holds your next clue". This is ‘riddle' that indicates they should look in the tree (source of paper) for a black bird (dark creature that flocks together). We had positioned two fake blackbirds (old Halloween decorations we had) in the trees on a low limb. The bird had wired feet that allowed him to clutch their clue and bag of puzzle pieces.
• 5. This clue told them to take a certain number of steps in a specific direction again. The clue read "The 50s music rocked. Find our music and you find your next clue". This led them to a different tree that held a fake vinyl record. The record had a 50s song title on it. This is one of those occasions where we had extra vinyl records in the trees but only one contained the clue and puzzle pieces they were looking for.
• 6. One team got a clue on the back of their record that told them "if you want to know the score, you'll know where to find the next clue". Near our property line is a baseball field with a scoreboard. We had taped a clue to the back of the scoreboard.
• 7. The other team was given a clue on the back of their record that said "Hay, hay, hay, where on earth are you going to look for your next clue?" They could see a row of round hay bales in the field ahead of them. There next clue was on one them.
• 8. One team was given a clue that showed a silhouette of a something easily spotted on the property, later in the game the other team was given a similar type clue of something else on the property. We always kept in mind where they would be standing when they received this clue to make sure it made sense if only they looked around.
• 9. The other team was given a clue that said "Who won't eat green eggs and ham? That's where you'll find your next clue." Someone was at the party, who was not playing the game (that they all knew) whose name was Sam. This, of course, is a reference to Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham" story that would indicate it was Sam. Sam personally gave them the next clue. Of course, when you do something like this, you have to remember to give Sam the next clue ahead of time. You could use this same clue even if you don't have a Sam at your party. Just place a marker somewhere indicating this thing or person is known as "Sam".
• 10. One team was given a clue that said "Find where the monkey chased the weasel, that's where you'll find your next clue". This was a reference to the 17^th century English nursery rhyme "Pop Goes the Weasel" that indicates the monkey chased the weasel all around the mulberry bush. We had placed a marker in a just an ordinary bush in our yard that said "Mulberry Bush". Beneath this bush was the next clue and puzzle pieces.

• 11. The next clue said "In (local school name)'s colors it runs like a Deere". The local school was one they all new utilized yellow and green as its school colors. Since we used the slogan and colors and spelling of ‘deer' like John Deere, they would hopefully look for the green and yellow John Deere tractor on our property for their next clue.
• 12. One team was given the clue that said "in your ‘whitened' clothes you sit where it implies you should stand". This was probably one of our most difficult clues. We are referring to the bleachers (whitened clothes) also known as stands (where you sit, but we call them stands). Again, this is a reference to the baseball field near our property line where another clue is hidden beneath the bleacher seats.
• 13. One team was given the clue "half a dozen sporty witches have visited here, leaving their hats behind. Your clue can be found beneath them." This was a reference to the six orange cones (similar to construction cones, but used for sports that resemble witch hats) we had placed in the yard. One of them contained the clue and puzzle pieces they were looking for beneath it.
• 14. One team was given the clue "I'm broken down. Pushing me just doesn't cut it anymore." This was a reference to the push lawnmower we had randomly placed out in the yard as if it had broken down there. Beneath it was their clue and puzzle pieces.
• 15. One team was given the clue "Life's a beach. Let's have a ball". This was a reference to a beach ball. We had several of them blown up in the yard. Only one had their clue taped to it.
• 16. One of the teams was given the clue "The blind baby bovine is laying on your next clue". Since we don't have any real cattle on our property they knew they were looking for a blind cow of some kind. It was a reference to a small stuffed cow that was missing its eyes since Toby had chewed them off. Under the cow was the next clue.
• 17. One team was given the clue "The wind used to blow me, but now I just lay around". This was a reference to a broken windmill that was lying on its side in a remote spot in our yard.
• 18. One team got the clue that said, "There is no time like the present. Open me". There were a number of wrapped boxes/presents scattered in the yard. Only one contained the clue they were looking for.
• 19. One team got the clue "The big triplets got out their toys to go ‘around the world' and ‘to walk the dog'." This was a reference to the three giant yo-yo's we had laying in the yard. "Around the World" and "Walk the Dog" are well-known yo-yo tricks. These yo-yo's were made from Frisbees put together for a previous Halloween when we dressed up like oversized kids.
• 20. One team got the clue "the lonely log waits for the next birthday bonfire bash". Most of these party-goers had attended the last birthday bonfire we had. In the location of the last bonfire there was a single log of wood. It had the next clue underneath it.
• 21. One team got the clue that said, "the midget swing set has lost its swings, but still holds your clue". This was in reference to a balancing beam in our yard that resembled a swing set (a-frame) but doesn't have swings and because it's so low to the ground it looks like it would be for midgets. Taped to the bottom was their next clue.
• 22. One team got the clue that said "our goal is to help you find your next clue amongst the Christmas lights". This reference led them our basketball goal that we often ran Christmas lights from.
• 23. One team got the clue, "Old Mother Hen protests, I know I have birds in my belly, but I promise I did not eat them!". This is a reference to a birdhouse we have that is a metal chicken. I had rolled up the clue and placed in the hole on her belly since we didn't have any birds residing in it yet.
• 24. One team got a clue that said "Easter in July?". Our party was held in July and I had purposely placed an Easter flag on my flagpole. The clue was hidden within the seam of the flag between the flag and the pole.

Each team's final clue told them to find a place to assemble their puzzle pieces. As they were putting it together they begin to notice there were words on the back. Both teams easily figured out how to flip the puzzles for the final clue. The final clue asked them to tell me the name of the 50s song on the vinyl record they had found earlier. Only one of the two teams remembered it. They were declared the winner.