Learning at the Fair in the N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission exhibit
I just got tricked into learning while doing all of my favorite things at the fair! The N.C. State Fair Scavenger Hunts guide kids (and eager interns) as they scour the fairgrounds for clues. With every question they answer, kids learn more about North Carolina’s history and agriculture.
You can join in on the scavenger hunt fun by clicking here. You can choose between two themes, “Science at the State Fair” and “Be a State Fair Adventurer.” Watch for the signs at each stop to help you with answers, and remember to turn in completed scavenger hunt sheets at the Expo Center for a prize.
Super Shot and I did the scavenger hunt this morning, and we learned something new on our visits to stops such as the Flower and Garden Show, Germ City, Field of Dreams and more. For example, do you know what country first cultivated chrysanthemums? Or do you know the lifespan of worker bees? Those are some of the questions you’ll learn the answers to with the State Fair scavenger hunts.
In years past, I’ve stepped onto the fairgrounds and not known where to begin. Should I go the Midway to ride one of the new rides? Or should I start by sampling the yummiest fair food? But this time, Super Shot and I had our scavenger hunt sheets to follow. All we had to do was look at question one, and we knew where we were going to start our day: the blacksmith shop, where we discovered how important items like horseshoes were made in North Carolina’s past. We spent all morning wandering the fairgrounds and finding clues, learning more about our amazing state.
Wildflower with Casey Cardinal
The scavenger hunt gave Super Shot and me a framework for our fair experience as we trekked from Heritage Circle all the way to the Exposition Center, where we were rewarded with a ribbon for turning in our completed scavenger hunt sheets. While we hunted clues, we couldn’t help but explore each area of the fair we came upon. We washed our hands at Germ City and found out we had some room for improvement. We admired a fairy garden at the Flower and Garden Show. We took pictures of the cute little calves and their mama cows at the State Fair Ark. And of course, we took a quick snack break halfway through our hunt to munch on some deep fried Reese’s cups.
Did I mention we got to talk to some pretty amazing people along the way? We got to talk to N.C. Forest Service rangers, who gave us Smokey the Bear pins. Field of Dreams volunteers taught us about where the food we eat everyday comes from. We even took a picture with Casey the Cardinal.
The scavenger hunts were a great way for us to get more out of our fair experience, and we know you’ll think so too.
