Happy December! The holiday season is upon us and many of you are gearing up for some fun festive activities!

Keep your students interested in learning more about the English Language by encouraging them to explore the world around them! Our newly added “Literary Collage” scavenger hunt will have students exploring their homes and backyards while educating them about various literary pieces. Hoping to keep your students in tune with Nature but you can’t physically visit the Rocky Mountains? Look no further! Our “Rocky Mountain National Expeditions Challenge” is sure to have your students loving geography! Of course, we can not forget the impending Christmas Holidays! Get your students in the holiday spirit by sending them on an unforgettable “Christmas Craze” scavenger hunt! Complete our “Christmas Spirit” hunt with staff members to spread the holiday cheer beyond just your students!

New to GooseChase and wondering how an interactive scavenger hunt would be beneficial to student learning? Check out our “GooseChase for Student Engagement” game and see what it is all about!

If you think any of these games can be used in your classroom, create an account and add any of the games below directly to your Game Manager. If you’re new to GooseChase, check out our Getting Started Package full of helpful resources!

Rocky Mountain National Parks Expedition Challenge

Come and learn about the Rocky Mountain National Parks, virtually or in real person! Part of our National Parks Expedition Challenge Series.

Best for: Students

Grade Level: 4 - 12

Subject: Science, Field Trip

Game Creator: Dacia Jones

Get your own copy!

Literary Collage

Explore the world and in your own back yard to find images, words, names and places from a variety of literary documents while earning points!

Best for: Students

Grade Level: 7 - 12

Subject: English

Get your own copy!

Christmas Craze

Join a team and get ready to have some Christmas fun while the last few days of school before Christmas break wind down! Don't miss out!

Best for: Students and Staff

Grade Level: K - 12

Subject: Holidays

Game Creator: Kim White

Get your own copy!

Christmas Spirit

Don't be a Scrooge! Show your Christmas Spirit! Form teams 3-5 people & let the holiday competition begin! Bonus points rewarded throughout! Don't get your Goose cooked!

Best for: Staff

Subject: Holidays

Game Creator: Julie Holland

Get your own copy!

That's all for now, but more games will be added in the future! Check out our complete library for more ideas!

Have a game you'd like us to include in our update, submit it here. Looking for a game for a specific topic? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

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What is GooseChase?

GooseChase is an online platform that helps educators create and run digital scavenger hunt learning experiences in their classroom and beyond. Sign up and try creating a game, or contact us to learn more about our school and district-wide solutions!

Productive and happy remote employees – This post is here for remote team managers who are pursuing this goal. Encouraging collaboration in remote settings could be a daunting challenge, so even the best leaders need help.

Today, we’ll talk about four effective strategies to promote remote collaboration:

• Set specific and regular communication times
• Meet technology needs
• Manage your expectations
• Maintain high performance standards.

Together, these strategies should help both team leaders and members address unique challenges of remote working. Let’s make your remote team as productive as it can be.

Agree on Regular Times to Communicate

Schedule regular video meetings with your remote teams.

You can have:

• Daily “sync” sessions
• Weekly “progress” meetings
• Bi-weekly one-on-ones.

Daily syncs will basically be a communication checkpoint where everybody shares where they share their daily tasks and progress. Such meetings give an opportunity to see if someone needs assistance with daily tasks.

Weekly “progress” meetings are where you meet with the entire team. You can discuss your progress on a team level, brainstorm solutions to problems, and plan your work for the next week or two.

Bi-weekly one-on-ones are meetings between a team leader and a member. It gives each employee space to share their concerns, opinions, problems, and provide feedback on company policies.

Pro tip: Create an agenda for each meeting. An agenda will help all meeting participants to prepare better and avoid spending extra time on unnecessary talk.

Take an Inventory of the Team’s Tech Stack

Tech is a must for a productive remote team. Since not everybody has a badass remote workstation at their home, you need to help.

Create an online employee survey with a checklist. List all software or hardware your team might need and ask to indicate the ones to provide.

Here are the most common options with popular examples:

• Video conferencing software (Zoom, Skype)
• Task management app (MeisterTask, etc.)
• Communication app (Slack, etc.)
• Headphones (noise-canceling headphones for comfortable working from home
• Monitors
• Remote desktop software (TeamViewer, etc.)
• Antivirus app (Avira, Avast, etc.)
• Password management app (1password, etc.)
• Cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.)
• Office suite (MS Office).

The list goes on and on, so add a “Type your option here” field to the survey. Maybe there are some additional apps or tools your employees need.

For example, companies often find workers asking for writing help tools to improve their communication skills. Tools like GrabMyEssay, Grammarly, and Supreme Dissertations are good to offer - they can help with writing clear reports, presentations, as well as improve the clarity of daily communication.

Pro tip: create a list of all necessary apps with descriptions on a cloud document sharing app. It’ll help all team members to stay updated on the latest additions and must-haves in the tech stack.

Have Realistic Expectations...

Your team has been working remotely for a while. But it doesn’t mean they’ve already mastered the art of working from home.

In fact, a Buffer study found quite a few struggles all remote workers are facing. The ones like loneliness, inability to unplug, and lack of motivation can quickly turn any project into a disaster.

Source: Buffer, State of Remote Work report

There’s no way to know if someone in your team doesn’t have similar struggles. That’s why try to manage your expectations appropriately.

These tips can help:

• Understand that there may be a learning curve to mastering tools or adjusting to working remotely
• Encourage team members to share any difficulties with you. Effective collaboration and productivity begins with trust
• Be mindful that many households are not optimized for working from home. If in doubt, ask what your team needs
• Create clear tasks with detailed descriptions and deadlines to prevent misunderstanding and frustration.

One thing that remote managers do is team building exercises such as virtual scavenger hunt. Team building is a known strategy for promoting collaboration, and a scavenger hunt is perfect because it requires extensive teamwork.

Here are a few virtual scavenger hunt ideas to consider for your team.

Learning how to deal with remote work from the best teams can help. If you agree, check out the tips from a successful remote team in the related post below.

Related post: Actionable Work-from-home Tips from an Experienced Remote Team

But Also Maintain High Standards

The right way to maintain high quality and work standards is to hold every team member accountable for their work. This doesn’t mean demanding high productivity or dictating frequent response times. It’s quite the opposite.

“Create a culture of trust, appreciation, and engagement,” recommends Diana Adjadj, an expert HR writer from TrustMyPaper. “When employees feel valued, they’ll be more likely to perform better without leaders telling them what to do.”

To hold your team accountable in a respectful way:

• Get everyone to agree on goals and objectives. Hold a meeting to prioritize tasks and optimize the schedule for everyone
• Create clear task lists with deadlines. Provide a clear description for each task to avoid unnecessary questions
• Define each role. Everyone should know their own responsibilities and duties of their colleagues
• Offer consistent feedback. Hold regular meetings to talk about the current challenges, achievements, and improvement opportunities
• Give credit. Don’t focus only on star performers but consistent ones who keep everything together.

As you can see, no strategy on the list focuses on total control - there are only ways to build trust and productivity culture.

Important: just as you expect accountability from the team, you must be accountable to them. This means doing things like giving them updates on your tasks and goals and zero micromanaging.

Make high standards a part of your company culture. To help new hires understand your standards and how to meet them, invest in a proper remote onboarding. See the post below for details.

Related post: Utilizing Onboarding to Welcome New-Hires Into Your Company Culture

The Bottom Line

Effective remote collaboration is totally possible.

But it requires a strong commitment from both team leaders and members. We’re all in this together, and team success often depends on our attitude and commitment.

To nurture a positive attitude and commitment, use the four tips. They’ll help you address issues like stress, engagement, and productivity and focus on collaboration.

Fingers crossed for your success!

What is GooseChase?

GooseChase is an online platform, created by a remote-first team, that helps organizers create and run digital scavenger hunt experiences for team building, learning, public engagement, or a variety of other events. Sign up and try creating a free recreational game, or contact us to learn more about our enterprise solutions!

Happy November! We may have already begun this month, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start a new Scavenger Hunt now!

With the new season upon us, your students just might be loving seeing the changing colours of trees and the cooler temperatures! Engage students in learning more about seasonal changes in our “Fall Scavenger Hunt”! If you are teaching your students about relationships between countries, stop right here! We’ve got the game for you. Our “International Trading Gone Wild” Game is sure to help them understand why having positive relationships with other countries is essential! Finally, we can’t forget about Thanksgiving! Work together to complete the “Friendsgiving Treat” or Gratitude Galore” Scavenger Hunt to show off how much you are thankful this season!

New to GooseChase and wondering how an interactive scavenger hunt would be beneficial to student learning? Check out our “GooseChase for Student Engagement” game and see what it is all about!

If you think any of these games can be used in your classroom, create an account and add any of the games below directly to your Game Manager. If you’re new to GooseChase, check out our Getting Started Package full of helpful resources!

International Trading Gone Wild!

Review the learned concepts and find out more about international trading in this engaging competition!

Best for: Students

Grade Level: 9 - 12

Subject: Business

Game Creator: Sarah Brubaker

Get your own copy!

Friendsgiving Treat!

Spend time with friends, family, and peers this Thanksgiving by participation in the "Friendsgiving Treat" event!

Best for: Students

Grade Level: 5 - 12

Subject: Holidays

Game Creator: Patty Buononato

Get your own copy!

Gratitude Galore!

Show your gratitude for friends & teachers by participating in this gratitude challenge.

Best for: Students

Grade Level: 4 - 12

Subject: Special Events

Game Creator: Kyra Kentopp

Get your own copy!

Fall Scavenger Hunt

We are going on a leaf hunt in teams and taking pictures of our leaves!

Best for: Students

Grade Level: K - 3

Subject: Science, Math

Game Creator: Pamela Balogh

Get your own copy!

That's all for now, but more games will be added in the future! Check out our complete library for more ideas!

Have a game you'd like us to include in our update, submit it here. Looking for a game for a specific topic? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

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What is GooseChase?

GooseChase is an online platform that helps educators create and run digital scavenger hunt learning experiences in their classroom and beyond. Sign up and try creating a game, or contact us to learn more about our school and district-wide solutions!

Las Vegas, also known as the Entertainment Capital of the World, is just that. Entertaining. There are always a million things you can be doing at any given time and it can be overwhelming for tourists and locals alike. We created this scavenger hunt to take you through the Strip and the lesser-known areas of Sin City, where you can get to know Vegas on another level.

We’ve made a list of some super fun and unusual missions for this scavenger hunt split into categories: Attractions, Food, Art, and The Unusual!

If you're running your game on GooseChase, click the button below to add these missions directly to your game.

ATTRACTIONS

Bone to Pick (GPS) – Visit Bodies: The Exhibition and learn all about human anatomy up close and personal

The Bluff (PHOTO) – While casinos may come and go on the Strip, they live on forever at the Neon Museum. Visit the museum and choose your favorite old casino sign

Red Rum (GPS) – For the thrill-seekers out there, Zak Bagans’ The Haunted Museum might be the attraction for you. Check out the museum for Hollywood inspired spooky scenes

Pinhead (PHOTO) – The Pinball Hall of Fame is a gamer’s dream! Choose your favorite vintage game and play your heart out.

Bird’s Eye View (VIDEO) – Fly over the Strip on a zipline! Get a video zooming over the city on the Slotzilla zipline

FOOD

Down & Dirty (PHOTO) – Visit Dirt Dog and order the Dirty Corn, a twist of Mexican street corn covered in HOT CHEETOS.

Sushimi Rollin’ (PHOTO) – Sushi is delicious in every form, but something about a sushi cupcake is extra sweet. Visit Jaburritos for the unusual delicacy!

Shrimply the Best (Text) – Shrimp Cocktail is a Vegas staple dating back to the 1950s, where casinos would charge insanely low prices to bring in gamblers. Find the cheapest shrimp cocktail on the strip and whoever finds the cheapest deal wins!

Grilled to See You (GPS) – Known for excess and over the top foods, you have to try the grilled cheese donut at Donut Bar

Edible Art (PHOTO) – A feast for the eyes and stomach, the Crystal Ball Sorbet at Favorite Bistro serves its decadent sorbet INSIDE of an ice sculpture. Order one for yourself or steal a pic of someone else’s

ART

Colorful Desert (GPS) – Brand new to the area is the Seven Magic Mountains art installation. Visit this unique attraction and get some insta-worthy pics

Shark Bait (PHOTO) – Enjoy a Damien Hirst piece at the Palms Casino Resort featuring a giant tiger shark split into three and preserved in formaldehyde

Up in the Air (PHOTO) – Snap a pic of one of the favorite art installations in the area, the Big Rig Jig, a feat of engineering and creativity

Where’s Waldo (TEXT) – Check out the famous Snail Skull mural and find what is sticking out of the skull’s mouth

Degas in Vegas (TEXT) – The oldest art gallery in Las Vegas is named after what mythical creature? (Answer: Centaur)

THE UNUSUAL

I Do Crew (PHOTO) – Find a bachelorette party and get the bride-to-be to let you snap a pic wearing the veil!

Guilty as Charged (PHOTO) – Get your own personal mugshot taken at The Mob Museum

The Greatest Showman (VIDEO) – Get a video of a street performance that depicts magic or an illusion

Holy Matrimony (PHOTO) – Visit one of the many chapels and get a pic with a newly married couple

Who Wants to be a Millionaire (GPS) – Who knew being a millionaire was free? Visit Binion’s for a free photo op with a MILLION DOLLAR BILLS

Check out the GooseChase blog for additional event planning and scavenger hunt resources. If you're an organizer seeking a tried-and-true competitive activity to integrate into your next group outing, visit the GooseChase how-it-works page to learn more about the platform and trying creating your first game for free!

What is GooseChase?

GooseChase is an online platform that helps organizers create and run digital scavenger hunt experiences for team building, learning, public engagement, or a variety of other events. Sign up and try creating a free recreational game, or contact us to learn more about our enterprise solutions!

In order to celebrate Halloween this year community leaders, event organizers and parents are having to get creative. With social distancing rules and safety precautions, traditional Halloween events, parties and trick-or-treating are being put on hold, but that doesn’t mean people can’t still find a way to celebrate. We’ve put together a few tips and tricks for remote, socially distanced ways to enjoy Halloween this year:

Use Virtual Platforms

We can’t say this enough, but virtual platforms have been exceptionally helpful in navigating life post-covid and can be a great way to feel social this Halloween. You can use Zoom, Facetime, HouseParty, or any other similar app to coordinate Halloween festivities from your own home. There are even some escape room sites that allow for a virtual escape room experience with multiple people, which would be a really unique way to “get together” on Halloween. Our GooseChase app is a great Halloween option as well, allowing you to plan a digital scavenger hunt with family and friends from the comfort of home.

Engage with competition

Competition is a fun way to get people excited about engaging remotely. You can try arranging a pumpkin carving or painting contest, award people for best costume, compete on who has the best Halloween decor and more. Due to the influx of remote apps, setting up and joining virtual games can be super user-friendly. Optimizing event attendees' virtual experiences was why we introduced join by guest to the GooseChase platform, and something we recommend all organizers keep in mind when they plan a virtual event.

Involve friends and family

Just because we can’t be with our friends and family physically, doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy their company. For parents looking for something for the kids to do this Halloween, or just looking to celebrate with others, bringing friends into the fun can make your Halloween seem a little more normal. You can coordinate a costume party online, have decorating parties and play virtual games setup in teams. We’ve made this even easier for you by creating a remote GooseChase game with special Halloween missions below that you can download to the app and share with friends. You can set up a game and compete with the other families in your neighborhood in lieu of trick-or-treating and award candy to the winner.

Remote Halloween Scavenger Hunt Missions:

Click the button below to add these missions directly to your game.

Oh My Gourd (PHOTO) - Put your carving skills to the test by submitting your best pumpkin art. Bonus points go to the winner of the most creative carving

Dress it Up (PHOTO) - Dress up as a character from your favorite Halloween movie. Get your family involved in a group costume for extra points

Spooky Fort (PHOTO) - Since you might not be able to make it to a haunted house this year, make your best spooky fort at home.

SkeleFUN (PHOTO) - Get a pic of the creepiest skeleton decorations in your neighborhood

PUN-KING (PHOTO) - Find the biggest pumpkin in your neighborhood

Pawsome Costumes (PHOTO) - Bring your pet into the game and dress them up in a fun costume

Bust a Move (VIDEO) - Get a video of the family doing the Monster Mash! Bonus points if you’re dressed up as a monster

MASK-erade (PHOTO) - Celebrate Halloween all month long by decorating your protective face mask in the spooky spirit

Patch Kids (GPS) - Visit a local pumpkin patch and choose your favorite pumpkin to bring home and decorate

Escape Reality (TEXT) - Put your family to the test with a virtual escape room and upload your results.

Halloween can still be the super fun holiday it always has been full of candy, pumpkins and costumes, with just a few virtual tweaks. Try embracing remote platforms and getting your family and friends involved for a unique and spooky Halloween night!

What is GooseChase?

GooseChase is an online platform that helps organizers create and run digital scavenger hunt experiences for team building, learning, public engagement, or a variety of other events. Sign up and try creating a free recreational game, or contact us to learn more about our enterprise solutions!

The school year is already flashing by as we enter into October!

Now that you’ve gotten to know each one of your new students, get them even more engaged in the learning by sending them on a collaborative scavenger hunt! Support your instruction of the water cycle and make your students feel like scientists themselves with the new “Water Cycle Scientists” hunt. Trying to teach students about survival in various climates and environments? Test their knowledge of important supplies to bring by placing them on a pretend deserted island with “Creating Civilizations!” Assess students' knowledge and understanding of text with “Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird Review” hunt.

Engage virtual students learning from home in an interactive and exciting scavenger hunt with our new “Marvellous Remote Learning Mission” hunt. Finally, let’s not forget about Halloween! Students are excited and looking forward to dressing up in their favourite costumes. Have a little fun at school with our “Halloween Haunt” hunt!

New to GooseChase and wondering how an interactive scavenger hunt would be beneficial to student learning? Check out our “GooseChase for Student Engagement” game and see what it is all about!

If you think any of these games can be used in your classroom, create an account and add any of the games below directly to your Game Manager. If you’re new to GooseChase, check out our Getting Started Package full of helpful resources!

Creating Civilizations!

You and your team are on a deserted island. Go through the steps to make sure that you survive and are able to become your own civilization.

Best for: Students

Grade Level: 4 - 12

Subject: Social Studies, Team Building

Game Creator: Taylor Masters

Get your own copy!

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mocking Bird Review

This game encourages students to move through the building and complete tasks as part of a review for To Kill a Mockingbird.

Best for: Students

Grade Level: 9 - 12

Subject: History, English

Get your own copy!

Marvellous Remote Learning Mission

As we round the corner on another month of remote learning, here are some marvellous things to do while you are at home to learn and grow outside of the remote classroom.

Best for: Students

Grade Level: K - 12

Subject: Remote Learning

Game Creator: Jessie Erickson

Get your own copy!

Halloween Haunt!

Get ready for a spooky Halloween by completing these missions and earning points as you go!

Best for: Students

Grade Level: K - 12

Subject: Holidays

Get your own copy!

Water Cycle Scientists

Find parts of the water cycle in your own neighborhood.

Best for: Students

Grade Level: K - 5

Subject: Science

Game Creator: Laura McMaster

Get your own copy!

That's all for now, but more games will be added in the future! Check out our complete library for more ideas!

Have a game you'd like us to include in our update, submit it here. Looking for a game for a specific topic? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

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What is GooseChase?

GooseChase is an online platform that helps educators create and run digital scavenger hunt learning experiences in their classroom and beyond. Sign up and try creating a game, or contact us to learn more about our school and district-wide solutions!

The uncertainty of gathering in groups due to Covid-19 has made those planning events this year struggle to organize fundraisers, community recreation efforts, team-building exercises, youth group events, industry events and more. Even with current regulations relaxing, rising numbers of cases in different areas can close an event at any time, which is why we’ve thought of a few ways event organizers can plan for both in-person and virtual events.

The ever-changing nature of health regulations and the potential for a second wave of the virus calls for flexible planning. If you are able to offer options that can pivot from in-person to virtual as needed, you can avoid the stress and headache of the current changing environment.

• Create a team to help manage your event - Having a group of people to rely on to help manage the event will make it easier to handle last-minute changes and cancellations. With remote teams at the top of everyone’s mind, most digital platforms now come standard with collaborative features that allow multiple team members to share access to online tools. If you’re organizing a scavenger hunt through GooseChase, for example, our Co-Managing feature allows multiple people to collaborate on game creation and execution together. This allows users to work together to create mission ideas and split up game management tasks such as awarding bonuses, messaging participants and sharing updates on social media.

• Be mindful of cancellation policies - You don’t want to get stuck paying for a venue you won’t be able to use if plans change closer to the event time. In the current climate, event spaces typically offer reassurances due to Covid-19, so make sure to review the venue’s cancellation policy and non-refundable deposits before signing a contract.

• Engage your audience - Strategize options for engaging a virtual audience. This can include implementing games, FAQs, live panels, polling throughout the event, and chat rooms for your attendees to interact with one another. Modifying activities to include participation from attendees’ family and/or roommates is a great way to engage your audience. Many people are being bombarded with Zoom meetings and work calls while working from home, so allowing them to include their friends and family can mean the difference between an obligatory event people feel they have to attend or a fun casual experience they can enjoy with their loved ones. We’ve noticed a large increase in at-home GooseChase games that involve the whole family or groups of friends, and have created some missions that are specific to virtual events that can be done from anywhere, with any team. Check out this blog post of virtual mission ideas to get you started.

• Utilize a virtual event platform - Whether you are going to be using Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or another event platform, make sure you have considered your options well ahead of the event date. There is a great variety of options for virtual events and they can vary based on how many people you expect to attend, the type of formats you’ll need for presenting, the goal of your event and more. If you’re between platforms or aren’t sure where to start, Aventri has created an in-depth blog about what features to look for in a virtual event platform.

• Create an online presence - This can be as simple as an email list so that you can quickly notify attendees of changing plans. Event landing pages are also a great way to keep all of your info in one place for attendees to review. We’ve broken down the advantages of creating a landing page for an event, along with tips on what to include here.

• Get creative - Having a virtual event gets rid of a lot of event perks, like free food and swag. If you are looking for a way to divert catering budget/venue costs, try setting up a system to send Ubereats/Skipthedishes gift cards to participants or order "catering" directly to their door if the event goes virtual, or send some free swag you likely already purchased for the event. People love free food and it’s an extra way to make your event stand out from others.

• Get sponsors - Having companies sponsor your event is an excellent way to help mitigate the costs of running an event and can get more attendees excited to join. Choosing reputable sponsors that are relevant to your industry can increase awareness of your event and allow you to reach a larger audience. We’ve put together a blog post on how to get sponsors for your next GooseChase game.

• Prioritize making it easy for participants to join - People are already getting bombarded with new apps and software to install and create accounts on, and that itself might be an annoyance that stops them from wanting to attend your virtual event. Choose platforms that offer seamless options to help make it as easy as possible for attendees to join. For example, our very own GooseChase app that is used to participate in digital scavenger hunts, doesn’t require players to create an account, taking away one more hassle for potential participants. Make sure you keep the user experience in mind when evaluating online platforms you want to use.

• Ensure quality content - You want to make sure the content you’re presenting will be valuable and engaging. Here are a few content forms you should try to include in a virtual event:

  • Pre-recorded educational sessions from speakers
  • Video Ads from sponsors
  • Video Product showcase from exhibitors
  • Content for Live Polling
  • Content for Q&A Sessions
  • Engagement activities

• Do a test run - Last but not least, you want to test run your virtual platform prior to the event to make sure you resolve any technical issues before the event date. Have your event team download the necessary platforms, test any presentations and visuals, along with engagement functions like live polling and games. For GooseChase organizers, the Game Manager allows you to invite team members to create a copy of your game, in order to run a test game to see how they are received before you launch them to your audience.

Planning an event during a global pandemic doesn’t have to be as stressful as it sounds! Ensuring you have options for the eventuality of a pivot to a virtual event can save you time and money while still allowing you to host a successful event with your target audience. Implement some of these tips and tricks that are relevant to your specific event and you’ll have a much more enjoyable planning process and still achieve your event goals.

Consider adding a virtual GooseChase scavenger hunt to your next event for a fun and unique way to engage participants. We have tons of sources for increasing virtual participation and have been included in many events as a tool to get attendees to interact and have fun!

Click here for a full breakdown of how to run a remote scavenger hunt using GooseChase.

What is GooseChase?

GooseChase is an online platform that helps organizers create and run digital scavenger hunt experiences for team building, learning, public engagement, or a variety of other events. Sign up and try creating a free recreational game, or contact us to learn more about our enterprise solutions!

Thank you to alldigitalschool.com for selecting GooseChase as one of their Editors' Picks for online tools.

Teachers! Be sure to check out their extensive resource directory to discover some great new tools for digital classrooms!

Callyo is a Florida-based mobile applications developer for law enforcement and first responders. The innovative tools they build are instrumental in helping investigators combat human trafficking and child exploitation.

As a mission-based company employing a team of talented engineers, Callyo accomplishes a lot with a relatively small team from their office in downtown St. Petersburg. Since the job can be heavy at times, maintaining a supportive company culture while balancing the work with team-building and social events is pivotal.

When the 30-member team had to relocate to home offices during the COVID-19 pandemic, Janet Carmody, Callyo's Head of Culture, needed to quickly switch to team-building activity options that were able to virtually engage the newly-remote team.

“In an HR and culture role, I did a lot of team-building, lunches, games, and meetings. My job became even more important when we were remote. I was shocked to see just how many people really needed that connection and really needed face-time and just blowing off some steam.”
-Janet Carmody, Callyo Head of Culture

Organizing team-building events for virtual and remote employees

Before office work went remote, Janet was no stranger to organizing in-person events. From office olympics, trivia night, group walks, to Nerf archery contests, Janet prioritized teamwork, competition, and laughter in Callyo’s team-building and social sessions. Since all the events were voluntary, she wasn’t afraid of thinking outside the box, and always made sure the time was fun and worthwhile for everyone involved.

“I was trained to do team-building with a lot of puzzle solving and problem solving, but my biggest thing is that I just have to get people to laugh together. It doesn’t matter at all what the actual prize or the actual challenges were, but just to be goofy and break the wall with people.”
-Janet Carmody, Callyo Head of Culture

Janet first organized trivia through Jackbox Games, but felt that it in particular lacked a teamwork element. In addition, she wanted to explore options that also invited participants’ kids, partners, and family members – who were often working from the same home – to become involved. Searching for online resources to organize a virtual scavenger hunt introduced her to GooseChase, already being utilized by other organizations as a family-oriented game for restless families stuck at home due to social-distancing measures.

“I wanted to see their kids, their partners, and their loved ones playing with them. It’s this whole other level of intimacy with your employees, to be invited into their homes and they can show you as much or as little as they want. I had never met some of their children, and we’ve got 10 and 12 year olds playing with their mum and dad and having a blast. I love seeing the other side of people, and it helps when you’re working with that person to see them outside of work in a whole different way.”
-Janet Carmody, Callyo Head of Culture

So Bad it's Good
Who has an embarrassing/funny/cringy family/personal photo hanging up in their home?
+350 Points

Customizing GooseChase games to achieve team-building goals

There were specific considerations Janet had to keep in mind when organizing Callyo’s team-building GooseChase games. She wanted to limit games to 30-minute periods, in order to not take up too much of participants’ time, as well as create a competitive “rush against the clock” experience. Since she knew that Callyo had team members ranging between various levels of extroversion and introversion, she also wanted to make sure there were missions that appealed to those willing to go all out with costumes and goofiness levels, as well as those who were more camera-shy. By balancing physical, performance-based missions with more casual ones that asked players to find an object in their house or write a haiku, Janet was able to craft the experience to appeal to a broad range of personality types.

“I have these easy ones for the introverts, and then I make ones for the extroverts. It surprises me every time because I will see an introvert all of a sudden in costume, or upside down, and it’s wonderful. Another thing that I did was I made them specific to our group. The customization of GooseChase is fantastic. I would ask who has the most swag at home, things like that. It was our accountant’s birthday the day that we played, so we all sang happy birthday to her as a mission.”
-Janet Carmody, Callyo Head of Culture

I'm Wiggin' Out
Find and model a household item that could double as a wig!
+500 Points

Janet’s tips for team-building GooseChase game organizers

Make missions general enough to allow player creativity to shine through
For her first few games, Janet described in detail exactly what players had to do to fulfill the mission requirements. Over time, she realized it was more fun to leave the descriptions broad, and let players interpret it however they’d like to.

Lookin' Kinda Stormy Out There
Summer is hurricane season. Do your best meteorologist impression and film a weather report as if in the eye of a storm. Cool weather anchor nickname encouraged!
+800 Points

“Before I’d be like ‘Okay, give a pep talk to a house plant.’ And I’d have a very specific script to go to the house plant, give it a pep talk, give it a high five. I had instructions on what to do. It sort of morphed into ‘Make awkward conversion with furniture,’ and leaving it a bit more open-ended. Now I’m making it ‘You just landed a late-night interview with the first ever vampire, let me see how that goes’ instead of actually giving them this question or instructions to do this. It’s so much more fun to watch how people might interpret something differently.”
-Janet Carmody, Callyo Head of Culture

Let your mission ideas flow from a theme
Not only are players more drawn to a game if it’s themed around a common interest, season, or holiday, but it’s also easier for you, as an organizer, to come up with missions stemming from the feeling and vibe you want players to feel.

Show users how easy it is to join the game
Virtual and remote engagement tools are popping up left and right, each needing to be installed or signed-in to, it’s worth mentioning to your potential players that all they need to do to join a GooseChase game is download the app and enter the game code. They don’t even need to create an account, they can play as a guest!

Build hype for the game – both before and after
GooseChase submissions can each be downloaded individually from the Game Manager. This means that they can be shared through Slack internally, or posted externally on your organization’s social media channels to build excitement for the next game.

Always give bonus point for costumes
Costumes are a great way for players to express another side of themselves that co-workers often don’t see. During one of Callyo’s games, a video of the CEO dressed up as Mrs. Doubtfire allowed team members to feel shared camaraderie across all levels of the organization.

Mrs. Doubtfire
Recreate the famous "Heellloo" white mask scene from Mrs. Doubtfire.
+1000 Points

Thank you to Janet Carmody for taking the time to share the Callyo team’s GooseChase experience and assisting us with this case study. Make sure to check out the GooseChase blog for even more stories and examples of GooseChase in action.

What is GooseChase?

GooseChase is an online platform that helps organizers create and run virtual scavenger hunt experiences. Sign up and try creating a free recreational game, or contact us to learn more about our enterprise solutions!

We’re beyond excited to announce the release of one of our most highly-requested features on GooseChase! Starting today, organizers will be able to invite other collaborators to co-manage their games from a separate Game Manager Account, eliminating the need for organizers within the same organization having to share username and password access to a single account!

Game co-managers will be able to:

Collaborate on mission creation
Mission creation is one of the most important aspects of a digital scavenger hunt, recruiting more brain power to this part of game organization maximizes the game’s creative potential.

Split event organization responsibilities among other team members
Organizing large group events often involves coordination from multiple team members. By inviting others to co-manage the game, planning as well as game day responsibilities – writing missions, monitoring submissions, awarding bonus points, sharing submissions on social media, or messaging participants – can all be taken on by others who have access to the game.

Co-manage remotely
With so many organizations moving to remote-first arrangements, co-managed GooseChase games allow team members to manage the same game without having to send login username and password information online. All that each team member needs is access to the GooseChase website and a free Game Manager account.

How do you invite another organizer to co-manage your GooseChase Game?

Goosechase Organizers can find the Co-Managing Tab by clicking the gear that appears when they hover over the game they want to co-manage, and clicking Share Game on the My Games page in Game Manager. It can also be accessed by clicking the arrow at the bottom left corner from within each individual game.

From the Co-Managing Tab, organizers can then choose to create a shared link to send to those they wish to co-manage the game with, or invite collaborators through an email.

Visit our How to Invite Another Organizer to Co-Manage a Game FAQ article to learn more about this new feature!

What is GooseChase?

GooseChase is an online platform that helps organizers create and run digital scavenger hunt experiences for team building, learning, public engagement, or a variety of other events. Sign up and try creating a free recreational game, or contact us to learn more about our enterprise solutions!

NYC is the city of dreams, and with all of the glitz and glamour you might forget about its lesser-known charms. There is more to the city than its skyscrapers and luxury shopping and this hunt will take you off the beaten track.

We’ve chosen a few of our favorite and most unusual NYC missions for this scavenger hunt and have broken them down into categories: Art, History, NYC Classics and of course, Food! Learn about the city that never sleeps while getting to explore it from a local perspective with these fun and quirky scavenger hunt missions.

If you're running your game on GooseChase, click the button below to add these missions directly to your game.

ART

Eye for Talent (PHOTO) – Find the elusive Banksy’s Hammer Boy graffiti artwork

See Spot Run (PHOTO) – Snap a pic of you with Clifford’s long-lost brother at 424 E 34th S, if you can find him

The Hive (GPS) – Visit one of the most popular art installations of NY, The Vessel, made entirely of stairs.

Walk the Line (PHOTO) – Take a jaunt down the High Line and take a photo of your favorite artwork.

Cityscape (PHOTO) – It’s iconic for a reason! Use your best photography skills to snap a pic of the city skyline in all its glory.

HISTORY

Down Under (GPS) – In stark contrast to the busy subway tracks we’re used to; we’re taking you to an abandoned station. Visit the City Hall subway station that is no longer in use, but has been preserved since 1945.

Ancient Real Estate (GPS) – Venture down cobblestone streets to find the oldest house in Manhattan: The Morris-Jumel Mansion

Time Turner (GPS) – Visit the Tenement Museum to experience NYC in a different era and learn all about the immigrant experience from the 1860s to the 1930s.

Cup o’ Joe (PHOTO) - Find the famous Greek coffee cups that have been in NY since the 1960s, seen in The Sopranos, Law & Order, Mad Men, Brooklyn 99 and many more! Hint: Look for them in bodegas and food carts

NYC CLASSICS

Pizza Rat (PHOTO) – In honor of the infamous Pizza rat, we want you to catch a pic of a city rat. Bonus points if it’s eating a slice of pizza!

Caught in the Act (PHOTO) – Head to SOHO to get a picture of an influencer staging a photoshoot

Run the Rail (TEXT) – Which is the longest subway line in NY?

Off-Broadway (VIDEO) – NYC is brimming with talented people, and sometimes you don’t need to look further than a subway cart. Get a video of a subway performer putting on a show and get bonus points for leaving a tip!

Get Down in KTown (VIDEO) – Koreatown is famous for its karaoke. Visit any one of the many karaoke bars and belt out your favorite tune.

FOOD

Love You A-Latte (PHOTO) – Coffee is an NYC staple and fuels the city that never sleeps. Visit Remi Coffee for a pick-me-up and take a photo of their famous coffee/tea art.

Eat with Your Eyes (PHOTO) – Scour the streets of NYC to find a pizza slice the size of your head.

Taste the Rainbow (PHOTO) - Love it or hate it, the rainbow bagel has taken NY by storm. If you can locate a rainbow bagel, upload a pic and enjoy one of NY’s most divisive foods.

Old School (GPS) - Visit the oldest restaurant in NYC, Fraunces Tavern, which dates back to 1762!

Piled High (TEXT) - Katz’s Deli is a famous NYC food stop and has been around since 1888. What type of meat are they famous for incorporating into their sandwiches?

Check out the GooseChase blog for additional event planning and scavenger hunt resources. If you're an organizer seeking a tried-and-true competitive activity to integrate into your next group outing, visit the GooseChase how-it-works page to learn more about the platform and trying creating your first game for free!

What is GooseChase?

GooseChase is an online platform that helps organizers create and run digital scavenger hunt experiences for team building, learning, public engagement, or a variety of other events. Sign up and try creating a free recreational game, or contact us to learn more about our enterprise solutions!

Engaging virtual games like GooseChase are a great way to keep teams on the same page while working remotely, and there are a surprising variety of ways to play depending on your circumstances, your location and the resources at your disposal.

While the game itself can be enough to hold the attention of remote workers, it’s often even better to introduce the concept of attaining awards for the efforts they put into the experience. This gives them an incentive to strive for success, and can further boost the bonding power of virtual games.

Of course choosing the right awards is tricky given that there are so many different options to consider. To help you narrow down the field, here are just a few of the top prizes you can provide to virtual game participants.

Personalized awards will be remembered

One of the main challenges with choosing awards is making sure that participants will actually want to win them, and personalization will let you overcome this with ease.

There are so many different personalized gifts available at the moment, from custom water bottles and wine tumblers to stationery, plant pots and everything in between. If you like the sound of these gifts and need more ideas like these to keep every coworker engaged during virtual games, a quick search will bring you face to face with a world of wonderful, bespoke options.

Subscription boxes are all the rage

For a more enduring award to dish out to the winners of virtual games, a subscription box could be the perfect answer, and once again this is something that can be tailored to the tastes and preferences of the individual.

From snack boxes that contain tons of tasty treats to keep team members going throughout the day, to kits containing the seeds and tools you need to start your own home-grown houseplant collection, there are a plethora of potential choices that can be ordered on a one-off or a recurring basis.

The best thing about subscription boxes is that they tend to focus on consumable goods, which means that they will be appreciated in short bursts and can crop up regularly to remind the recipient of their achievements.

Practical prizes are appreciated

While some people might be happy with a paper weight or stationery bearing your brand logo, a prize like that may not really be relevant to their day to day activities, especially at a time when physical paperwork is far less commonplace. For this reason it is sensible to think about gifts for coworkers that are actually going to be useful, depending on their interests and hobbies.

If you know that they are going to be working from home for an extended period, for example, it might be nice to award virtual game winners with a set of comfy lounge pants and a soft hooded top so they can feel warm and content while away from the office. If they are an outdoorsy type, then a portable camping chair or a picnic kit for two might fit the bill.

Even the classic beach towel can be a welcome gift from a business to an employee, because everyone needs more towels and branded items can help to boost loyalty as well as being suitable for recognizing virtual game victories.

Books are invaluable

Remote working can give team members more time to relax outside of office hours, and reading is still one of the most enriching things that anyone can do with their spare time. As such, giving books as awards in virtual games is informative, educational and entertaining.

You can of course choose tomes that are related to the industry you occupy, or instead buy non-fiction publications that are more generally motivational and inspirational. Novels that suit the personality and past reading history of the person in question can also be worth considering, although you will need to do some research to work out which ones to buy to avoid disappointment.

Ultimately whatever award you choose for your virtual games will be better than having no incentive in place whatsoever. An engaged, involved team will communicate and collaborate more effectively, so make this your top priority when organizing your next online event!

What is GooseChase?

GooseChase is an online platform that helps organizers create and run digital scavenger hunt experiences for team building, learning, public engagement, or a variety of other events. Sign up and try creating a free recreational game, or contact us to learn more about our enterprise solutions!

September has officially arrived and we are back into the groove of the school year!

Teachers are at the front of their classrooms, students are back in their seats, rules and routines are being established, and most importantly, students are learning. This time of year often provides an opportunity for families to visit the school for an open house. Whether as a way to show off student work or welcome visiting parents, a GooseChase EDU family-friendly scavenger hunt can help accomplish each of these as a part of your Open House event. Our “Back to School Open House”, “Back to School Orientation”, or “Open House Extravaganza” games are perfect for these events.

Of course we need to continue to put emphasis on student learning! Both elementary and middle school students are improving their math skills each and every day. Help supplement your instruction with either our “Middle School Math” or “Geometry in Real Life” games! Math not your subject? Help students learn more about American history with the “Pre-Civil War Life” scavenger hunt.

New to GooseChase and wondering how an interactive scavenger hunt would be beneficial to student learning? Check out our “GooseChase for Student Engagement” game and see what it is all about!

If you think any of these games can be used in your classroom, create an account and add any of the games below directly to your Game Manager. If you’re new to GooseChase, check out our Getting Started Package full of helpful resources!

Back to School Orientation

Work with your team to complete all of the missions during our Back to School Hunt! Make sure you follow all the mission directions and obey all school rules.

Best for: Students

Grade Level: K - 12

Subject: Back to School

Get your own copy!

Back to School Open House

Earn points for your family at this years. Open House! Complete the missions, earn points, and get to know your school, teachers, and fellow students!

Best for: Families

Grade Level: K - 12

Subject: Back to School

Game Creator: Cailin Ellis

Get your own copy!

Open House Extravaganza!

As a team, work your way around the school answering questions and taking photos all while working together to earn points! Please have fun! Please be safe!

Best for: Students

Grade Level: K - 12

Subject: Back to School

Game Creator: Mesa Matheny

Get your own copy!

Middle School Math Challenge

Review these concepts in a fun and engaging way by competing against your classmates in this active scavenger hunt!

Best for: Students

Grade Level: 6 - 12

Subject: Math

Game Creator: Candice Sosebee

Get your own copy!

Geometry in Real Life!

Geometry brought to real life! Work together to complete these missions, searching for shapes in real life materials!

Best for: Students

Grade Level: K - 4

Subject: Math

Game Creator: Chandler Paganis

Get your own copy!

Pre-Civil War Life!

Focussing in on life before the Civil War, complete these missions to show everything you know!

Best for: Students

Grade Level: 9 - 12

Subject: Social Studies, History

Game Creator: Jennifer Brickley

Get your own copy!

GooseChase for Student Engagement

Try GooseChase as a staff and think about how you could use it in your classroom with students!

Best for: Staff

Subject: Back to School

Game Creator: Jessie Erickson

Get your own copy!

That's all for now, but more games will be added in the future! Check out our complete library for more ideas!

Have a game you'd like us to include in our update, submit it here. Looking for a game for a specific topic? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

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What is GooseChase?

GooseChase is an online platform that helps educators create and run digital scavenger hunt learning experiences in their classroom and beyond. Sign up and try creating a game, or contact us to learn more about our school and district-wide solutions!

Meet Brian Buffington! Brian is an EdTech Consultant and Director of Instructional Tech at Pioneer RESA in Georgia!

To say Brian’s teaching career has been eccentric would be an understatement. While he began teaching middle school science in 2005, he has since then expanded his repertoire to the music industry as a music venue owner and musician himself, he even hosts his own Podcast called “Buff Nuggets”, where he shares his thoughts on various education and technology topics!

Brian first learned about GooseChase by accident while at the 2018 FETC Conference. He saw a presenter talking all about the unique digital scavenger hunt, and was immediately hooked. Since then, Brian has been implementing GooseChase Scavenger Hunts at various events, including a mega conference that hosted over 300 administrators from over 15 school districts.

We asked Brian why he thinks GooseChase is so special.

"I use it for professional development and as an ice breaker. Teachers and admins really do come together to win each game. It also requires problem solving and creativity."

We also asked Brian if he had any tips for first time users!

“Just like any good lesson, management is key. Students need parameters and expectations. The best GooseChase is one where people show you what they know by using creative means.”

Big thank you to Brian for taking some time to give his insight into using GooseChase! Check out Brian’s Podcast, his website and give him a follow on Twitter to stay connected with his education journey, @brianbuffington!

What is GooseChase?

GooseChase is an online platform that helps educators create and run digital scavenger hunt learning experiences in their classroom and beyond. Sign up and try creating a game, or contact us to learn more about our school and district-wide solutions!

Eric is whom you would call a veteran teacher! After spending 26 years in education, he is still loving every minute of it! He is an elementary STEAM Lab Teacher for students from kindergarten to 4th grade, and Perry Elementary School in Michigan is lucky to have him!

Eric hasn’t always been a STEAM Lab teacher though, he has also spent time teaching middle school math and language, as well as team building. Eric goes above and beyond, bringing his passion for teaching to a whole new level by dedicating his time after school teaching students how to drive safely! Eric unintentionally attended a GooseChase session while attending an EdCamp. He was curious and was soon excited over the possibilities GooseChase can offer to his students.

We asked Eric when he thought he would use GooseChase next.

“Next? I’m using it now! The pandemic has forced school systems to support and encourage distance learning opportunities. As an elementary teacher, I surveyed my current teacher toolbag to find applications I could use online. GooseChase was among the first I went to.”

“Knowing that most children are confined to the house or immediate space outside their home, I needed to choose items to look for that were commonplace but also interesting. My most recent game I used was a scavenger hunt that had them looking for items that begin with each letter of the alphabet. During the game I also threw out additional missions that asked kids to look for items that began with digraphs.”

Big thank you to Eric for taking some time to give his insight into using GooseChase! Follow along with Eric’s education journey on Instagram @bentleydrivingsch and Twitter @ericjbentley!

What is GooseChase?

GooseChase is an online platform that helps educators create and run digital scavenger hunt learning experiences in their classroom and beyond. Sign up and try creating a game, or contact us to learn more about our school and district-wide solutions!