🔍 Fact vs. Opinion Scavenger Hunt Around Town

February 6, 2026

📰 Why Fact vs. Opinion Skills Are Critical

In an age of information overload, social media, and AI-generated content, the ability to distinguish between facts and opinions is becoming a superpower. While AI can process vast amounts of information, it often struggles to distinguish between factual claims and subjective opinions, especially when they're presented with equal authority.

This outdoor scavenger hunt transforms abstract media literacy concepts into concrete, observable skills that kids can practice in the real world.

🎯 Understanding the Difference

Facts:

• Can be verified: Through measurement, observation, or reliable sources
• Objective: Same for everyone, regardless of personal views
• Testable: Can be proven true or false
• Examples: "This store opens at 9 AM," "It's 75 degrees outside"

Opinions:

• Subjective: Based on personal beliefs, preferences, or judgments
• Cannot be proven: May be supported by evidence but not definitively true/false
• Vary by person: Reasonable people can disagree
• Examples: "This is the best pizza in town," "Red is a beautiful color"

The Tricky Gray Area:

• Informed opinions: Opinions supported by facts
• Expert judgments: Professional assessments based on knowledge
• Predictions: Fact-based forecasts that can't be verified yet
• Interpretations: Explaining what facts mean

🗺️ Planning Your Scavenger Hunt

Location Ideas:

• Shopping centers: Advertisements, store signs, reviews
• Downtown area: Business signs, public notices, street art
• Parks: Rules signs, educational displays, graffiti
• Library: Book covers, newspaper headlines, bulletin boards
• Restaurants: Menus, reviews, promotional materials
• Government buildings: Official notices, campaign signs

Safety and Preparation:

• Adult supervision: Always have responsible adult present
• Public spaces only: Respect private property
• Photography permission: Be respectful when taking photos
• Weather appropriate: Dress for outdoor exploration
• Emergency contacts: Phones charged and accessible

📝 Scavenger Hunt Checklist

Beginner Level (Ages 6-9):

Find These Facts:

• □ Store hours posted on a door
• □ Price of an item
• □ Address numbers on buildings
• □ Temperature on a digital sign
• □ Date on a newspaper

Find These Opinions:

• □ "Best" or "greatest" claims in advertisements
• □ Customer review with star ratings
• □ "Delicious" on a restaurant sign
• □ "Beautiful" used to describe something
• □ "Fun" or "exciting" on promotional materials

Intermediate Level (Ages 10-13):

Fact Categories to Find:

• □ Measurable information (sizes, weights, dates)
• □ Verifiable historical claims
• □ Statistics or percentages
• □ Official regulations or rules
• □ Contact information

Opinion Categories to Find:

• □ Evaluative language ("amazing," "terrible")
• □ Recommendations ("should," "must try")
• □ Subjective descriptions ("comfortable," "stylish")
• □ Predictions about future
• □ Comparative claims ("better than," "superior to")

Advanced Level (Ages 14-16):

Complex Analysis Tasks:

• □ Find a statement that mixes facts and opinions
• □ Identify bias in news headlines
• □ Analyze loaded language in advertisements
• □ Compare how different sources describe the same event
• □ Identify missing information in claims

Source Evaluation Tasks:

• □ Find who funded or sponsored information
• □ Check if sources are cited
• □ Look for publication dates
• □ Identify expert vs. non-expert opinions
• □ Spot potential conflicts of interest

🔍 Analysis Questions for Each Find

For Facts:

• How could we verify this? What sources could confirm it?
• Is this specific enough? Could it be measured or tested?
• Who provided this information? Are they a reliable source?
• Is there any reason to doubt this? Could it be outdated or wrong?

For Opinions:

• What words signal this is an opinion? Adjectives, evaluations?
• Could someone reasonably disagree? Are there other valid perspectives?
• Is it supported by evidence? Any facts backing up the opinion?
• Who benefits from this opinion? Is someone trying to sell something?

📱 Digital Extensions

Photo Documentation:

• Create fact/opinion photo albums: Organize finds by category
• Before/after comparisons: How do claims change over time?
• Source analysis photos: Capture author information, dates, contexts
• Family presentation: Share findings with extended family

Online Verification Practice:

• Fact-checking websites: Verify claims found during hunt
• Multiple source comparison: How do different sites report same information?
• Date checking: When was this information published?
• Author research: Who wrote this and what are their qualifications?

🎭 Making It Engaging

Game Elements:

Team Competition

• Split into teams: Family members or friends compete
• Point system: Points for correct identification and good reasoning
• Speed rounds: Find 10 facts and 10 opinions in 30 minutes
• Quality bonus: Extra points for especially tricky examples

Detective Role Play

• Information detectives: Kids investigate claims like professional fact-checkers
• Evidence collection: Gather proof to support classifications
• Case building: Present findings to family "jury"
• Mystery solving: Determine the most misleading statement found

🏪 Location-Specific Activities

Grocery Store Hunt:

• Nutrition facts vs. marketing claims: "Low fat" vs. "Delicious!"
• Price comparisons: Facts about cost vs. opinions about value
• Product descriptions: Ingredients (facts) vs. taste descriptions (opinions)
• Sale advertisements: Discount amounts vs. "amazing deals"

Restaurant/Food Court Hunt:

• Menu descriptions: Ingredients vs. "mouth-watering" adjectives
• Customer reviews: Specific experiences vs. general ratings
• Health information: Calorie counts vs. "healthy choice" claims
• Awards and claims: "Winner of..." vs. "Best in town"

Public Transportation Hunt:

• Schedule information: Arrival times vs. "convenient service"
• Safety notices: Rules vs. "safe and reliable"
• Route maps: Destinations vs. "scenic routes"
• Fare information: Prices vs. "affordable transportation"

📊 Teaching Evaluation Skills

Source Credibility Indicators:

• Author expertise: Do they have relevant qualifications?
• Publication reputation: Is the source known for accuracy?
• Date relevance: Is the information current?
• Bias indicators: Does the source have agenda or conflict of interest?
• Verification: Can claims be checked against other sources?

Red Flag Recognition:

• Extreme language: "Always," "never," "everyone knows"
• Emotional appeals: Fear, anger, or excitement over reason
• Missing details: Vague claims without specifics
• Unsupported statistics: Numbers without sources
• Anonymous sources: "Experts say" without naming experts

🎯 Processing and Discussion

Post-Hunt Analysis:

• Categorization review: Go through finds and confirm classifications
• Challenging cases: Discuss items that were hard to categorize
• Pattern recognition: What types of businesses use more opinions vs. facts?
• Effectiveness analysis: Which opinions were most persuasive and why?

Real-World Connections:

• Social media applications: How do these skills apply online?
• School projects: Using fact vs. opinion in research
• News consumption: Being better media consumers
• Purchase decisions: Not being misled by marketing

🏆 Building Progressive Skills

Beginner Goals:

• Identify clear, obvious facts and opinions
• Understand the basic difference between the two
• Recognize common opinion words ("best," "delicious")
• Ask simple verification questions

Intermediate Goals:

• Handle mixed fact-opinion statements
• Evaluate source credibility
• Recognize bias and loaded language
• Understand the role of evidence in opinions

Advanced Goals:

• Analyze complex arguments with multiple claims
• Identify subtle bias and unstated assumptions
• Evaluate the quality of evidence presented
• Synthesize information from multiple sources

Plan your first fact vs. opinion scavenger hunt this weekend! Start with a familiar location like your local shopping center or downtown area. You'll be amazed at how quickly kids develop sharp eyes for distinguishing reliable information from marketing spin and opinion masquerading as fact!