1. Arrange students into groups. Each group needs at least ONE person who has a mobile device.
2. If their phone camera doesn't automatically detect and decode QR codes, ask students to
4. Cut them out and place them around your class / school.
1. Give each group a clipboard and a piece of paper so they can write down the decoded questions and their answers to them.
2. Explain to the students that the codes are hidden around the school. Each team will get ONE point for each question they correctly decode and copy down onto their sheet, and a further TWO points if they can then provide the correct answer and write this down underneath the question.
3. Away they go! The winner is the first team to return with the most correct answers in the time available. This could be within a lesson, or during a lunchbreak, or even over several days!
4. A detailed case study in how to set up a successful QR Scavenger Hunt using this tool can be found here.
Question | Answer |
| 1. Room 1. Good Job! Write down Hydrogen (H) on door 18 on your paper. Now to the next room. You and your friends have suddenly materialized in a room made entirely of a shiny metallic solid. A shimmering holograph appears before you. The scientist says, “This room has been constructed of a strong, lightweight, corrosion-resistant metal and is the most abundant metal in Earth’s crust.” | Room1-Clue1 | 2. 2nd clue – This atom contains three valence electrons. | Room1-Clue2 | 3. 3rd clue – This atom contains 13 protons. | Room1-Clue | 4. Room 2. Good Job! Write down aluminum (Al) on door 1 on your paper. Now to the next room.. The next room you find yourselves in is made of a non-metal, clear life-giving gas. | Room2-Clue1 | 5. 2nd clue - Suddenly Mendeleev appears again, saying, “This element is a non metal, diatomic gas that comprises about 20% of normal air. | Room2-Clue2 | 6. 3rd clue – This element combines with hydrogen to make water. | Room2-Clue3 | 7. Room 3. Good Job! Write down oxygen (O) on door 2 on your paper. Now to the next room. You and your friends are transported to a room made from a green-yellow gas that immediately begins to burn your nostrils and your throat. You reach into your packs for gas masks to protect yourselves from these noxious fumes. Mendeleev appears and says “This diatomic gas is a halogen.” | Room3-Clue1 | 8. 2nd clue - The holograph of Mendeleev appears again through the shifting gas. “This element has 3 electron orbits or shells.” | room3-Clue2 | 9. 3rd clue – This element has 17 protons. | Room3-Clue3 | 10. Room 4. Good Job! Write down Chlorine(Cl) on door 3 on your paper. In the next room you find yourselves surrounded by bright yellow crystals of a non-metal. The old chemist appears and says, “This element used to be known by the name brimstone.” | Room4-Clue1 | 11. 2nd clue - It is then that you begin to notice the smell of rotten eggs and it makes you cover your nose. The room is tinted yellow by light reflecting off the crystals. | room4-clue2 | 12. 3rd clue – This element has 6 valence electrons. | Room4-clue3 | 13. 4th clue – This element has 16 electrons. | room4-clue4 | 14. Room 5. Good Job! Write down Sulfur (S) on door 4 on your paper. Now to the next room. You are in a room made of a clear gas, located in one of the towers of the Castle Mendeleev. The holograph tells you, “The atoms of this element are also diatomic.” | Room5-Clue1 | 15. Clue 2 – This gas is considered noble because it has a full outer shell. | Room5-Clue2 | 16. Clue 3 - Trying to talk to your friends, your voice sounds high-pitched and squeaky, like Mickey Mouse. | Room5-clue3 | 17. Room 6. Good Job! Write down Helium (He) on door 5 on your paper. The first clue for room 6: The sixth room you are transported to is on the first floor of the castle. It is made of a silver-gray metallic solid. Taking a knife out of your backpack, you are able to cut a piece of this alkali metal off with the blade because the substance is very soft. | Room6-Clue1 | 18. Clue 2 - Filling a small glass beaker with water from your canteen, you drop the substance in to observe its reaction with water. It floats on the water for a few seconds, then there is a small explosion as sparks are sent off. | room6-Clue2 | 19. Clue 3 – This element is found in table salt, chemical name: sodium chloride. | Room6-Clue3 | 20. Room 7. Good Job! Write down sodium (Na) on door 6 on your paper. Now to the next room. The first clue for Room 7: Next you are transported to a room with bright, white, waxy walls. When you turn off the lights, the entire room glows in the dark | Room7-Clue1 | 21. Clue 2- This metal reacts by gaining 3 electrons. | room7-clue2 | 22. Clue 3 - The holograph tells you, “This element occurs in teeth and bones as calcium phosphate.” | Room7-clue3 | 23. Clue 4 - This element has 15 protons. | Room7-Clue4 | 24. Room 8. Good Job! Write down phosphorus (P) on door 7 on your paper. Now to the next room. Your first clue for room 8: You are now in a room made of a shiny, silver element is next to the secret staircase of the castle. The image of Mendeleev reappears to say, “When this element reacts it gains or shares 4 electrons.” | room8-clue1 | 25. Clue 2 - “This element appears here in its pure form. If combined with traces of other elements, it becomes a semiconductor that is use in circuits of electronic devices such as calculators.” | room 8-Clue2 | 26. Clue 3 – “It and oxygen are the two elements that make up sand but not diamonds.” | Room8-Clue3 | 27. Clue 4 - This element has 14 electrons. | room8-clue4 | 28. Room 9. Good Job! Write down silicon (Si) on door 8 on your paper. Now to the next room. Next clue for Room 9: The ninth room is composed of a gas that has no color, taste, or odor. A transparent image of the chemist tells you, “This element is diatomic.” | Room9-Clue1 | 29. Clue 2- “This element makes up 80% of normal air.” | Room9-clue2 | 30. Clue 3 - “An atom of this element has 2 electrons in its first shell and 5 electrons in its second shell.” | Room9-Clue3 | 31. Clue 4 - This element is what you get when oxygen loses a proton. | Room9-Clue4 | 32. Room10- Good Job! Write down Nitrogen (N) on door 9 on your paper. Next clue for Room 10: The next room you are transported to is made of a soft, white metal. It can be shiny but corrodes and turns white in the presence of air. | Room10-Clue1 | 33. Clue 2- This Room is on the second floor of my castle. | Room10-Clue2 | 34. Clue 3- This element has two electron orbitals (shells) and one valence electron. | Room10-clue3 | 35. Clue 4- This element is the least reactive in its family. | Room10-Clue4 | 36. Room 11. Good Job! Write down lithium (Li) on door 10 on your paper. Next clue for Room 11: Next, you are transported to a room in the corner of the Castle Mendeleev. The room is made of a thick, unreactive gas. | Room11-Clue1 | 37. Clue 2 - Mendeleev flickers into view to tell you, “This element is used to fill light bulbs.” | Room11-Clue2 | 38. Clue 3 - The atoms of this element have 8 electrons in their third and final shell. | Room11-Clue3 | 39. Clue 4- This element has 18 electrons. | Room11-Clue4 | 40. Room 12. Good Job! Write down Argon(Ar) on door 11 on your paper. Next clue for Room 12: After escaping from the last room you materialize in a room made of a solid substance. Mendeleev’s image appears in front of you and says, “This element is the basic unit for all living things.” | Room12-Clue1 | 41. Clue 2 - “Without it, jewelers would go broke, gas stations would go out of business, and every breath you exhale would be incomplete.” | Room12-Clue2 | 42. Clue 3- "This element is used in radioactive dating." | Room12-Clue3 | 43. Clue 4 - “The element has 6 neutrons and an atomic mass of 12.” | Room12-Clue4 | 44. Room 13. Good Job! Write down Carbon (C) on door 12 on your paper. Next clue for Room 13: The next room you enter is filled with a gas. The gas is colorless and nonreactice. | Room13-Clue1 | 45. Clue 2 - Mendeleev appears, telling you, “When electricity is run through it, the gas emits a brilliant orange-red light when contained in a discharge tube.” | Room13-Clue2 | 46. Clue 3 – “Las Vegas wouldn’t be the same without this element.” | Room13-Clue3 | 47. Clue 4 – “This element has 10 electrons and 10 neutrons.” | Room13-clue4 | 48. Room 14 Good Job! Write down Neon (Ne) on door 13 on your paper. Next clue for Room 14: This room is made of a light gray metal. Again, the image of Mendeleev speaks, “This element is so strong, hard, and elastic that it is used in alloys to reinforce other metals. Its melting point is nearly 1300oC.” | Room14-Clue1 | 49. Clue 2 – It is part of the Alkaline Earth Metals Family. | Room14-Clue2 | 50. Clue 3 – It reacts by losing two electrons. | Room14-Clue3 | 51. Clue 4 - It has 4 protons. | Room14-Clue4 | 52. Room 15. Good Job! Write down Beryllium (Be) on door 14 on your paper. Next clue for Room 15: The next room is made of a hard, black, shiny material and then suddenly it changes to a brown powder. The old chemist appears and says “This does not conduct heat or electricity well. It can withstand really high heats and is used in making scientific glassware." | Room15-Clue1 | 53. Clue 2 - The holograph of the chemist tells you the atoms of this element have 2 electron shells. | Room15-Clue2 | 54. Clue 3 – This element is a metalloid on the second floor of the castle. | Room15-Clue3 | 55. Clue 4 - This element has a rounded atomic mass of 11 and 6 neutrons. | Room15-Clue4 | 56. Room 16. Good Job! Write down Boron (B) on door 15 on your paper. Next clue for Room 16: The sixteenth room you enter is made of a greenish-yellow gas. The image tells you, “Be very careful, this element is the most reactive of the nonmetals.” | Room16-Clue1 | 57. Clue 2 – It also reacts with hydrocarbons to form Teflon, the nonstick coating in frying pans. | Room16-Clue2 | 58. Clue 3 - “The atoms of this halogen combine with sodium to help reduce tooth decay.” | Room16-Clue3 | 59. Clue 4 - This element's atoms have 9 protons. | Room16-Clue4 | 60. Room 17. Good Job! Write down Fluorine (F) on door 16 on your paper. Next clue for Room 17: Next you have been transported to a room on the first floor of the Castle Mendeleev that is made of a white solid. This solid can be shined and is malleable. It is fairly reactive but it does not have to be kept in oil to keep it from reacting. | Room17-Clue 1 | 61. Clue 2 - The holograph of Dmitri Mendeleev reappears, shifting before you like a milky ghost, speaking to you once more. “This element burns brilliantly in air. The atoms of this element form positive ions by giving up two electrons.” | Room17-Clue2 | 62. Clue 3 – “This element is widely used in aerospace industries in alloys with other metals. It makes a very strong lightweight ladder with aluminum. | Room17-Clue 3 | 63. Clue 4- This element has 12 electrons. | Room17-Clue4 | 64. Room 18. Good Job! Write down Magnesium (Mg) on door 17 on your paper.Next clue for Room 18: You finally find yourself in the second tower of the Castle Mendeleev. The room is made of a transparent gas. | Room18-Clue1 | 65. Clue2 - It is the most abundant element in the universe. | Room18-Clue2 | 66. Clue 3 - This element is the simplest and lightest of all the elements. | Room18-Clue3 | 67. Clue 4 - This element usually has no neutrons. | Room18-Clue4 |
Room 1. Good Job! Write down Hydrogen (H) on door 18 on your paper. Now to the next room. You and your friends have suddenly materialized in a room made entirely of a shiny metallic solid. A shimmering holograph appears before you. The scientist says, “This room has been constructed of a strong, lightweight, corrosion-resistant metal and is the most abundant metal in Earth’s crust.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 1 (of 67)
2nd clue – This atom contains three valence electrons.&choe=UTF-8
Question 2 (of 67)
3rd clue – This atom contains 13 protons.&choe=UTF-8
Question 3 (of 67)
Room 2. Good Job! Write down aluminum (Al) on door 1 on your paper. Now to the next room.. The next room you find yourselves in is made of a non-metal, clear life-giving gas.&choe=UTF-8
Question 4 (of 67)
2nd clue - Suddenly Mendeleev appears again, saying, “This element is a non metal, diatomic gas that comprises about 20% of normal air.&choe=UTF-8
Question 5 (of 67)
3rd clue – This element combines with hydrogen to make water.&choe=UTF-8
Question 6 (of 67)
Room 3. Good Job! Write down oxygen (O) on door 2 on your paper. Now to the next room. You and your friends are transported to a room made from a green-yellow gas that immediately begins to burn your nostrils and your throat. You reach into your packs for gas masks to protect yourselves from these noxious fumes. Mendeleev appears and says “This diatomic gas is a halogen.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 7 (of 67)
2nd clue - The holograph of Mendeleev appears again through the shifting gas. “This element has 3 electron orbits or shells.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 8 (of 67)
3rd clue – This element has 17 protons.&choe=UTF-8
Question 9 (of 67)
Room 4. Good Job! Write down Chlorine(Cl) on door 3 on your paper. In the next room you find yourselves surrounded by bright yellow crystals of a non-metal. The old chemist appears and says, “This element used to be known by the name brimstone.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 10 (of 67)
2nd clue - It is then that you begin to notice the smell of rotten eggs and it makes you cover your nose. The room is tinted yellow by light reflecting off the crystals.&choe=UTF-8
Question 11 (of 67)
3rd clue – This element has 6 valence electrons.&choe=UTF-8
Question 12 (of 67)
4th clue – This element has 16 electrons.&choe=UTF-8
Question 13 (of 67)
Room 5. Good Job! Write down Sulfur (S) on door 4 on your paper. Now to the next room. You are in a room made of a clear gas, located in one of the towers of the Castle Mendeleev. The holograph tells you, “The atoms of this element are also diatomic.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 14 (of 67)
Clue 2 – This gas is considered noble because it has a full outer shell. &choe=UTF-8
Question 15 (of 67)
Clue 3 - Trying to talk to your friends, your voice sounds high-pitched and squeaky, like Mickey Mouse.&choe=UTF-8
Question 16 (of 67)
Room 6. Good Job! Write down Helium (He) on door 5 on your paper. The first clue for room 6: The sixth room you are transported to is on the first floor of the castle. It is made of a silver-gray metallic solid. Taking a knife out of your backpack, you are able to cut a piece of this alkali metal off with the blade because the substance is very soft.&choe=UTF-8
Question 17 (of 67)
Clue 2 - Filling a small glass beaker with water from your canteen, you drop the substance in to observe its reaction with water. It floats on the water for a few seconds, then there is a small explosion as sparks are sent off.&choe=UTF-8
Question 18 (of 67)
Clue 3 – This element is found in table salt, chemical name: sodium chloride.&choe=UTF-8
Question 19 (of 67)
Room 7. Good Job! Write down sodium (Na) on door 6 on your paper. Now to the next room. The first clue for Room 7: Next you are transported to a room with bright, white, waxy walls. When you turn off the lights, the entire room glows in the dark&choe=UTF-8
Question 20 (of 67)
Clue 2- This metal reacts by gaining 3 electrons.&choe=UTF-8
Question 21 (of 67)
Clue 3 - The holograph tells you, “This element occurs in teeth and bones as calcium phosphate.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 22 (of 67)
Clue 4 - This element has 15 protons.&choe=UTF-8
Question 23 (of 67)
Room 8. Good Job! Write down phosphorus (P) on door 7 on your paper. Now to the next room. Your first clue for room 8: You are now in a room made of a shiny, silver element is next to the secret staircase of the castle. The image of Mendeleev reappears to say, “When this element reacts it gains or shares 4 electrons.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 24 (of 67)
Clue 2 - “This element appears here in its pure form. If combined with traces of other elements, it becomes a semiconductor that is use in circuits of electronic devices such as calculators.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 25 (of 67)
Clue 3 – “It and oxygen are the two elements that make up sand but not diamonds.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 26 (of 67)
Clue 4 - This element has 14 electrons.&choe=UTF-8
Question 27 (of 67)
Room 9. Good Job! Write down silicon (Si) on door 8 on your paper. Now to the next room. Next clue for Room 9: The ninth room is composed of a gas that has no color, taste, or odor. A transparent image of the chemist tells you, “This element is diatomic.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 28 (of 67)
Clue 2- “This element makes up 80% of normal air.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 29 (of 67)
Clue 3 - “An atom of this element has 2 electrons in its first shell and 5 electrons in its second shell.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 30 (of 67)
Clue 4 - This element is what you get when oxygen loses a proton.&choe=UTF-8
Question 31 (of 67)
Room10- Good Job! Write down Nitrogen (N) on door 9 on your paper. Next clue for Room 10: The next room you are transported to is made of a soft, white metal. It can be shiny but corrodes and turns white in the presence of air.&choe=UTF-8
Question 32 (of 67)
Clue 2- This Room is on the second floor of my castle.&choe=UTF-8
Question 33 (of 67)
Clue 3- This element has two electron orbitals (shells) and one valence electron.&choe=UTF-8
Question 34 (of 67)
Clue 4- This element is the least reactive in its family.&choe=UTF-8
Question 35 (of 67)
Room 11. Good Job! Write down lithium (Li) on door 10 on your paper. Next clue for Room 11: Next, you are transported to a room in the corner of the Castle Mendeleev. The room is made of a thick, unreactive gas.&choe=UTF-8
Question 36 (of 67)
Clue 2 - Mendeleev flickers into view to tell you, “This element is used to fill light bulbs.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 37 (of 67)
Clue 3 - The atoms of this element have 8 electrons in their third and final shell.&choe=UTF-8
Question 38 (of 67)
Clue 4- This element has 18 electrons.&choe=UTF-8
Question 39 (of 67)
Room 12. Good Job! Write down Argon(Ar) on door 11 on your paper. Next clue for Room 12: After escaping from the last room you materialize in a room made of a solid substance. Mendeleev’s image appears in front of you and says, “This element is the basic unit for all living things.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 40 (of 67)
Clue 2 - “Without it, jewelers would go broke, gas stations would go out of business, and every breath you exhale would be incomplete.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 41 (of 67)
Clue 3- "This element is used in radioactive dating."&choe=UTF-8
Question 42 (of 67)
Clue 4 - “The element has 6 neutrons and an atomic mass of 12.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 43 (of 67)
Room 13. Good Job! Write down Carbon (C) on door 12 on your paper. Next clue for Room 13: The next room you enter is filled with a gas. The gas is colorless and nonreactice.&choe=UTF-8
Question 44 (of 67)
Clue 2 - Mendeleev appears, telling you, “When electricity is run through it, the gas emits a brilliant orange-red light when contained in a discharge tube.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 45 (of 67)
Clue 3 – “Las Vegas wouldn’t be the same without this element.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 46 (of 67)
Clue 4 – “This element has 10 electrons and 10 neutrons.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 47 (of 67)
Room 14 Good Job! Write down Neon (Ne) on door 13 on your paper. Next clue for Room 14: This room is made of a light gray metal. Again, the image of Mendeleev speaks, “This element is so strong, hard, and elastic that it is used in alloys to reinforce other metals. Its melting point is nearly 1300oC.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 48 (of 67)
Clue 2 – It is part of the Alkaline Earth Metals Family.&choe=UTF-8
Question 49 (of 67)
Clue 3 – It reacts by losing two electrons.&choe=UTF-8
Question 50 (of 67)
Clue 4 - It has 4 protons.&choe=UTF-8
Question 51 (of 67)
Room 15. Good Job! Write down Beryllium (Be) on door 14 on your paper. Next clue for Room 15: The next room is made of a hard, black, shiny material and then suddenly it changes to a brown powder. The old chemist appears and says “This does not conduct heat or electricity well. It can withstand really high heats and is used in making scientific glassware."&choe=UTF-8
Question 52 (of 67)
Clue 2 - The holograph of the chemist tells you the atoms of this element have 2 electron shells.&choe=UTF-8
Question 53 (of 67)
Clue 3 – This element is a metalloid on the second floor of the castle.&choe=UTF-8
Question 54 (of 67)
Clue 4 - This element has a rounded atomic mass of 11 and 6 neutrons.&choe=UTF-8
Question 55 (of 67)
Room 16. Good Job! Write down Boron (B) on door 15 on your paper. Next clue for Room 16: The sixteenth room you enter is made of a greenish-yellow gas. The image tells you, “Be very careful, this element is the most reactive of the nonmetals.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 56 (of 67)
Clue 2 – It also reacts with hydrocarbons to form Teflon, the nonstick coating in frying pans.&choe=UTF-8
Question 57 (of 67)
Clue 3 - “The atoms of this halogen combine with sodium to help reduce tooth decay.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 58 (of 67)
Clue 4 - This element's atoms have 9 protons.&choe=UTF-8
Question 59 (of 67)
Room 17. Good Job! Write down Fluorine (F) on door 16 on your paper. Next clue for Room 17: Next you have been transported to a room on the first floor of the Castle Mendeleev that is made of a white solid. This solid can be shined and is malleable. It is fairly reactive but it does not have to be kept in oil to keep it from reacting.&choe=UTF-8
Question 60 (of 67)
Clue 2 - The holograph of Dmitri Mendeleev reappears, shifting before you like a milky ghost, speaking to you once more. “This element burns brilliantly in air. The atoms of this element form positive ions by giving up two electrons.”&choe=UTF-8
Question 61 (of 67)
Clue 3 – “This element is widely used in aerospace industries in alloys with other metals. It makes a very strong lightweight ladder with aluminum.&choe=UTF-8
Question 62 (of 67)
Clue 4- This element has 12 electrons.&choe=UTF-8
Question 63 (of 67)
Room 18. Good Job! Write down Magnesium (Mg) on door 17 on your paper.Next clue for Room 18: You finally find yourself in the second tower of the Castle Mendeleev. The room is made of a transparent gas.&choe=UTF-8
Question 64 (of 67)
Clue2 - It is the most abundant element in the universe.&choe=UTF-8
Question 65 (of 67)
Clue 3 - This element is the simplest and lightest of all the elements.&choe=UTF-8
Question 66 (of 67)
Clue 4 - This element usually has no neutrons.&choe=UTF-8
Question 67 (of 67)
