On Saturday, the new wave of an old favorite just might begin at the French Creek Nature Center in Sheffield.

That’s when the park will host its first GPS Easter egg hunt.

This is not the typical free-for-all, with kids scrambling about to try and fill their baskets with eggs.

In this newfangled version, the wonders of Global Positioning Systems are used to make it something akin to a scavenger hunt that encompasses the whole park.

“There are seven eggs total; six containing coordinates that teams need to follow and one large egg that contains a prize at the end,” said Jannah Tucker, a naturalist at the park who devised the idea from her family’s own egg hunt last year. “It’s kind of like a treasure hunt.”

Participants are split into teams of eight, which are given the coordinates to be input into the GPS to find the first egg. The expedition also is a race as the first team that gets back to the Nature Center is awarded a plaque and ribbons.

“There’s quite a bit of walking involved so the hunt should take each group about two hours to finish. It’s a great family activity,” Tucker said.

And a very popular one judging by the number of people signed up to participate.

Tucker said that this year’s event is filled with about 80 participants that will make up 10 teams. She also said that there are 12 more teams, almost 100 people, on a waiting list.

The Nature Center plans on hosting the GPS hunt twice next year to accommodate the number of people who want to participate. So mark your calendars — sign-ups will begin in mid-January next year, she said.

Contact Jill Mahon at 329-7155 or metro@chroniclet.com

 

Too high-tech?

There are options locally for those looking for a more traditional hunt at the Metro Parks.

 

-   Wellington Reservation

10 a.m. March 22

Ages: All

Cost: Free

Basket and eggs provided

 

- Lakeview Park

10 to 11 a.m. March 22

Ages: 2 to 10

Bring own basket

 

- Schoepfle Garden

10 a.m. March 22

Ages: 12 and younger

 

---

Print this story
Report an inappropriate comment

---

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.

Need help? Email Us.

---