Make up a set of directional clues for a scavenger hunt. The clues should vary in difficulty depending upon the age level that you are teaching. For younger students, one direction with minimal steps will suffice; older students' clues could have multiple twists and directional turns. Create a map of the area where the scavenger hunt takes place, making enough copies for each student in the class to have his own.
Set up the scavenger hunt prior to students arriving in class. Place all the clues in their appropriate positions and run through completion of the scavenger hunt by yourself or with colleagues. Make sure that the time necessary to complete the scavenger hunt correlates with the amount of class time available for the activity.
Pass out a compass to each student. Obtaining a class set of compasses will be a great help for this activity and allow each student to work with his own compass. If you do not have a class set, you can put students into small groups and allow them to work together and share the responsibility of using the compass.
Explain what a compass is, how it works and why it is necessary for explorers to have the skills to navigate land using a compass. Explain the properties of the compass and how it works as an aid in navigation. Depending on the amount of class time you have, this portion of the activity could be completed in the prior session.
Take the students outside and explain the scavenger hunt. Students begin the activity at a designated spot on school grounds and work their way through the clues until they reach the end of the hunt. Participating in this activity helps students gain functional use of the skills involved in land navigation with a compass. Observe the students as they work their way through the scavenger hunt, making sure that everyone in the group is able to participate.