Planning a staycation this Spring Break with your kids in Lake Oswego? I’ve been there, done that, and know coming up with ideas can be challenging.

So, let me pay it forward.

Load your kids up in the car and head out with copies of this Scavenger Hunt list in hand in search of as many items as you can find. Maybe give yourselves a challenge to see how many you can find in a certain amount of time. Or challenge some friends to do it with their kids too and see who finishes up first.

I’ve also listed links to some blog posts I’ve written on some of these things that could add a little more flavor to the hunt. Enjoy!

•Little Free Library. The number of Little Free Libraries has grown since I wrote this post back in 2013. Feel free to check out their inventory when you spot one, and maybe come home with a book or two (you could pack a couple to replace the ones you take)

•Chicken coop. We may be in the city, but we’ve got quite a few farmers at heart within our boundaries. My wife and I have spotted several on our walks from the simple studio layout to more of a resort complete with a covered fence tunnel and umbrellas that provide shelter in the rain.

•Porta Potty. This should be an easy one because there is so much construction and remodeling going on in our town. In fact, my wife and I started a porta-potty count on our COVID-19 walks and the current total is 366. If your kids want to take on the challenge and see if they can find more than that, well, then, there’s another day’s activity for you!

•Black house. Black exteriors are one of the design trends I mention in this post. You may be surprised how many you find in Lake Oswego.

•Boat on a trailer.

•Poetry Box. These are sprinkled around Lake Oswego neighborhoods and in front of one of our city’s institutions (hint: they carry a lot of books). Often they’re attached to a pole or tree in front of residents’ homes and display poems to enjoy for any passersby. Watch for a blog post about poetry boxes coming next month in honor of National Poetry Month.

•Someone walking a dog

•A car displaying a Lakeridge or Lake Oswego High School sticker in its window

•A birdhouse

•A tree with moss growing on it. Extra points if there are also ferns growing on the moss!

•A street sign with the word “Lake” on it

•Someone walking holding a cup of coffee from a local coffee shop. If you need to refuel while driving around, check out my latest roundup of coffee spots in Lake Oswego.

•A flower blooming

•A house with a red door

•A California license plate. Californians are some of our biggest imports and explain that positive net migration I talk about in this blog.

•A fountain

•A stream. While our lake is our dominant water feature in Lake Oswego, we are also blessed with lots of streams that help to refill our lake in the years it is drained.

•Someone walking a baby in a stroller

•Someone on a kayak or paddleboard. If you can’t find someone braving the weather on our lake for this one, don’t forget that other body of water that runs along our east side!

•A goose. They say they fly south for the winter, but Lake Oswego is such a beautiful spot that I’ve seen many who choose to stay put year-round.

•A Heritage Tree. There are 38 Heritage Trees in Lake Oswego, designated as such because of they have notable historical, cultural, environmental or physical qualities. You can look for the markers designating them as such and/or you can use this map to lead you to the spot.

I’m around during Spring Break, so if you’d like to find out how this hot housing market has increased the value of your home, give me a call and we can meet. I can provide a complimentary market analysis to give you the information you need to decide what to do going forward. And if you’d like to look at homes for sale in Lake Oswego, I can set that up too. Give me a call at 503.939.9801 or email me at costellok@hasson.com.