On the Trail of the Yeti

“On the Trail of the Yeti,” made for kids ages 7 to 10, turns your backyard, a park, or your house into a snowy valley, where, they whisper, a very shy big yeti lives at the foot of the mountain. It would never hurt anyone: it is just looking for someone clever enough to follow its tracks to it. Five clues await the kids: recognize the big footprint among several, follow a trail of steps that blurs on a slope, find the lost scarf in a mountain village, read a plan drawn on a fir trunk, and watch for the frost crystals that point the way. The kids move, search, compare, and figure things out without ever going in circles: every clue points clearly to the next one. The book includes the clue cards, a valley map to customize, an investigation journal to fill in, and a guide for the grown-up that sets up the trail in a few minutes. The game works for a small group or a big crowd of kids, indoors or out. At the last stop, every player earns a Friend of the Yeti diploma to cut out and fill in. The guide also offers options, backup hints, and a shorter version for the youngest players. There is nothing to improvise on game day: just hide the cards and start the trail.