Valley Quest Publications

Best of Valley Quest is a collection of 70 of the BEST Upper Valley treasure hunts. If you like exploration and adventure, you will love Best of Valley Quest! Follow intriguing maps and clues to find the Upper Valley region’s secret, special places—sites like Ben Thresher’s Mill, the Esther Currier Wildlife Sanctuary, Lyme Pinnacle, and the Justin Morrill Homestead. Whether you are a visitor to the Upper Valley or a life-long resident, Valley Quest is your ticket to adventure. A day out Questing will help you discover and learn about the landscape and heritage we share.

At the end of each Quest you will find—perhaps hidden in a stone wall or hollow tree—a treasure box containing a sign-in guest book and a handmade rubber stamp. Sign in and collect the impression of the stamp. Collect the impression of 20 different Quest stamps and earn a colorful Valley Quest patch.

This book is printed on Silva Enviro paper which is guaranteed 100% post-consumer fiber. It is Ecologo certified, manufactured chlorine-free and using biogas energy by Marquis Printing in Canada. Using 3,036 pounds of virgin fiber paper will save 26 trees, 1640 pounds of solid waste, 15,478 gallons of water, 3,601 pounds of emissions and 3,753 cubic feet of natural gas.

Available at your favorite bookstore for $24.95. Or you can order online or by phone/email.

"The school children, teachers, land-owners and others who designed these quests have performed a genuine service and given something of real value to their communities. Their book is, in effect, a vital treasury of experience." -Vermont Vacation and Vermont Life

"... The Best of Valley Quest is the perfect guide to such experiences and to the many special places available in the Connecticut Valley." - Vermont Magazine

"So if you're looking for something to do with friends, family or guests, try a quest. You might like it as a once-in-a-while activity, .. or you might get hooked." - Kearsarge Magazine

Questing: A Guide to Creating Community Treasure Hunts
In this book, Steve and Delia, two experts in community education, explain how individuals and organizations can create and organize permanent quests to foster place-based education, stewardship, adventure, and fun. It is intended to offer inspiration and practical advice for parents, teachers, community group leaders, and others interested in learning about where they live and building community ties through questing. The book presents a rationale for place-based education and quest program goals and objectives that can easily be implemented in any community.
Click here for table of contents

Available at your favorite bookstore for $19.95. Or you can order online or by phone/email.

For bookstores and other wholesalers: click here to order Questing for your store.

"This reader is already enthusiastic enough to suggest it to a local neighborhood group."—Boston Globe

"The timeliness for the new book published by University Press of New England is that more guidelines are needed for an ever expanding diverse community audience to run and participate in quests. Those addressed by the authors include teachers, parents, historical societies, environmental organizations and others."—Connecticut Valley Spectator (NH)

"Questing is so full of great suggestions that I am motivated to act. I still haven't found a treasure box, but I've hidden one." —New Hampshire Magazine

Valley Quest II: 75 More Treasure Hunts in the Upper Valley was published in 2004 and contains 75 brand new treasure hunts spread across 38 upper valley towns (and beyond).

Each Quest features directions to the starting point, riddle-like clues, and hand-drawn maps that lead you to installed treasure boxes. The treasure boxes contain a sign-in guest book, and ink pad and a unique handmade stamp, and additional information regarding the particular Quest site.

When you collect the impressions of 20 stamps, send them in to us to earn a Valley Quest patch and certificate .Collect 50 and receive a Valley Quest cap. Sound like fun? Learn more about Questing by ordering your copy of the Valley Quest II ($19.95 + postage) by calling (603) 632-7377 or going to a bookstore here in the upper valley.

Order online for $19.95 or Order by phone/email.

"These environmental and historical treasure hunts are a reminder that adventure is the best starting-point for education and citizenship alike."
- John Elder

Valley Quest: 89 Treasure Hunts in the Upper Valley was published in May, 2001. With Quests stretching across 31 towns in Vermont and New Hampshire, the book is an excellent introduction to the natural and cultural history of the Upper Valley region.

Each Quest features directions to the starting point, riddle-like clues, and hand-drawn maps that lead you to installed treasure boxes. The treasure boxes contain a sign-in guest book, and ink pad and a unique handmade stamp, and additional information regarding the particular Quest site.
SOLD OUT

When you collect the impressions of 20 stamps, send them in to us to earn a Valley Quest patch and certificate. Collect 50 and receive a Valley Quest cap.

"This is a marvelous idea! It will help communities to recognize and value their treasures before they are lost." - Mary Azarian

"The prize that will last,
that you'll pass to your kids,
Is the knowledge that you've ganied
Of the places that you live." - Julie Older

"Green Treasure Hunts" - E Magazine

Vermont Community Works

The Cemetery Quest - this standards-based unit is a series of eight lessons whereby students choose a community cemetery, inventory and photograph the headstones, collect and record headstone data, process it using Excel spreadsheets, "adopt" key families, and study them using primary and secondary sources, in order to create a Quest which shares community history through a cemetery walking tour.

Suitable for 4th - 8th grade, $15

To order your copy, email Laura Dintino or call (802) 291-9100 ext 107.

Click here for more information and sample lesson plans.

The Village Quest - this standards-based unit is a series of eight lessons, whereby a class uses historical maps, field trips, primary and secondary resources, and interviews with community elders to create a Quest capturing "hidden stories" in their town.

Suitable for 4th - 8th grade, $15

To order your copy, email Laura Dintino or call (802) 291-9100 ext 107.

Click here for more information and sample lesson plans.

The Civil War Quest - this standards-based unit is a series fourteen lessons whereby students study cemeteries, adopt specific individuals buried there and then use primary and secondary sources to understand the larger social contexts that influenced these individuals' lives.

Suitable for 4th grade and up