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It is a very regular occurrence for my kids to ask me to make them a treasure hunt. I’m not sure why they love it so much, but they do. (Maybe because the treasure is usually candy or fruit snacks…)
Well, yesterday, they asked again. This time, I did a map of our back yard. I also recently purchased these fun goody bags from the Target dollar spot with a pirate theme- perfect for a treasure hunt! But any baggies will work.
I drew a rough sketch of our back yard and used a ruler to draw the grid. I labeled the top with numbers and the side with letters so they had to match up the coordinates. Each clue was located in a certain coordinate (B5). They had to figure out the coordinate and find the next clue.
The final clue had one more little job for them. They had to assemble a puzzle to see the treasure. I also included some candy with the treasure. It would be fun to get some gold coins, to!! To make a puzzle like this, I used jumbo popsicle sticks and glued a picture onto it- from clip art.
Once the glue was dry, I cut between the sticks.
The kids had a blast! They are still telling me today that they loved my treasure hunt. They even created their own treasure maps and played treasure hunt for a while after.
To make it more fun, we have these great pirate books. My kids think they are hilarious. They are really cute stories!How I Became a Pirate and Pirates Don’t Change Diapers both by David Shannon
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Deceptively Educational says
July 28, 2011 at 1:50 amThat jumbo popsicle stick puzzle is an awesome addition to the activity! I’m going to have to do that with my son for sure. Thanks for linking back to me and I’m glad your kiddos had fun!!
Michelle says
July 28, 2011 at 1:55 pmHow fun!
I like the jumbo popsicle puzzle idea. My kids are getting older, but I’m sure my neighbor who teaches preschool will love this idea.