How to stage a treasure hunt...

[Moonliner]

It's that time of year again...

JuniorMoonie is having a birthday party and the theme chosen for this year is "Treasure Hunt". Anyone have any thoughts on how to stage an exciting treasure hunt for 2 groups of 10 year olds? MommieMoonie has already nixed using a live tarantula :(

[SacTown Chronic]

Well, shoot, without the live tarantula you might as well just go to Chuckie Cheese.

[Scrooge McSam]

MommieMoonie has already nixed using a live tarantula :(

Sheesh... Some people have so many rules.

[Gemini Cricket]

My friend and I did a treasure hunt for his 8 year old cousins and their friends. We went to a park in Mammoth and had a cowboy treasure hunt. Everyone dressed up as cowboys and everyone got maps to the treasure. It ended in a gunfight between he and I and the birthday boy got to walk off with the treasure that he split up between all the kids. The park was ideal, it had an abandoned shack somewhere and a cave. We made up wanted posters with our pictures on it and we posted them on trees beforehand. On the way to the treasure, the kids realized that their hosts (my friend and I) were escaped convicts. Hee hee. By that time, we were far from the campsite. They totally dug that. I was Big Bad Brad and my friend was Shotgun Scotty.
:D

[Moonliner]

Cool ideas with the Cowboy hunt. That sounds like it was a lot of fun...

OK, so to start with how does this sound...

1. A pencil and paper based puzzle. When your team solves the puzzle you get something like: "Push the button (http://www.estesrockets.com/cgi-bin/products.cgi?view,622) and follow the clue"

[Prudence]

oooh - do they still have the payload compartment ones? Because that would be even cooler - the clue could be in there. (Plus, I think those use bigger engines than the weenie As.)

[Moonliner]

oooh - do they still have the payload compartment ones? Because that would be even cooler - the clue could be in there. (Plus, I think those use bigger engines than the weenie As.)

The plan would be to launch them cruise missel style at about a 30 degee angle across the open area behind our house... The weenie 1/2 A's should do fine... ;)

Ohh and before anyone comments: Safety smashty, danger is fun! Especially when small children are involved.

[Prudence]

But then there's no danger of it getting caught on a powerline or the nosecone failing to pop open. That takes all the fun out of it!

[Ponine]

10 year olds?
Do you know how to make treasure rocks?

Things they can find, but have to be broken to get the goodies inside?
I'll go find them....
That way you could have them find x, and really, you could color code them if you needed to.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

<puts on glasses with a chain>

Your local library probably has great ideas for treasure hunts. Books on parties for kids include games that can be incorporated. Even though a lot of kids these days aren't lucky enough to have amazing parents like you, there are still lots of new books on the topic.

<removes glasses>

[Gemini Cricket]

For more information on staging treasure hunts, visit your local library.

[DreadPirateRoberts]

10 year olds?
Do you know how to make treasure rocks?


Please tell us about treasure rocks, they sound cool.

[Gemini Cricket]

For more information on treasure rocks, visit your local liberry.

[katiesue]

We used to do scavengar hunts. You got a list of things to find, an egg, rubberband, usually simple things. Then you had to run around to all the neighbors and try to get them to give them to you. I guess in this day and age you can't really go around pounding on all the neighbors doors asking for rubber bands or eggs but it was a lot of fun.

The maps to find the treasure sound like a great idea. You could easily even break the kids into smaller groups with different maps so everyone got to participate more.

Chocolate coins would work for treasure.

Or - just thought of this. What if you cut the map up into smaller sections so you had to go to location 1 to find the next section to get you to location 2 and so on until you had the complete map to the treasure. Or each group of kids could have different sections so they'd have to work together to come up with the complete map.

[katiesue]

Or you could just go to the library.

[xharryb]

I like the idea of the map being in pieces. Split the kids into groups and give them each clues to find a chunk of the map. Then they all come back together to join their pieces and follow the big map to a main treasure.

Give them tasks that must be completed along the way (I'm sure the library could provide more detailed ideas for that ;) ).

This sounds like a lot of fun actually!

[Matterhorn Fan]

Since the library's such a treasure-trove of information, I think the treasure hunt should end at the library. You could end at PZ7.S73 T73.

[Ponine]

Okay... so Family Fun has a recipie for Treasure Stones
Treasure Stones (http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10183) These are made with plaster of Paris....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/ponine/LoT/stones.gif

and a Treasure Cake
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/ponine/LoT/treasurehunt.jpg


There is also a recipie out there for stones this way, but I cannot find a picture.:
Treasure Rocks

INGREDIENTS

1 cup flour
1 cup used coffee grinds
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup sand
3/4 cup water

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Slowly add water and knead until the mixture is the consistency of bread dough. Break off a piece of dough and roll it into the size of a baseball. Make a hole in the center of the ball big enough to hide treasures in. Fill the hole with treasures and seal with some extra dough. Let your treasure stone air dry for 2-3 days or until hard or bake in the oven on a cookie sheet at 150 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
If you want them colored add 1 Tbs. of powder tempera paint to tint your Treasure Stones different colors.


Now, I have seen the latter recipie, done similar to the first. In that you take the 'treasure' and wrap it in plastic wrap or foil and then use the coffee ground mixiture to cover it and shape into a rock...

Hmm... you could do part of the map with lemon juice ink...

so many fairly evil things to do with that age group.

Let me know if you need more... over zealous room mom here. I bought all the books the library owned. ;)

[Gemini Cricket]

I'm thinking you shouldn't eat the treasure rocks...

[katiesue]

Oh lemon juice for the maps - great idea.

[Ponine]

I'm thinking you shouldn't eat the treasure rocks...
I thinking that's not the intention, no. ;)

Because of the way the recipies work, I'd also advise being cautious as to using edible treats. Things that might melt, get stale , etc.

[Betty]

I love this thread. We've got 2 birthdays coming up and I just might have to make one a treasure hunt.

Last year we did a Fear Factor party that was fun. (or was it the year before).

[katiesue]

My daughter went to a party in pre-school where they had a "treasure hunt". They put small prizes, plastic gold coins, rings and such into buckets of sand. Then the kids dug through to get the prizes. It was at a public park so when they were done they just added the sand to the sand box there.

[BarTopDancer]

Cool ideas with the Cowboy hunt. That sounds like it was a lot of fun...

OK, so to start with how does this sound...

1. A pencil and paper based puzzle. When your team solves the puzzle you get something like: "Push the button (http://www.estesrockets.com/cgi-bin/products.cgi?view,622) and follow the clue"

Don't push the button! The button is bad!